The Journey to Here
Brian, a reader of this blog, a Kentuckian, and a kind fellow with a thoughtful blog, was nice enough to ask how I came to SBTS. I'll happily answer that question, though I want you to know that next month I'm returning to my mostly-impersonal posting. I have a fun series coming up.
After I was gripped with my sin, and after I came to realize the simultaneous reality that I was terrible but grace was beautiful, I was caught with a desire to tell others of this beautiful paradox. The Lord blessed with me two friends who were similarly inclined. Jed and Keegan are their names, and they were wonderful friends to me. Incidentally, or perhaps not, both of them regularly post comments on this blog. You might have seen them if you read this blog once in a while--they're the ones who write posts that require a PhD to understand. That shouldn't surprise--Jed's doing a PhD at some fourth-tier school called Cambridge and Keegan a PhD at a third-tier school called Duke. Yikes! Anyway, we grew much during our college years. At a college ranked one of America's most secular, Bowdoin College in Maine, we found ourselves with incredible opportunities to share the gospel. Bible studies, nursing-home preaching, post-dinner conversations, school events. We saw firsthand why Christians should not abandon secular environments. There are great opportunities to share the gospel, to be light to those in darkness.
During my senior year of college I was trying to figure out what I would do after graduation. Keegan had gone to Washington, DC for an internship and had really enjoyed the time he spent at a church called Capitol Hill Baptist Church. He heard about their internship program and passed the news on to me. Without knowing anything beyond what I found on their website, I applied. As Johnny Depp would say, events arose, ensued, and were overcome, and after graduation, I struck off for DC to be an intern. At CHBC, I found myself in the middle of a hurricane called the "pastoral internship." It was awesome. The other five interns and I had to write over sixty papers, attend all church functions (and I do mean all--ALL), and pitch in in various ways with the church. I was transformed by my time at the church. Mark Dever became one of my heroes. A corny term, I admit; but a realistic one.
At CHBC I heard about Southern Seminary and had the privilege of meeting Dr. Albert Mohler, one of the smartest men ever to inhabit a skeletal structure. I consistently heard good things about SBTS and, having become a Southern Baptist at CHBC, knew the tuition would be quite manageable thanks to the contributions of Southern Baptists. After the CHBC internship and an internship at the State Department, I was off to Southern. I'm now in my third year with a year to go. The Lord has graciously guided me these last six years, and I am delighted every day simply to be His.
Thanks, Brian, for asking that question. The providence of God is a beautiful thing indeed.
After I was gripped with my sin, and after I came to realize the simultaneous reality that I was terrible but grace was beautiful, I was caught with a desire to tell others of this beautiful paradox. The Lord blessed with me two friends who were similarly inclined. Jed and Keegan are their names, and they were wonderful friends to me. Incidentally, or perhaps not, both of them regularly post comments on this blog. You might have seen them if you read this blog once in a while--they're the ones who write posts that require a PhD to understand. That shouldn't surprise--Jed's doing a PhD at some fourth-tier school called Cambridge and Keegan a PhD at a third-tier school called Duke. Yikes! Anyway, we grew much during our college years. At a college ranked one of America's most secular, Bowdoin College in Maine, we found ourselves with incredible opportunities to share the gospel. Bible studies, nursing-home preaching, post-dinner conversations, school events. We saw firsthand why Christians should not abandon secular environments. There are great opportunities to share the gospel, to be light to those in darkness.
During my senior year of college I was trying to figure out what I would do after graduation. Keegan had gone to Washington, DC for an internship and had really enjoyed the time he spent at a church called Capitol Hill Baptist Church. He heard about their internship program and passed the news on to me. Without knowing anything beyond what I found on their website, I applied. As Johnny Depp would say, events arose, ensued, and were overcome, and after graduation, I struck off for DC to be an intern. At CHBC, I found myself in the middle of a hurricane called the "pastoral internship." It was awesome. The other five interns and I had to write over sixty papers, attend all church functions (and I do mean all--ALL), and pitch in in various ways with the church. I was transformed by my time at the church. Mark Dever became one of my heroes. A corny term, I admit; but a realistic one.
At CHBC I heard about Southern Seminary and had the privilege of meeting Dr. Albert Mohler, one of the smartest men ever to inhabit a skeletal structure. I consistently heard good things about SBTS and, having become a Southern Baptist at CHBC, knew the tuition would be quite manageable thanks to the contributions of Southern Baptists. After the CHBC internship and an internship at the State Department, I was off to Southern. I'm now in my third year with a year to go. The Lord has graciously guided me these last six years, and I am delighted every day simply to be His.
Thanks, Brian, for asking that question. The providence of God is a beautiful thing indeed.
posted by Owen at 5:10 PM
3 Comments:
Thanks, man. God's providence is good. I'm probably too old to ever darken the door of SBTS. But I am glad the kingdom has schools like it. And thanks for the nice comments.
I was discussing Is. 49 with some men the other day. Salvation was the general topic. On their part, they kept heading towards man's responsibilities: believe, go to church, pray, etc. It was with some difficult that I was able to get the train of thought back to the text which was that God, through the Servant, is the savior.
I appreciated hearing of God saving you. May his grace carry you through until the day of Christ.
Amen.
Al
Yes it is indeed interesting how formative our time at Bowdoin was spiritually and theologically. And when the list is expanded further to include Claire, Colin, Suen, Hea, Matt, Emily etc. what happened was nothing short of amazing.
--Although you left out the part where you and your wife became Presbyterians and joined the OPC.
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