Rosedale Bible College : About : Inaugural

“A Journey and a Quest,” November 19th, 2005

It’s a sincere privilege to stand before you today and willingly accept this mantle of leadership as the seventh President of Rosedale Bible College. My heart is full as I consider the impact this institution has had through its 53 year history on the spiritual and intellectual lives of literally thousands, most who are actively and faithfully serving the Lord today across the globe. And the more I get to know RBC and its people, the more excited I am about what it currently represents and what it can achieve. I have found the faculty and staff to be gifted brothers and sisters in Christ, who are fully engaged in the calling of challenging young adults to spiritual and intellectual maturity. Getting to know the students has been a special joy, as I am captivated by their youthful exuberance, their unguarded openness, their thirst for knowledge and experience and their sincere love of God. Building upon this solid foundation, I believe in the potential found in this institution and am driven by a deep conviction that this college has much to offer to the future of the Conservative Mennonite Conference, the broader Anabaptist faith community, and the cause of Christ in the 21st century.

Throughout my life there have been many passions . . . faith, family, leadership, teaching. And as a former camp director, one of my greatest loves has been enjoying the wonder of God’s creation. I have studied and taught astronomy, have learned to know the flora and fauna of the Pennsylvania forest, have explored caves, canoed rivers, hiked mountains and to date have seen over 350 species of birds in the wild. In fact, this love of nature has led to a unique pastime. Since I was a young man I have been on a journey and a quest to reach the highest point of all fifty states, and I currently have stood on the summit of the highest ground of 45 states. OK . . . so the high point of Delaware is on a street corner near Wilmington, and the highpoint of Florida is in a park by the side of the road, and the highpoint of Iowa is in a feed lot, and, yes, the highpoint of Ohio is near a park bench on the grounds of a vo-tech school near Bellefontaine. Nonetheless, this quest has gotten me into some of the most beautiful places in the United States.

One of the first highpoints I ever hiked still ranks among the most beautiful; Mount Katahdin, the highest point of the great state of Maine. This rugged mountain rises from the north woods to a height of over 5,000 feet, the top 2,000 feet above tree-line. My friend Martin and I set out late one summer afternoon to “bag this peak,” choosing to climb directly up the shortest route to the summit . . . the dreaded Abol slide. The “trail” consisted mostly of steep scrambling up the boulder strewn face of this 180-year old rock slide, gaining 4000 feet in just over 3 miles. I still recall the thrill as we, in total exhaustion, hoisted ourselves up over the last of the boulders and beheld, stretched out before us, the grandeur of a large alpine meadow named the tableland. Victorious, we stood there for a while in awe, taking in the holy splendor of this place. And, as if a gift was given to reward us for our efforts, we turned to the west and from this spot almost a mile above sea level, watched the sun set over the northern forest. I remember at that moment thinking of the hymn, “I want to scale the utmost height, and catch a gleam of glory bright . . . Lord, lift me up and let me stand, by faith on heaven’s tableland, a higher plane than I have found; Lord plant my feet on higher ground.”

That moment seemed to linger, and forever will remain etched in my memory, yet it was broken as Martin and I, glancing at each other, were both suddenly hit by the same wave of dread: there we were, novice hikers, on the top of a 5,000 foot peak watching the sun set, with nothing between us but 6 oz. of water, a windbreaker, a half dead pen-light and a small bag of corn nuts. You see, our journey was only half over, and if we thought climbing up the rock slide was difficult, we had not even begun to comprehend the difficulty of descending that vertical boulder field in the dark by the glow of a dying pen-light. You see, Martin and I had violated a principle that seasoned mountaineers and boy scouts have known for ages . . . “always be prepared.” Specifically, when hiking a real mountain you need to make sure you have covered the three basic needs: food, water and shelter. In this case, our combined wisdom had accounted for . . . none of these needs. Needless to say, we emerged from the trail at 2 A.M., hungry, dehydrated, bruised, disoriented and thoroughly done-in. And to make matters worse, we were greeted by a not-so-friendly park ranger, who spent the next 30 minutes lecturing us on the finer points of STUPIDITY!

