Sunday is for Students–Graduation Season

This past Friday we celebrated graduation at SEBTS. We have grown so much the past few years that the college and seminary must have separate graduations.  What a joy to see so many students I taught graduate.  I am proud of all of them-undergrad, grad, and especially at the doctoral level. I had three students graduate this time with doctorates.  Joseph Phan, a Vietnamese minister who earned his MDiv at Southeastern before earning both the Thm and the DMin with me, blessed me with his humility and burden for souls throughout our time of study.  Tommy Spotts, now serving with Bill Curtis at the Cornerstone Baptist Church in Florence, also earned his DMin.  I am proud of these men. And Todd Stewart earned his PhD.  We have ten PhD graduates this spring. What an achievement! The PhD at SEBTS is not for the faint of heart.  Todd wrote on the evangelistic growth factors at FBC Dallas under the ministry of W.A. Criswell. We can in fact learn some valuable lessons, mostly good but some not so much, from such a vibrant ministry.  Under Criswell, FBC became the flagship church in the SBC.  Times have changed, as one could argue FBC no longer holds that distinction for just the city of Dallas.I am also proud of so many others I taught. I could never name them all. But there is Melissa Parnell, whose wedding to Jonathan I helped officiate. She has become a wife, a mom, and a graduate in the time I have known her.  There is Shaun Price, whose wedding to Joy I will officiate next week (they met in a small group in my office–I am an amazing matchmaker when I do not know what I am doing).  There is Julie Anne, whom I supervise for the NAMB’s Evangelism Response Center here and who is the assistant to Dr. Bruce Little in the L. Rush Bush Center for Faith and Culture.  Julie Anne has always been a blessing and encouragement to me. And then there is Robby Rowe, an evangelist who earned the MDiv with Evangelism.I could name many others who have become very special to me.  I do not teach a subject; I teach students. I love them!  God has been so good to allow me to pour my life into so many here.  May God use them mightily!