Pillsbury Baptist Bible College: Clearwaters Bible Conference

Here at Pillsbury Baptist Bible College, it is our custom to begin the second semester with the Richard Clearwaters Bible Conference.  This event honors the memory of the man who essentially founded Pillsbury College in 1957.  Our special speaker this year is one of my personal friends, Dr. John Hutcheson.  John is Field Representative for Frontline International Missions in Taylors, SC.  John and I worked together at Bob Jones University in the 1970s.  John was also in the pastorate for 25 years or so before joining Frontline Missions International a few years ago.  John challenged us to make 2008 a more spiritually profitable year than 2007.  He also shared the some of the stories and testimonies of persecuted Christians from all over the world.  Those of us who enjoy religious freedom here in the United States have no real idea of how difficult it is for our Christian brothers and sisters in many countries around the world.  All in all, John helped us to get off to a great start for second semester.

The World's Largest Swimming Pool

With the overnight temperatures 15 degrees below zero up here in Minnesota in recent days, this story from the London Daily Mail struck my fancy.  It seems that a resort in southern Chile has designed and built the world's largest swimming pool.  According to the article in the Daily Mail, "[The swimming pool] is more than 1,000 yards long, covers 20 acres, has a 115-foot deep end, and holds 66 million gallons of [salt] water."  Think of it—this pool is ten football fields long.  If you had twenty acres of property, you could have your subdivision and build quite a few houses.

Basically, you can make of it what you will, but it seems like nothing is sacred anymore.  I am certain that this Chilean resort invested a huge sum of money to develop this "natural" theme park.  Undoubtedly, people from all over the world will make a visit, just so that they can say, "I swam in the largest swimming pool in the world!"  I can't say that I really blame them for feeling that way, especially since the thermometer up here in Minnesota has had a hard time getting above zero the last few days.

Politics 2008

If you are the kind of person who loves unpredictable politics, 2008 is certainly your year.  This is the first presidential election in decades where there is no incumbent president or incumbent vice president running for election.

Regular readers of this blog will know that I generally support the Republican nominee, and I have been doing so for some years now.  But I would have to say that I am in a bit of a quandary about the candidates on my side of ballot.  Several of my favorite candidates have strengths, but they also have weaknesses.  It may be that we are seeing a reassessment of what issues are going to be important in the eyes of the voters this coming November.

So stay tuned for a very interesting election process to develop.  Everyone gets to be his or her own pundit.  Indeed, the professional pundits have been off the mark already in Iowa and New Hampshire.  I will offer more personal thoughts as the process develops.

One last thought—all of us will probably have an opportunity to vote in a primary or participate in a caucus.  Let me encourage you to do your part in electing the next president of the United States.

Christmas Vacation Over the Years

For some thirty-five years, Nancy and I have enjoyed those wonderful days known as "Christmas Vacation."  For the last couple of decades or so, Nancy and I have stayed home rather than traveling during the Christmas Holidays.  It was not always that way, and it would be interesting to reflect on some of those early Christmases.

Nancy and I were married in 1970, so our first Christmas together was in December 1970.  We were seniors at Bob Jones University, and we decided that it would be too expensive to drive home to Michigan for the holidays.  We worked in Greenville during Christmas, but it was a bit lonely for us.  It was our first Christmas away from home.  Bob and Dottie Harris, BJU faculty members, invited several of us over to their home for a Christmas gathering.  I will always remember their kindness and thoughtfulness.  It was just what we needed to get us through that Christmas.

A year later (1971), we did make it home for Christmas.  On our way back to Greenville from Michigan, we were involved in an accident on Interstate-40 near Newport, Tennessee.  We ended up in the median between two bridge abutments.  No one was hurt, but we were concerned about Nancy, who was three months pregnant with Cynthia.  Fortunately, Nancy and Cynthia did not have any problems as a result of the accident.  Our Pontiac station wagon was not easily repairable, so we had to rent a car to get us back to Greenville.  We learned a good lesson—someone other than the driver needs to stay awake if at all possible.

In December 1973, when Cynthia and Tricia were still quite young, we flew home to Michigan.  That was quite the adventure, especially when we returned to Greenville in a near-empty plane on New Year's Eve.  We did make it back to Michigan the next several years, but the last year that we drove home to Michigan for Christmas was December 1979, when we had five children seven years old and younger.  As we drove back to Greenville from the Detroit area, we ran into a snowstorm at Cincinnati.  We ended up staying overnight in Florence, Kentucky.

