In his Chapel Talk on Monday, Feb. 19, President Christopher Thomforde discussed John 16:3, which reads: "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

When Thomforde remembers the first time he heard the verse John 16:33, he says it was "like a lightning bolt that struck me." He added that he first heard the verse in 1968, a time of much conflict, and also the time when President Thomforde's Achilles tendon was severed, preventing him from continuing his athletic career.

The first few times President Thomforde visited Boe Memorial Chapel, he says he immediately noticed the figure of a crouching man with a broken spear, which is located on the large stained glass window at the very front of the Chapel. Thomforde questioned who the man is, and also what he might represent.

In his speech Thomforde speculated that the man represents the burden many people feel in their daily lives. He then began to talk about the stresses he supposes everyone encounters: friends, family, even daily routines. He pointed out that what should be no problem often gives people the most pressure. "You're going to have trouble in the world," he stated.

Thomforde even turned his talk towards his first six weeks as college president saying, "How many receptions can a president go to?" Family can be a blessing for some, but oppressive for others, he said. He added that perhaps some students have found a sanctuary at St. Olaf from their families.

Thomforde concluded by suggesting to the crowd filling Boe Chapel that they can have peace and balance in their lives, but can never have an absence of stress. "Man's troubles are not final or ultimate, only love and the mercy of God are," he added. He also mentioned that the Lord conquered his troubles and we should "Take heart, be at peace."