My wife, Ann, and I just returned from a whirlwind trip to Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. We attended Preview Day on Friday. This was really a fabulous trip, even if it did wear us out. The campus is beautiful, the professors were very real and personable, and the students and seminary employees who hosted the day truly went out of their way to make us feel at home.
The very first attendee we met was Kristin, a young lady from Locust Grove, GA, only about 20 miles from our own home in Griffin! There were attendees at Preview Day representing 33 states and five countries. We had breakfast with Depuk from Nepal and both lunch and supper with Abraham from Myanmar (Burma) who now lives in Clarkston, GA.
I plan to begin taking classes through Southern in 2019, working towards a Masters in Divinity. I will take classes online because of ministry opportunities and commitments here in Georgia – at least for the first part of my studies. How long the pursuit of this degree will take will depend on the grace and provision of God since tuition is so high, but I certainly hope to finish before I am 90! (Just kidding!!)
By the way, if you just happen to be looking for a charity to contribute to….
For Ann and me both, the opening event, which included breakfast and a short but inspiring message by Dr. Randy Stinson, set the tone for the entire day. Dr. Stinson spoke of the need for preparation for ministry and of the paradoxes of ministry – the joys and rewards of serving Christ while facing the challenges and hardships that often accompany ministry. His text was from 2 Cor. 6:1-13.
The highlight of the trip for me was sitting in on a lecture by Dr. James Hamilton concerning Christ in the Psalms. I could not take notes fast enough! The only problem with the lecture was that it did not continue for a couple more hours. I look forward to his book on the subject. I expect some of what he taught will show up in at least one of my sermons very soon.
We ended Friday night with a visit to the home of Dr. Al Mohler and his wife, Mary. If you’ve never heard of or seen Dr. Mohler’s personal library, it is legendary! I don’t know how many thousands of books there are, but the collection is overwhelming. We only got to meet him briefly, but he remembered coming to my hometown of Screven, Georgia, back around 1995!
This year, Dr. Mohler celebrates his 25th year as President of Southern Baptist Seminary. You can watch a short video commemorating his tenure below or on the SBTS website.
We are looking forward to our next visit to the campus. Maybe we will just stay there next time!
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