Starting the Christmas of 1980,  Nancy and I decided that it was time to stay home for Christmas and establish our own Christmas traditions.  And so it has been from that time until now.  We enjoyed spending Christmas in Greenville through 1982.  Then we were in Huntington (WV) for the Christmas of 1983.  Having moved to Owatonna in 1984, we have been here every Christmas for the nearly the last twenty-five years.  I am personally glad that I don't have to drive long distances in winter weather.

Generally, all seven kids (and spouses and grandkids) make it back to Grandpa and Grandma's house for Christmas.  We have a nice Christmas Dinner and then open presents in the afternoon.  Then it's time for games and conversation.  By Christmas night, the last of the food and dessert has been served, and everyone has full stomachs and more importantly, full hearts.  We celebrate Christ's birth, and we love the benefits of having our family together at this most special time of year.

G. G. Jackson (1918-2007)

A good friend of mine recently passed away. Mr. G. G. ("Jack") Jackson was the longtime Postmaster at Bob Jones University. When I enrolled as a freshman at BJU in the fall of 1967 (yes, that's forty years ago!), I was told that the BJU Post Office was a good place to get a job on campus. So I walked in and asked for Mr. Jackson. When I told him my name, the first thing he said to me was, "You must be Ottis and Julie's boy." I was flabbergasted that anyone would know my dad and mom, but a number of people actually did know my folks from the days when the college was located in Cleveland, Tennessee. And so it went from there.

I worked at the BJU Post Office during my student days, and after I became a faculty member in 1972, I continued on at the Post Office during the summers and during Christmas vacations. Mr. Jackson had the reputation of being a no-nonsense boss. If one of the student employees took too long to complete a mail delivery on the campus, his favorite question was: "Where have you been, to Spartanburg and back?" Spartanburg is about twenty miles east of Greenville.

During the summer, especially on some of those hot and humid South Carolina afternoons (before the Post Office was air conditioned), Mr. Jackson would sometimes talk about the early days of the school in Cleveland, Tennessee. That was when he knew my mom and dad before they got married. My mom started teaching at Bob Jones in 1942, and my dad showed up after World War II in 1946. Mr. Jackson would also talk about his years in the United States Navy during World War II. He, like my father-in-law Roy Crane, was part of that "Greatest Generation" who defended the United States in difficult times. Generally, Mr. Jackson didn't bring up the subject, but he was willing to share his experiences with those of us who worked with him.

When Mr. Jackson was not working at the Post Office, he loved to work in his garden. The vegetables from his garden were just about the best that anyone was able to produce anywhere on the campus. I really believe that he used his time in the garden as a way to relax a bit and get away from the rigors of the Post Office. It was a joy to visit with him while he was at work in his garden.

I cannot conclude these comments without paying tribute to Mrs. Iris Jackson. I also worked with Mrs. Jackson for many summers, particularly in keeping student and faculty lists correct, as well as assigning box numbers. I could share many humorous stories about Mrs. Jackson, but I think I will just say that she has always been a wonderful friend to my family, especially my children. She and Mr. Jackson have been very special to me because they have been a "living link" to my own parents. I will miss him.

Japanese Square Watermelons

Just when you thought you had seen it all, the Japanese come up with something different. This is from a BBC post about Japanese square watermelons:

Japan has again shown off one of its greatest innovations - square watermelons. For years consumers struggled to fit the large round fruit in their refrigerators. And then there was the problem of trying to cut the fruit when it kept rolling around.

But 20 years ago a forward-thinking farmer on Japan's south-western island of Shikoku solved the problem. The farmer, from Zentsuji in Kagawa prefecture, came up with the idea of making a cube-shaped watermelon which could easily be packed and stored.

To make it happen, farmers grew the melons in glass boxes and the fruit then naturally assumed the same shape. Today the cuboid watermelons are hand-picked and shipped all over Japan.

But the fruit, on sale in a selection of department stores and upmarket supermarkets, appeals mainly to the wealthy and fashion-conscious of Tokyo and Osaka, Japan's two major cities. Each melon sells for 10,000 yen, equivalent to about $83. It is almost double, or even triple, that of a normal watermelon.

"I can't buy it, it is too expensive," said a woman browsing at a department store in the southern city of Takamatsu.

So the next time you think there is nothing new under the sun, just think of Japanese square watermelons.

