Keep Jesus Christ first in your hearts and minds when going
through your lives and careers, the co-founder and former part
owner of the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks told 108
graduates of Philadelphia Biblical University during Saturday’s
commencement ceremony.

“Your vision should always be to serve Christ and his kingdom,”
Norm Sonju said to those getting bachelor’s and master’s degrees
from the Langhorne Manor college.

“Don’t water that part down,” he continued. “If you do, you will
never reach your full potential. You have to decide what to
believe, the world’s standards that change all the time or the word
of the Holy Bible. This world is dying for leaders who have it
together, because most of them don’t.”

Sonju, 73, founded the Mavericks along with Donald Carter in
1980. He was part owner, president and general manager of the team
for 12 years and remained involved until the club was sold to Ross
Perot Jr. in 1996, who in turn sold most of his interest to the
team’s current majority owner, Mark Cuban, in 2000. Sonju remains a
big fan of the team, he said.

A devout Christian who lives in Dallas with his wife Carole,
Sonju told the PBU graduates that debt, both national and
household, is one of the biggest problems facing the United
States.

“Forty percent of Americans spend more than they earn,” he said.
“Control your debt. It will absolutely ruin you if you don’t. I
know many of you have college debt, but try to pay it off as soon
as possible. If you free yourselves from debt, it will free you to
honor and glorify the Lord.”

Since retiring from the Mavericks, Sonju has remained involved
in many pursuits, most of them Christian based. Among them is his
role as volunteer chairman of Camp-of-the-Woods, a 111-year-old
Christian family resort in the southern part of the Adirondack
Mountains in upstate New York.

Strive for excellence in your careers, but always with your
faith as the framework, Sonju told the graduates.

“Our Lord can use PBU graduates like you with a biblical world
view to make a positive difference in the world,” he said.

Jeremy Hay, a Bristol Township resident and 2006 graduate of
Harry S. Truman High School, received bachelor’s degrees in the
Bible and Education from PBU on Saturday.

“One of the reasons I came here was my mother Lora (who has
since died) worked here and I got free tuition,” he said. “But it
was mostly because this was where I felt God wanted me to be. I
love the faculty and other people here. This college has given me
great memories I’ll cherish the rest of my life.”

Hay said he plans be pursue a master’s degree in nutrition from
another college and then possibly become a health and physical
education teacher or a personal trainer-nutritionist.

Ruth Trego of Sunbury received a special award Saturday for
having the highest grade point average, 3.99, among the graduates.
Lauren Gingrich of Mount Joy was honored for having the second
highest GPA, 3.97.

The college holds graduation ceremonies in December and May,
with the much larger one being in May.

Originally located in Center City Philadelphia, PBU moved to its
105-acre campus in Langhorne Manor in 1979. It currently has 1,311
students and offers 44 undergraduate and 7 graduate degree
programs.

According to its mission statement, PBU “exists to educate
students to serve Christ in the church, society and the world as
biblically minded, well educated and professionally competent men
and women of character.”

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