No Resources . . . No Returns . . . No Regrets

As many of you are aware, Pillsbury Baptist Bible College will be closing its doors on December 31 of this year. Dr. Greg Huffman, who was inaugurated as our new president in September, has been preaching some inspirational and timely messages in chapel. Earlier this week, Dr. Huffman shared with us the story of William Borden. His father founded the Borden Dairy Company, but William was called to be a missionary to Muslims in China. While enroute to China, William Borden died of spinal meningitis at the age of twenty-five. In the flyleaf of his Bible, he had recorded three brief slogans: "No resources . . . no returns . . . no regrets." He had voluntarily given away his fortune, he had decided that he would not return to the United States, and on the day he died, he professed that he had no regrets concerning the Lord's call to become a missionary in China.

Of course, the Pillsbury administration, faculty, staff, and student body are greatly saddened by the closing of Pillsbury. In a sense, the college has run out of financial "resources" to continue operating. We are also unable to "return" second semester to Pillsbury. But most importantly, we have "no regrets" about having been part of a ministry that has been training Christian leaders for over fifty years. Representatives of several sister schools have visited the campus to assist our students in the process of transferring to other schools for the spring semester. Most of our seniors will be able to graduate in the spring from other schools, but they will be able to have a Pillsbury diploma if they so desire.

On a personal note, Nancy and I have been a part of Pillsbury for twenty-five years. We have appreciated the college, our local church, and the Owatonna community. We don't know what the Lord has planned for us, but we are willing to wait on Him to show us the way. As I often tell my students, "Wherever you go, there you are." The problem is that we don't know where "there" is yet, but we will wait patiently for God's direction. Please pray for our students and colleagues as we seek God's will for our lives.

When Nancy and I were married in 1970, we took as our life verse Isaiah 40:31. It seems appropriate for this occasion: "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." May God allow all of us to be "eagles."