Pillsbury Begins Its 51st Year

Pillsbury Baptist Bible College started classes on Monday, August 27. This is Pillsbury's 51st year of operation as a Baptist Bible college. Although Pillsbury had been a military academy for a number of decades before 1957, it was Dr. Richard V. Clearwaters (longtime pastor of Fourth Baptist Church in Minneapolis) who was perhaps the "guiding light" in the transition of Pillsbury from a military academy to a Baptist Bible college. After serving as president of the college its first year, Dr. Clearwaters and the Pillsbury Board hired Dr. Monroe Parker as president in 1958. He had been on the evangelistic circuit for some years.

Although I did not meet Dr. Parker until the last few years of his life, I have a "secondary" connection to him. He was an administrator at Bob Jones College during the 1930s and 1940s when the school was located in Cleveland, Tennessee. Both of my parents were there at the time, and they knew Dr. Parker well. Monroe Parker stayed on at Pillsbury until 1965, when he returned to an evangelistic ministry across the United States.

Pillsbury has honored the memory of Dr. Parker by designating our opening evangelistic services as the "Monroe Parker Evangelistic Meetings." We bring in a prominent speaker to encourage our students and faculty. This year's speaker was Dr. Jerry Sivnksty, whose home is in Starr, South Carolina. Jerry has preached here in past years, and he is one of our favorites on campus. He grew up in the coal mining area of West Virginia—come to think of it, there isn't much of West Virginia that isn't a coal mining area.

In addition to his southern accent, Jerry's family spoke Lithuanian at home, so he had a few "speech problems" when he enrolled in Bob Jones University during the 1960s. Bob Pratt and Joyce Parks, longtime members of the speech faculty at BJU, at first discouraged Jerry from going into evangelism. But when he said that he felt God's call to do so, they did everything they could to help him. Jerry is a perfect example of someone who overcomes a few obstacles to do what God called him to do.

That's what Pillsbury is all about, by the way. The faculty and staff want to do everything we can to help students find God's will for their lives and to help prepare them to do it. Please pray for our students, faculty, and staff duirng this new school year.

Fat Cats!

Sometime back, I wrote about how some veterinarians in England were prescribing Ritalin for cats who had "personality" issues. A recent article in the London Times indicates that there are a lot of fat cats in England and that apparently the issue of obese cats is a "growing" problem. Here's an excerpt from that article:

"Fat cats in Britain are beginning to suffer the same diseases as their owners. A growing number are having type 2 diabetes diagnosed, as obesity and lack of exercise take their toll.

A pioneering study at the University of Edinburgh has found that one in every 230 cats in Britain is diabetic. Although there is no baseline for comparison, the evidence suggests that the rates of feline diabetes are rising rapidly. A study in America in the 1970s found only a fifth as many cases.

Professor Danielle Gunn-Moore, who led the study, said: "'The lifestyle of cats, just like their owners, is changing. They are tending to eat too much, gain weight and take less exercise. Unfortunately, just like people, cats will overeat if they are offered too much tasty food, particularly if they are bored and have little else to do.'"

“'While cats would naturally exercise outside, many cats are now house-bound — perhaps because they live in a flat or because their owners feel that it is too dangerous to let them out — so they have little to do all day but eat, sleep, and gain weight.'”

Diabetes in cats, as in people, is a serious, often fatal, condition and affected cats need daily insulin injections and a special diet. They also face an increased risk of pancreatitis, urinary tract infections and other problems."

I certainly don't want to leave the impression that this is just a humorous take on obese cats. I think that it speaks fairly eloquently to the fact that we humans don't take very good care of ourselves—or our animals.

I-35W Bridge Collapse in Minneapolis

At 6:05 P.M. on Wednesday, August 1, the I-35W Bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis suddenly collapsed into a heap of rubble. Minneapolis instantly become the focal point of local and national news reports. In the hours after the bridge collapse, most of the people who were on the bridge were rescued or were able to swim to safety. Remarkably, fewer than 100 people were injured, and amazingly, perhaps only a dozen or so people lost their lives. Ironically, the design of the bridge probably saved lives, even as it collapsed into the Mississippi River.

Even as we attempt to understand this tragedy, stories of heroism and courage have emerged. One of these incidents involved a school bus carrying sixty day campers. The bus came perilously close to falling into the river, which might have resulted in numerous casualties. One of the camp counselors, 20-year-old Jeremy Hernandez, quickly evacuated the bus, and all of the children were rescued. Naturally, Jeremy was interviewed by local and national media. The rescue efforts are still underway, but the currents in the Mississippi River have made the rescue effort difficult.

