Smeagol is Free!
A hermitudinal view of...stuff...


10.20.2006  

Preview's Preview

Whoa. Today...is...Preview. Boyce College's Preview Weekend, to be precise. Daniel, Mr. Boss Man For Boyce Admissions, won't be here due to two tiny little dudes named Micah and Isaiah (he and April are first-time parents as of yesterday...whoohoo!), we've got all sorts of things that could go and have historically gone wrong, and to top it all off, the Boyce College polo shirt that I couldn't find ten minutes ago has turned up...with a big fat glop of dried toothpaste on the lapel.

Don't ask.

But other than that, all is well. I was telling some folks that Preview doesn't worry me. My job as an Ambassador doesn't require me to do a whole lot of prep work, as the kind people who do the real work in the Admissions office have already taken care of that. In fact, if someone were to have woken me a couple of days ago and told me that Preview got moved up to that day, my biggest problem would have been finding that polo with the glop of dried toothpaste on the lapel, frowning and making strange John Letoto-esque noises upon seeing the glop of dried toothpaste on the lapel, then finding a replacement shirt.

Without a glop of dried toothpaste on the lapel, of course.

Why would that have been the biggest problem? Simply put, this is old hat. Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying I'm jaded to preview, nor am I claiming to have it all down. What I mean is that the philosophy hasn't changed, nor has the structure. Since that's the case, nothing we'll be doing come 7:40 AM EST will take me or the other returning Ambassadors by surprise, nor will it cause us to feel in over our heads. Over seventy people will be taking hefty chunks of time out of their schedules to visit our campus, and it's our joy to ensure that they see as clear and true a vision of Boyce College as they possibly can. We're not there to cajole, strong-arm, or deceive people into enrolling. If anything, it's quite the opposite.

In recent weeks, I've had to defend Boyce a lot, and by doing so, even defend my position as an Ambassador. In those actions, I see many parallels to defending the church.

I was telling Smythe the other day that Jonathan Leeman had one outstanding and rare ability: he was tunnel-visioned about the gospel. While everyone else around seemed to listen to the cacophony ringing about them, he was able to hone in on God's tiniest of whispers and follow it to find the truth. His heart beat steadily for the gospel, and it saturated everything he saw. If his pinky toe were hurt, it seemed he'd see God's wisdom in it. If there was an unexplained death of missionaries in Africa, he saw God's sovereignty in it. He wouldn't deviate from that, nor would he let others do so.

In defending Boyce as an institution heaven-bent on proclaiming God's glory, I've found myself looking to Leeman. How so? Well, even Boyce graduates themselves have asked me, "Is Boyce College going down the drain?" The question wears on me, to be honest with you. No, check that, it doesn't wear on me; it grates on my nerves, making me feel like hundreds of birds are scratching their claws on chalkboards. It also makes me immensely sad.

It seems to me that such a line of questioning comes from an observation that has almost nothing to do with what's really going on. My response is to ask a question in turn: "Has the vision, purpose, or foundation of the school changed?" No, they've not. So far as I can tell, the faculty members still teach the same things, for the same purpose, and with the same heart. Well, what has changed, then? Students? Sure, the students have changed. Perhaps we have a different type of student body than we used to when I first got here. But you know what? It's inevitable, and it's not a bad thing. Students are younger, less mature. Does that make them any less called to ministry, if they are indeed called to ministry? No. Last I checked Scripture, it didn't. Does that mean that the faculty and staff must respond a little differently? At times, yes. But the truths that guide them haven't changed, nor have the goals of those truths!

People are sinners. Just like the church, I've yet to meet one single person at Boyce College or Southern Seminary who isn't packed with oodles of potential to sin and sin greatly. Yet, if I'm reading my bible correctly, that's to be expected. People sin. Get over it! *Sigh*...do I sound a little aggravated? If I do, it's for a reason. Am I bitter? Negatory. It's just that...well...I hate it when I have to defend something that I shouldn't have to defend. The fact of the matter is, Boyce College exists to train ministers for the building up of the Kingdom. It hasn't changed its standards, nor will those standards change anytime soon.

Now, if I can just get those prospective students to see that, Preview will be golden...

posted by Bolo | 1:21 AM
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