Learing from those around me

Yesterday, my NT2 professor said something that really struck a chord with me,

Quite often we hear a word from God, not from God's own lips but from the lips of someone whom God has sent into our lives.

How true this is! It reminds me of just how important it is for us to stay in community with other believers. We need each other because we learn about God by listening to the voices of believers who have been placed in our lives. This brings me to another point that was made by Dr. Powell at the Global Mission Event in Baltimore, MD. He said,

As bread for the world, who we are today is the result of the labors of many people who have gone before us.

He's right. Looking around the seminary, it is plain to see how the varied gifts of the people of God are working as a team to raise up new leaders for the church. The dollar placed in the collection plate workes its way from the church, to the synod, to the seminary, to the library or the computer lab or the work study budget. The college chaplain who encouraged her students to answer God's call is a part of this team. The congregation who gave up thier pastor so that he could come and teach at the seminary is a part of the team. The congregation who takes in a Ministry in Context student or an intern is a part of the team.

So much of who I am today is because of the influence of others in my life. I wish that I could thank each of you individually.