The I-35W Bridge was finished forty years ago and was opened for use in the fall of 1967. You can see the bridge under construction in this 1967 photo. But why did the bridge collapse? Over the next several weeks and months, many investigations will undoubtedly take place. Although there has already been a great deal of speculation about the cause of the collapse, no one can know for sure at this juncture. Even though most of the commentary and news reporting about this tragedy has been respectful, it is most unfortunate that a few media types and politicians have begun politicizing the bridge collapse even before all of the victims have been recovered from the river.

I would be the first to acknowledge that the political climate in this country has been become very polarized in recent years, but one would think that self-proclaimed experts would restrain themselves from waxing eloquent at least until after we find out what happened to the I-35W Bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Perhaps that's asking too much, but one can always hope.

Sixtieth Anniversary

As regular readers of this blog will remember, my father-in-law (Roy Crane) passed away this year on February 19. He died just a few months short of his 84th birthday. Had he lived until this week, he and my mother-in-law (Vera Crane) would have celebrated their 60th anniversary.

They were married in Michigan on August 2, 1947, after my father-in-law had returned from serving in the US Army during World War II. After attending one year at Olivet Nazarene College, he enrolled at Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC. He graduated in 1951 and then stayed on a year to get a teaching certificate. My wife Nancy and her sister Darlene were born in Greenville while their folks were living in Greenville.

Roy and Vera returned to Roseville, Michigan, in 1952. There they raised their family of seven children, and Nancy's mom still lives in the same house that the Cranes bought about 45 years ago. When they first moved to that house, it was located along Eleven Mile Road. About 35 years ago, Interstate 696 replaced Eleven Mile Road. The house had to be moved back and then relocated on a new foundation. The westbound service drive for I-696 runs right in front of the house.

We spoke with Mom yesterday, and we reminisced about the many good years that she shared with Dad. We are so glad that she is still with us. We pray that she will be around for years to come.

Enjoying Life in Michigan's Upper Peninsula

Nancy and I (along with Tricia, Peyton, and Oscar) are enjoying a some beautiful days at the family cottage on Piatt Lake, located near Whitefish Bay and fifty miles north of the Mackinaw Bridge. The bridge was completed in 1957, exactly fifty years ago. As you approach the bridge, which is part of Interstate-75, it is pretty overwhelming, as you can see from the photos to the left.

The bridge is approximately five miles long, including the approaches, and it has four lanes. What can be somewhat unnerving is that the left-hand lane going north and south is not solid pavement. The left lane is a metal grid, and you can actually see the water 450 feet below you in the Straits of Mackinac. The reason for this is that the bridge has to be able to withstand the wind currents and have some "give and take." It was very elaborately designed back in the 1950s. The bridge connects the Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Today (July 24) is also our 37th wedding anniversary, so it is a good time to reminisce about getting married back in 1970. We spent our honeymoon up here at the cottage. Nathan and Andrea Crane (our nephew and his wife) have recently purchased and renovated the cottage.

During our honeymoon we visited the Soo Locks over in Sault Ste. Marie as well as taking a boat trip to view the Pictured Rocks along the southern shore of Lake Superior. We drove down to St. Ignace and took the ferry boat across to Mackinaw Island. In addition to the historical sights such as Fort Mackinaw and other related buildings, the island is home to several dozen fudge shops. Incidentally, there are no cars on the island. One either walks, rides a bike, or rides in a horse-drawn carriage.

But your trip to the Upper Peninsula is not complete without a trip to see Tahqhamenon Falls. There are the Upper Falls (pictured here), as well as the Lower Falls. The river actually has a copper cast to it because of the minerals deposits that the river flows through on its way to Lake Superior. There is a five-mile trail connecting the Upper and Lower Falls, but most people just drive from the one area to the other.

All in all, it's been a wonderful time this week. Watching our grandkids swimming and having a big time reminds us of thirty years ago when we would bring our own gang up here summer after summer. Nancy's dad took great delight in his role of "King of the Raft" by throwing the kids off the raft. And Nancy's mom made great pies out of the blueberries the kids would pick. Nancy often reminded the kids about the children's classic story Blueberries for Sal, which was set in New England. But we leave Friday and return to Owatonna where we begin in-service training for the fall semester at Pillsbury.