Metaphorically speaking, as Christian parents and uncles and aunts and pastors and youth leaders and teachers, our hope for our young people is that the journey and quest of their life would take them to “higher ground;” that the experiences they undertake and achievements that define them would bring healing and hope to a lost and dieing world, for the glory of God. In an age where truth is under attack, where wealth and comfort and complacency threaten to mute the witness of the church, where fear and violence reign, we need a generation to rise up to the heights and in new ways declare the goodness of the Lord and the saving grace of Jesus Christ. But they must go on this journey and this quest prepared! Too many of our young people venture forth without their basic needs covered. Are they prepared to confront the world’s philosophies and enticements when their knowledge of scripture amounts to the Biblical Literacy equivalent of a small bag of corn nuts? Will they reach the “higher plane” while in a dehydrated state, having not developed the spiritual disciplines needed to keep their soul quenched? When the winds of adversity blow hard upon them above tree line, will they have developed a faith deep enough to offer a shelter in the time of storm?

Our calling at Rosedale Bible College, then, is clear: to prepare this next generation for their journey and quest for higher ground;

by helping them to feast on the manna of the Word of God, providing for them a foundation that will continue to nourish their soul during the climb and prepare their minds and hearts to discern their way
by providing a place and atmosphere where they can drink deeply of the Spirit of God; where they can learn to imbibe in the communion of prayer and partake of the refreshment of worship, so that throughout their life their soul would never have to thirst, but would be filled with the life giving water of the Spirit
and by nurturing them to a sheltering faith, a faith that is well grounded and provides an immovable protective shield against the gales that are sure to come as they press onward and upward in the name of Jesus.

If we do our job well, with God’s help this next generation will embark upon their journey and quest fully prepared, and we will cheer them on as they reach new heights as the vanguard of the Kingdom of God. “Lord lift them up and let them stand, by faith, on heaven’s tableland. A higher plane than they have found; Lord plant their feet on higher ground.”





