Wilmore Days!

The local church has always been a clear calling.  We really have only had one other thought about where God might use us.  That one thought has always been related directly to the students and system of Asbury Theological Seminary.

With a chance to invest in high impact students through the Beeson Doctor of Ministry connection...I knew that God was in that opportunity.  We had a chance to leverage and magnify our connection to the local church by investing in students who had already demonstrated strong potential.

We packed up, said good-bye to friends in Colorado Springs, and made our way back to Wilmore, Kentucky where I began my journey as the Dean of the Beeson International Center.  What a ride!

Great students, a powerful program, world travel, and the opportunity to serve the seminary that I love.  From my point of view, it doesn't' get much better than this.  My thanks to Joel Green, Leslie Andrews, and Jeff Greenway for the chance of a life time.  It was sweet but the learning curve was steep.  I had been engaged the local church for so long...I thought like a pastor but I now had to shift to academic lifestyle and mindset.  A major change!  Leslie became my teacher in all things academic.  It was a whirlwind tour.

The very best part was the opportunity to invest in our Beeson students.  They came from all across the country and from every corner of the world.  About half were North American pastors who were highly motivated and excited about growing in their faith and in their understanding of the church.  The other half were international students who were dominantly leaders in their denominations, seminary professors, and high level leaders in their countries.   It was a double blessing.

That blessing continues to this day.  Even though I am no longer serving on campus, I still get to engage the students.  I teach a Doctor of Ministry course called Spirituality of Leaders with both Beeson groups.  My next sequence comes up in August and September of this year.  It is always fun and incredibly refreshing for my soul.