Let me tell you how I embarrassed myself on Monday, my first day on campus. Dr. Kevin Peacock, Acting Academic Dean and Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, found me setting up for class and asked, “Have you met Dr. Blackaby yet?” I said, “No, but I’d love to.” So he took me upstairs where Dr. Blackaby was gathered with students and faculty after having given his State of the Seminary address.
Parenthetical Thought: One of the greatest gifts to the church of this age has been Dr. Henry Blackaby, author of Experiencing God and too many other titles to mention here. His son Richard Blackaby served as President of the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary from 1993 to 2006. Dr. Rob Blackaby succeeded Dr. Richard Blackaby as President of the seminary last year. Now, back to my story…
Kevin said, “Dr. Blackaby, I want to introduce you to our evangelism professor for the next three weeks, Dr. Larry Robertson.” Wanting to make a good impression, I said, “Dr. Blackaby, it’s an honor to meet you. I spent a week with your dad in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, a few years ago and just fell in love with him.” Dr. Blackaby gave me a puzzled look and then said, “You think Henry Blackaby’s my dad, don’t you?” to which I said, “Uh, yeah?” He laughed and said, “I get that all the time. He’s my uncle and Richard’s my cousin.”
I started backpedaling, trying to explain…but to no avail. I had officially embarrassed myself, no question about it. But in the end, we all just had a good laugh and moved on. Whew! I was glad of that.
Dr. Blackaby and I spent time together Wednesday eating lunch and swapping seminary and ministry stories. I found out a few things about him that I didn’t know. He’s only 41 years old. His Ph.D. is in the study of Christian ethics. And his wife is from Springfield, Tennessee! They were married in First Baptist Church of Greenbrier. Let’s sing it all together: “It’s a small world after all. It’s a small world after all…” He and his wife, Jo Susan, met while both were students at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.
God has given this seminary a leader with a fresh vision for his home country…and He’s given me a new friend. I’m grateful for both…
Please continue to pray for me as I prepare, lecture, model and preach. This Sunday morning I’ll be preaching at Cambrian Heights Baptist Church in Calgary. On Sunday evening I’m planning to attend a house church in the area. Real estate is so enormously, incredibly expensive in the Calgary vicinity that churches have had to “rethink church.” They can’t focus on buildings or properties…they have to concentrate on people. Wow! What a concept. ;-)
Parenthetical Thought: One of the greatest gifts to the church of this age has been Dr. Henry Blackaby, author of Experiencing God and too many other titles to mention here. His son Richard Blackaby served as President of the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary from 1993 to 2006. Dr. Rob Blackaby succeeded Dr. Richard Blackaby as President of the seminary last year. Now, back to my story…
Kevin said, “Dr. Blackaby, I want to introduce you to our evangelism professor for the next three weeks, Dr. Larry Robertson.” Wanting to make a good impression, I said, “Dr. Blackaby, it’s an honor to meet you. I spent a week with your dad in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, a few years ago and just fell in love with him.” Dr. Blackaby gave me a puzzled look and then said, “You think Henry Blackaby’s my dad, don’t you?” to which I said, “Uh, yeah?” He laughed and said, “I get that all the time. He’s my uncle and Richard’s my cousin.”
I started backpedaling, trying to explain…but to no avail. I had officially embarrassed myself, no question about it. But in the end, we all just had a good laugh and moved on. Whew! I was glad of that.
Dr. Blackaby and I spent time together Wednesday eating lunch and swapping seminary and ministry stories. I found out a few things about him that I didn’t know. He’s only 41 years old. His Ph.D. is in the study of Christian ethics. And his wife is from Springfield, Tennessee! They were married in First Baptist Church of Greenbrier. Let’s sing it all together: “It’s a small world after all. It’s a small world after all…” He and his wife, Jo Susan, met while both were students at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.
God has given this seminary a leader with a fresh vision for his home country…and He’s given me a new friend. I’m grateful for both…
Please continue to pray for me as I prepare, lecture, model and preach. This Sunday morning I’ll be preaching at Cambrian Heights Baptist Church in Calgary. On Sunday evening I’m planning to attend a house church in the area. Real estate is so enormously, incredibly expensive in the Calgary vicinity that churches have had to “rethink church.” They can’t focus on buildings or properties…they have to concentrate on people. Wow! What a concept. ;-)
2 comments:
Concentrating on people would be a wonderful new way to worship!
After all, Jesus concentrated on people. . .
You're welcome to pass on the following perception of worship that doesn't need a building (just the world and two or more being gathered in His name).
Songs of Praise
Words of Praise
Gives all glory to God
Hears truth when scriptures are
read
Sees truth when looking around in
this world
Tastes truth with personal
confirmation of the Holy Spirit
Smells truth when looking around
and comparing the way the world
acts & the way the Scriptures
want us to act.
Touches truth when the sin in our
life is rebuked (thus feeling HIS
Truth & yearning for more; IF
we're honestly trying to allow
the Holy Spirit in us to examine
our hearts.
Plus, the popular little children's poem of "Children Live What They Learn" is a neat example of the cause and effect of the way that the world encourages us to go versus "the way" that Jesus would want us to go.
I'll continue to pray that you continue to be an example of being filled with the Holy Spirit.
That perception stimulates our human senses,thus, focusing on people. However, in remembering that we ARE human, major caution would need to be taken in reference to not looking to the right or left (giving room to gossip).
P.S.--I loved the televised service today.
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