	I N A U G U R A L A D D R E S S “A Journey and a Quest,” November 19th, 2005 It’s a sincere privilege to stand before you today and willingly accept this mantle of leadership as the seventh President of Rosedale Bible College. My heart is full as I consider the impact this institution has had through its 53 year history on the spiritual and intellectual lives of literally thousands, most who are actively and faithfully serving the Lord today across the globe. And the more I get to know RBC and its people, the more excited I am about what it currently represents and what it can achieve. I have found the faculty and staff to be gifted brothers and sisters in Christ, who are fully engaged in the calling of challenging young adults to spiritual and intellectual maturity. Getting to know the students has been a special joy, as I am captivated by their youthful exuberance, their unguarded openness, their thirst for knowledge and experience and their sincere love of God. Building upon this solid foundation, I believe in the potential found in this institution and am driven by a deep conviction that this college has much to offer to the future of the Conservative Mennonite Conference, the broader Anabaptist faith community, and the cause of Christ in the 21st century. Throughout my life there have been many passions . . . faith, family, leadership, teaching. And as a former camp director, one of my greatest loves has been enjoying the wonder of God’s creation. I have studied and taught astronomy, have learned to know the flora and fauna of the Pennsylvania forest, have explored caves, canoed rivers, hiked mountains and to date have seen over 350 species of birds in the wild. In fact, this love of nature has led to a unique pastime. Since I was a young man I have been on a journey and a quest to reach the highest point of all fifty states, and I currently have stood on the summit of the highest ground of 45 states. OK . . . so the high point of Delaware is on a street corner near Wilmington, and the highpoint of Florida is in a park by the side of the road, and the highpoint of Iowa is in a feed lot, and, yes, the highpoint of Ohio is near a park bench on the grounds of a vo-tech school near Bellefontaine. Nonetheless, this quest has gotten me into some of the most beautiful places in the United States. One of the first highpoints I ever hiked still ranks among the most beautiful; Mount Katahdin, the highest point of the great state of Maine. This rugged mountain rises from the north woods to a height of over 5,000 feet, the top 2,000 feet above tree-line. My friend Martin and I set out late one summer afternoon to “bag this peak,” choosing to climb directly up the shortest route to the summit . . . the dreaded Abol slide. The “trail” consisted mostly of steep scrambling up the boulder strewn face of this 180-year old rock slide, gaining 4000 feet in just over 3 miles. I still recall the thrill as we, in total exhaustion, hoisted ourselves up over the last of the boulders and beheld, stretched out before us, the grandeur of a large alpine meadow named the tableland. Victorious, we stood there for a while in awe, taking in the holy splendor of this place. And, as if a gift was given to reward us for our efforts, we turned to the west and from this spot almost a mile above sea level, watched the sun set over the northern forest. I remember at that moment thinking of the hymn, “I want to scale the utmost height, and catch a gleam of glory bright . . . Lord, lift me up and let me stand, by faith on heaven’s tableland, a higher plane than I have found; Lord plant my feet on higher ground.” That moment seemed to linger, and forever will remain etched in my memory, yet it was broken as Martin and I, glancing at each other, were both suddenly hit by the same wave of dread: there we were, novice hikers, on the top of a 5,000 foot peak watching the sun set, with nothing between us but 6 oz. of water, a windbreaker, a half dead pen-light and a small bag of corn nuts. You see, our journey was only half over, and if we thought climbing up the rock slide was difficult, we had not even begun to comprehend the difficulty of descending that vertical boulder field in the dark by the glow of a dying pen-light. You see, Martin and I had violated a principle that seasoned mountaineers and boy scouts have known for ages . . . “always be prepared.” Specifically, when hiking a real mountain you need to make sure you have covered the three basic needs: food, water and shelter. In this case, our combined wisdom had accounted for . . . none of these needs. Needless to say, we emerged from the trail at 2 A.M., hungry, dehydrated, bruised, disoriented and thoroughly done-in. And to make matters worse, we were greeted by a not-so-friendly park ranger, who spent the next 30 minutes lecturing us on the finer points of STUPIDITY! Metaphorically speaking, as Christian parents and uncles and aunts and pastors and youth leaders and teachers, our hope for our young people is that the journey and quest of their life would take them to “higher ground;” that the experiences they undertake and achievements that define them would bring healing and hope to a lost and dieing world, for the glory of God. In an age where truth is under attack, where wealth and comfort and complacency threaten to mute the witness of the church, where fear and violence reign, we need a generation to rise up to the heights and in new ways declare the goodness of the Lord and the saving grace of Jesus Christ. But they must go on this journey and this quest prepared! Too many of our young people venture forth without their basic needs covered. Are they prepared to confront the world’s philosophies and enticements when their knowledge of scripture amounts to the Biblical Literacy equivalent of a small bag of corn nuts? Will they reach the “higher plane” while in a dehydrated state, having not developed the spiritual disciplines needed to keep their soul quenched? When the winds of adversity blow hard upon them above tree line, will they have developed a faith deep enough to offer a shelter in the time of storm? Our calling at Rosedale Bible College, then, is clear: to prepare this next generation for their journey and quest for higher ground; by helping them to feast on the manna of the Word of God, providing for them a foundation that will continue to nourish their soul during the climb and prepare their minds and hearts to discern their way by providing a place and atmosphere where they can drink deeply of the Spirit of God; where they can learn to imbibe in the communion of prayer and partake of the refreshment of worship, so that throughout their life their soul would never have to thirst, but would be filled with the life giving water of the Spirit and by nurturing them to a sheltering faith, a faith that is well grounded and provides an immovable protective shield against the gales that are sure to come as they press onward and upward in the name of Jesus. If we do our job well, with God’s help this next generation will embark upon their journey and quest fully prepared, and we will cheer them on as they reach new heights as the vanguard of the Kingdom of God. “Lord lift them up and let them stand, by faith, on heaven’s tableland. A higher plane than they have found; Lord plant their feet on higher ground.”