I love what I do, but sometimes I am tempted to feel a big guilty. After all, I get to teach the most amazing students how to tell the most amazing news in history, and I get paid to do it. And, due to the kindness and efforts of evangelist Bailey Smith, who secured the funding for the chair I hold named in his honor, I am not much of a financial burden to the school or the convention (don’t worry, I am sure I am a burden in other ways).
I have been a pastor. I love pastors. I teach many. I used to say “those that can, do, and those that can’t do, teach.” But some folks can teach. That is my calling, and my passion, and I get up most every day amazed that God lets me do what I do. Beyond my teaching, some of my students hang out with my kids, providing great examples to them, and Michelle has times to meet with and be a blessing to some of these precious young ladies here.
Last Saturday night and Sunday I enjoyed the fruit of my labor as a teacher. I spent time with Barry Murry, a former student who has, with his family of five, labored six years in Maine. I rejoiced to see about 200 people gathered as I preached Sunday morning, meeting in an elemntary school.
I just read the report on the “50 most influential churches in America.” I thank God for them overall. But I have personally been more influenced by Lakeside Community Church in Maine than that 50, and I have preached in some of them. Something wells up within me about a man who plants his family of five in a foreign culture, builds a strong ministry (if not economically then biblically, which after all, is the point). In our utilitarian culture I am refreshed to see a family serving the Lord for the simple reason that called them to a place to stay until God moved elsewhere. Refreshing and sometimes rare.
I met people with amazing conversion stories. I heard a testimony of remarkable answered prayer. I got a little glimpse of the Acts again. Maybe we spend so much time grinding an AX that we forget about the ACTS. Or maybe that was really cheesy . But my heroes are my students who have gone to the tough places, the uncharted mission fields overseas, the off-the-beaten path places in the US, and those who have taked stagnant or dying churches and led a gospel revolution. Praise be to God that number is niether small nor declining.

This picture shows from left to right, the son of the couple on the right, pastor Barry, me, and a precious couple named Tina and Bruce. Bruce has more piercings than a pin cushion. Bruce met Jesus this past spring. Bruce and Tina had attended Lakeside a couple of years back. Like a pastor should, Barry visited them and led Tina to Christ. Bruce was none too happy. Still, they attended for about a year. All this time, and time previously, Bruce had been in an affair and used illegal drugs. They stopped coming to church for some time but appeared one Sunday last spring. Tina knew about the affair and planned to divorce Bruce. Barry set up an appointment to visit Bruce once again. The night before their 5 year old daughter asked Bruce to read a book to him for the first time in a long time. Bruce had never once opened a Bible. The book was a children’s version of the Prodigal Son. As Bruce began to read it his pager went off, the signal from his lover to meet her. For the first time, he cut off the pager. He read the story and began to weep. The next night Barry spoke to Bruce, who was now a broken man. Barry asked him if he had ever heard of the Prodigal Son. At this point in the story if you do not see the hand of God at work you must believe in evolution or some other knuckleheaded theory .
Barry led him to Chrit. Last Sunday I met one of the most changed men I have seen in a while. His wife Tina deserves an award for longsuffering. She is a precious, helpful, kind woman, and finally Bruce sees this. Their kids have a new dad without having their mom go through with the divorce. That is the power of the gospel. It will take the power of the gospel to reach the Bruce’s of this world. And, it will take the Barry Murry’s of this world to be their pastor. Pray for Barry and his wonderful family. They are heroes to me.