This is more or less the transcript of my graduation speech for the 2014 graduating class at Johnson University Florida on May 2nd, 2014.
Alma Mater is a Latin term
that translates to “caring mother.” It
has been used affectionately for a student’s first college or home college
since the early 1700’s in England. Alma Mater is appropriate because it is really
only at college that young men and women are away from their parents for the
first time and living on their own. The
world is a harsh place and our “caring mothers” extend, to a lesser degree, the
warm, safe, wonderful, protected bosom that a mother provides for her
children. She allows them to grow up and
figure out who they are in the world.
This
place has been our alma mater for the
past four years. An alma mater is made up of people, lessons, memories, and mentors. We have sat with our classmates, friends, and
peers in class, chapel, D-groups, church, and apartments. Our mentors and teachers have taught us
invaluable lessons inside and outside the classroom. But what will make this place and time stick
out to us 20 years from now are the memories that we made here. Don Miller says it like this, “good stories
have memorable scenes.” I will remember
my roommates and I singing happy birthday to Ryan Brackett Sophomore year at
midnight wearing funny hats and interesting costumes. I will remember the late night conversations
in the living room solving the problems of the world with my roommates. I will remember the constant rabbit chasing
in our tech meetings in LB-1. I remember
watching everyone make cardboard forts.
I remember spending hours making that colored powder at Amos’ house so
that we could make it last 5 minutes for everyone to throw at each other. I remember every semester for the past four
years “Da Jesus Book” a Hawaiian translation of the Bible has been pulled out
and read at every study night event in the library. I remember the frequent late nights at
Denny’s finishing a group project at the end of most semesters.
Make a list of
those memories. Keep them in a folder
where you can go back and reflect on them when you’re lonely in ministry and
tired of work. The days are against you;
they will be long and trying. This
speech should typically remind you to stay focused on Jesus the rest of your
life. We have all failed to do that even
here at some point because of finals
or projects that occupy our minds; imagine how much easier it will be to leave
Jesus by the wayside when work, bills, and a family comes into play.
This place is not
only designed to be a shelter for our last stage of development but a training
ground. What have we been trained in?
Professor Bundy
has taught us how to deal with not only other people’s issues, but also our
own. Somehow every class turned into a
counseling session where Bundy sorted out our issues in front of the whole
class and at some point managed to shout “woe is me!”
Professor Sias not
only tells the best stories but has taught us how to understand and connect
with people – something she does intuitively.
“Don’t be an
idiot, Dwight.” “You could say that…” “You
don’t know anything about Jesus.” Yes, Dr. Hardin humbled us and taught us his
love of READING the Bible and studying it.
He trained us to be critical in our interpretation, challenged our
preconceived notions, and explored and explained the full story and context. He taught us whom Jesus really is and definitely
made sure those who ventured to learn Greek were kept humble.
Dr. Hartley taught
us how to understand the power of a good story, and that if we want to be taken
seriously as Christians, that we need to learn how to communicate well.
Dr. Peters with
his soul piercing blue eyes and question “how are you?” taught us how to defend
our faith, understand why we believe what we believe. He gave us previews of what we will encounter
in the world we are entering into. More
than that, he taught us to give the benefit of the doubt and to always have
compassion along with wisdom.
Dr. Ritchie taught
us that if we don’t want to repeat history and make the same mistakes as
previous generations we have to understand what happened and why. His vocabulary is only rivaled by his
repertoire of pithy one-liners.
Doc Smith has
forgotten more about the Old Testament than I will ever learn and he has
written more books on it than I’ve ever read.
Each of these
professors, and the ones I have not mentioned, has contributed to different
facets of our education. They have
passed down knowledge, helped us understand how to solve problems
(interpersonally and intrapersonally), and taught us how to study, learn, and
teach this generation and the next about Jesus.
We are leaving
this safe place of our alma mater and
venturing out into the real world, where Bryce can’t help you make a payment
plan since you don’t have enough money to pay for things right away. Where you actually have to pay for A/C,
Internet, TV, water, etc. But more than
that, we are going into a world where we are increasingly the minority. Morality, absolute truth, traditional family
structures, work ethic are all changing and we are on the shrinking side of the
arena.
These people
behind me are passing the baton on to us.
Now we have to stand and take
our place in the world. We have to teach
others not just knowledge we have acquired but how to learn, think critically,
interpret, etc. We have to preach the
Gospel to this generation. We have to
counsel those who are hurting and fighting with one another. We have to lead people before the very throne
of the Father while not getting in the way ourselves. We have to be light to the world in a time
when it is desperately needed.
In the midst of
lesson plans, sermon writing, worship set planning, helping people work through
issues, and just work in general we cannot forget that we ourselves are
unfinished, incomplete. We have to
“continue to work out our faith with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12).
Christianity, is
in essence, about becoming more like Christ.
In story terms this is called “character development.” Character development does not happen in a
void any more than a piece of metal becomes a sword by sitting in the sun.
Graduation
speeches are supposed to be encouraging and uplifting saying we can conquer the
world! But leaving here is more like
Bilbo leaving the Shire than the 300 leaving Sparta. Friends we are leaving “home” and venturing
into a whole new arena.
Satan is always
going to be against us, and honestly if he’s not, you’re probably not shaking
him up enough and need to work harder.
Satan will attack us through pride, loneliness, lust, laziness, insignificant
arguments and distractions like getting too caught up in where the flowers
should be placed on stage, that the sound guy didn’t unmute the mic quick
enough, or didn’t preview that video that he played on the screen of the
chapman center during the middle of a class banquet…
One
of my favorite writers is Donald Miller and in my D-group here with Jordan Stancil,
Robby Williams, Tony Webb, and DJ Rodeffer we had it drilled into our head that
“every good story has conflict.” There
are around 12 words for the concept of trial, test, persecution, or conflict in
the New Testament. They appear a combined number of 217 times in the New
Testament alone. We read our Bibles right friends? So why are we surprised when we face
trials? It shouldn’t come as a surprise!
“In this you
rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by
various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than
gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise
and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Pet. 1:6-7)
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when
you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith
produces steadfastness. And let
steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete,
lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4)
“If the world hates you, know that
it has hated me before it hated you. (Jn 15:18)
“If they persecuted me, they will
also persecute you.” (Jn 15:20)
“I have said these things to you,
that in me you may have peace. In the
world you will have tribulation. But
take heart; I have overcome the world.” (Jn 16:33)
“I have said all these things to you
to keep you from falling away. They will
put you out of the synagogues (out of society).
Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is
offering service to God (and humanity).
And they will do these things because they have not known the Father,
nor me. But I have said these things to
you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.” (Jn.
16:1-4)
And that isn’t
everything! I could go into Nehemiah how
everyone was working on the wall with weapon in one hand tool in the other or
Job who’s entire life and story focuses a period of suffering. Don’t shy away from conflict, friends.
I know that I am
proud to be a Sun of Johnson University Florida. Character development has been difficult
enough here in this protective place; I can only imagine what it will be like
when we leave… But more trial presents
more opportunity to become more like Christ.
That intimidates me. We can’t
conquer the world, but we belong to someone who already has and has adopted us
as his own family, and in that we have confidence and hope. We also have confidence in the instruction we
have received by the men and women seated behind me. We must leave our caring mother, we must push
forward, and we must continue the kingdom work that has been set before us.
Ephesians 3:20-21
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think,
according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in
Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
_______
Video can be watched here: http://new.livestream.com/accounts/5196051/events/2966272/archives
