SEE I AM DOING A NEW THING!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
(Isaiah 43:19 NIV)
Something is happening on campus. I can’t put my finger on it, but something is happening. It is just a purely “stream of consciousness” type of thing based on an underlying feeling and watching the campus community that things were “moving, changing,” and “happening”.
The happening could have been something observed when students who had already stayed an hour past class time talking in Steve Harper’s class about holiness stood at their car doors still talking, not wanting to go home. Since when do students get excited about a topic called holiness? Can it mean that spiritual formation is more than the title of a class or program?
Or maybe the happening was heard while chatting with Bob Tuttle when he said the Lord was sanctifying him and he then discussed how God was ministering to him and using him to reach others. Since when do professors share a testimony of God’s grace or even admit God is moving in their lives? Can it mean that all our professors are praying for God’s guidance in their own personal lives, not just for their lectures and students?
Or perhaps something was happening when a student was so excited to be doing a homily that she brought it to me to read. (My only comment was make sure your audience knows what pixie dust is!) Can it be that Asbury Seminary students do have a call and want to learn the practical experiences as well as textbook learning, research writing and note-taking? Can it be that mentoring is going on in the midst of academic education?
Still I could be feeling something from reading the emails from Bill Tillmann as he shares the stories of his visits with alumni and friends of Asbury Seminary. He is telling our story and is making a difference. Can it mean that more of us are getting involved in telling our stories of how God is using us in changing the world?
Perhaps the feeling came on Premiere Day when the admissions team brought students to chapel and into classroom settings. The students bragged about so many aspects of the campus—no wonder so many filled out the application that day. Can it be that we all have become involved in telling about Asbury Seminary and wanting students to attend that we are inviting them for these special events?
Something is happening on campus. Something of historic proportions is happening. I can sense it because I know how it feels, what it looks like, and how people react to it. I can’t put my finger on it, but something is definitely happening with faculty, staff, and students. I think it is part of the Asbury Seminary Florida experience. What is your Asbury Seminary experience? What is happening in your life? What are you observing in others? Let the Vice President know—she thinks something is happening.
