On March 21, I gave a 30-minute chapel message at California Baptist University. They asked me to talk about suffering and Heaven, in light of Nanci’s homegoing, so I shared about Nanci and quoted from her journal. That date I spoke was actually the one-year anniversary of the day our family of 11 gathered around her bed, and Nanci spoke powerfully into our lives. A week later, she went to be with Jesus.
After the chapel, I got to visit with the students who attended Sam Barlow High School, where I went to school in Gresham (as did our daughters and as do two of our grandsons). Ten Barlow graduates now attend there, and they all came up to say hi (that’s five of them in the photo). I knew most of them, and it was great to meet a few others.
My daughter Karina and grandson David and I had lunch with five of the CBU profs, and it was the most delightful and encouraging time I’ve had on a Christian university campus in memory. There is an unapologetic affirmation of biblical truth and the critical importance of the local church and its pastors, something I have rarely seen at the many Christian liberal arts universities I’ve spoken at. Three of the five profs in the photo are current pastors. I found it refreshing and very encouraging. CBU is a rare example of a college that decades ago had lost its way (that’s not the rare part) but by God’s grace, and determination and hard work, returned to its biblical values. Our conversations were full of grace and truth. They say 1/3 of their students are solid growing believers, 1/3 are professing believers struggling with their faith to different degrees, and 1/3 are unbelievers. Hence, because they uplift Christ, the Bible, and the church, it’s a great place for young people in each of those categories.
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