(alarm ringing)
(water boiling)
(gentle music)
- This bow tie was a gift from a friend in college
who became a follower of Christ,
so it's a special memory of him when I wear it.
(piano music)
I do think it's very important for the professor
to not just be imparting information,
like kind of a digital download,
like just plugging into the mind
and downloading the information.
But that there be a life and a character.
My aspiration, my desire is that my life
and my character would authenticate
the teaching that I'm giving.
Not that I've arrived, but I desire that for myself.
At the same time, I am, in many ways, my own worst critic.
And basically all of my classes,
I'm dissatisfied with at all the time, a certain amount.
It's just how dissatisfied I am.
But I think part of that dissatisfaction with teaching
is what drives me.
I'm like how can I do this better?
How can I improve this?
I want students to learn.
I want them to go out of here
knowing what they need to know.
I want them to be able to do what they need to do.
I want them to be passionate.
Being a pastor has had a profound effect
upon me as a professor, as a teacher, as a minister.
I think it's made me have a practical bent in the classroom.
So I know what it's like,
the rubber meets the road in ministry.
I think I teach because I feel like
that's who God has made me to be.
He's made me a teacher.
I have to do that to be faithful
with the gifts He's given me and what He's called me to do.
But there's also,
there's the joy of relationship with the students,
seeing them grow and learn,
wanting them to have an experience here at our seminary
where they leave saying, "I got what I came for.
"I'm equipped for ministry."
"Not only am I equipped for ministry, I love God more."
That's my goal.
That's what gives me great joy.
I've always been a runner since, I mean, junior high school
when I ran cross country and track.
I always ran long distance,
so the mile or cross country three miles or something.
I felt good, I enjoyed it.
It's like Eric Liddell.
I believe God made me for a purpose,
but I can't say He made me fast,
but I can say He made me able to run
and when I run, I feel His pleasure.
I love running.
And I don't have a lot of spare time in my life.
That's why I'll invite students.
Say, "Hey, if you want to hang out with me,
"I'd love to hang out with you,
"but I don't have time to just sit around and drink coffee.
"If you want to run with me, let's run."
So it gives me a chance to hang out
with some students and chat.
And hopefully encourages them.
(gentle music)
Must students don't know that if you die
as a professor here or you retire,
you get a plot over at Cave Hill Cemetery.
I'm willing to wait on that one
on receiving that perk.
But I do love that,
I love the depth of that tradition.
I love to go over there a few times a year
and to see the graves
of the faculty who taught here in the past
and just to feel that I'm part of that longer story
that's very rich and deep.
It's kinda cool to think about being buried
alongside the people you taught with.
To be a professor here at Southern is a great honor.
It's a great privilege.
I feel like I'm standing on the shoulders of giants.
Being a father is the hardest thing I've ever done.
It's a lot easier to read Greek and teach Greek
than it is to be father, really.
Because there's no real instruction manual.
I mean, of course we have the word of God.
We have the Holy Spirit.
But there's no like 'this is what's on the test today'
kind of thing.
I mean, you never know what's coming.
And I don't know that I'm necessarily emotionally suited
for all the ups and downs of fatherhood.
I'm a little bit more of a sometimes can be introverted.
(laughs)
Sometimes with three girls,
there can be some dramatic moments.
But they're delightful.
Being a father is a wonderful gift from God
and I love my daughters.
I wouldn't trade, like I tell them,
I wouldn't trade them for a million sons.
Sometimes, "Daddy, do you want a boy instead?"
I say, "I wouldn't trade you for a million sons."
But it is something that I just don't ever feel
like I'm really doing that great a job at.
I feel like I'm constantly growing into it.
I never get my hands around it.
It's always changing.
As the girls get older, there's different needs
and there's different...
But they're so sweet
and so patient and forgiving and affirming.
It is something that,
it has been a great challenge for me to learn how to do.
I didn't come out of the box
with all that preloaded in my head or anything, so.
And when we fail, that's one thing that I've learned to do.
My lovely wife has helped to model this for me, and with me,
that when we fail as we inevitably do,
"Daddy was impatient with you, it was wrong."
"Please forgive me for that."
"That was wrong for me to have raised my voice about that."
And they forgive.
They're like, "I forgive you, Daddy.
"I love you."
Then they'll say, "I'm sorry that I didn't obey you.
"It was really wrong."
There's two options in life as a father.
One, you're a hypocrite and you never admit you're wrong,
or two, when you're wrong,
you say you're sorry and you ask for forgiveness.
We get a good chance to model repentance
and forgiveness in life.
My wife and girls tell me I'm a lot sillier
when I'm not around my students.
I act really,
Daddy, you can be so silly.
If they saw you, cause I like silly
and do nonsense kind of stuff, dance with them or whatever.
(upbeat music)
Also, I have to confess,
wearing a suit is a cultural accommodation.
I much prefer old jeans and a T shirt
and an old sweatshirt.
That's kind of more my style.
Maybe just a little freer when I'm not in a suit.
(gentle music)
I'm grateful that the Lord saved a sinner like me.
Yeah.
I'm grateful.
I'm grateful for that.
I'm grateful that the Lord not only saved me,
but He graciously allows me to serve Him
and uses me in spite of my many failings
and even through my failings.
And uses me in spite of my weaknesses,
in spite of my selfishness, in spite of my pride,
in spite of my flawed and tainted work.
That He still is able to use that for His good,
for our good, for His glory.
I'm grateful for that.
(gentle music)