The Detroit Tigers

On Tuesday evening this week, three of my sons (Daniel, Darrell, and Andy) attended a baseball game between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins. This has become somewhat of an annual ritual for the McGuire boys and their dad. Although the game was played at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, we were all rooting for the Tigers. And the Tigers won the game 1-0. Of course, many of our fellow Minnesotans do root for the Twins, so when our two respective teams are playing each other, we just have be nice. In fact, Tricia's husband Harlan is a diehard Twins fan, so we just talk about other stuff when the Tigers and the Twins are playing each other.

We often form allegiances for our home team based on childhood memories and experiences. Although the Tigers now play in Comerica Park (photo above courtesy of Ryan Southen), when I was growing up in Plymouth, Michigan, during the 1960s we went to games at Tiger Stadium (pictured on the right). As a junior high kid, I would sit with my dad in the upper deck bleachers out in centerfield. As I recall, it cost 50 or 75 cents to get into the bleachers. I knew that it was asking too much to sit in the box seats behind home plate; those tickets cost $3.50 in the early 1960s.

When Nancy and I were first dating nearly forty years ago, we did sit in the box seats—the price had skyrocketed up to $4.50 a seat. We did see Mickey Mantle play during his last season with the Yankees. And did I tell you that we Tiger fans were NOT Yankee fans in those days? Indeed, when the Tigers defeated the Yankees in the 2006 playoffs, there were a lot of older Tiger fans who remembered the days when the Yankees seemed to be unstoppable. But much has changed since those days.

I must say that I am glad to continue the tradition that my dad started with me. Going to the ballpark with your boys (even though they are now in their twenties) is a lot of fun. It creates some good memories. I hope they will do the same with their children. In the interim, GO TIGERS!

Owatonna, Minnesota: A Great Place to Live

Nancy and I have often discussed the fact that Owatonna, Minnesota, has been a wonderful small town (population 22,000) in which to raise our children, as well giving us the opportunity to minister at Pillsbury Baptist Bible College and Grace Baptist Church. As you may have learned from reading some of my earlier posts, we moved to Owatonna with our first five children in 1984, and twenty-three years later our two Owatonna sons (Matt and Andy) are in their twenties. Our family has come of age here in Owatonna, and now we are blessed with having our grandchildren living in Owatonna as well.

The "culture" of Owatonna is relatively conservative, but we welcome innovation. Owatonna is home to impressive architecture (see the Louis Sullivan bank above) and a number of new businesses in recent years. Probably the most well-known Owatonna landmark along Interstate-35 is our local Cabela's store. Folks interested in the great outdoors flock to Cabela's to purchase all kinds of clothing and outdoor gear. Owatonna also has a diverse business and industrial base, which provides many work opportunities for our Pillsbury students.

If you check out Owatonna on the web, you will discover that we have a number of parks and walking trails. Central Park is the venue for a number of performing groups during the summer. I play oboe in the Owatonna Community Band, and we had a top-notch concert last evening. Local business groups donated the funds for the modern bandstand you see pictured here. We are blessed here in Owatonna with an above-average fine arts scene, with high school musicians enthusiastically performing in groups such as the Owatonna Community Band. It's very gratifying to perform music with so many who really enjoy what they're doing.










Nancy took this photo of me before last night's concert, and the photo to the right is from a concert last summer. But I leave you with a "humorous" photo that I took before the concert last night. This sign is posted on the door of each restroom below the bandshell. The wording on the sign gives the impression that whoever wrote it doesn't clearly understand the English language. I'll let you make of it what you will.

The Importance of Family

From time to time, we are reminded of the importance of our families. My mother-in-law recently visited us here in Owatonna. During the course of her visit, we took this four-generation photo. Tricia, Peyton Rose, Oscar Jonas, and Nancy are in the back row, and Nancy's mom is seated in the front. One sometimes sees five- and even six-generation photos in the local paper, but we are very happy to show off our four-generation family.

We attended a McGuire reunion in Louisville on June 2. The irony was that most of those in attendance were cousins, second cousins, and "cousins-in-law." There is only one living spouse from my father's generation of seven siblings. We must acknowledge the fact that we now live in the twenty-first century, and the future lies with our children and grandchildren. We are thankful for our children and grandchildren. And speaking of those grandchildren, here are two more photos of Har and Tricia's contributions to the cause:

A Crazy Weekend Stunt

It seems that one Kent Couch of (who lives in Bend, Oregon) wanted to do a little flying over the weekend, but he accomplished his goal a bit differently than most normal people. According to the Associated Press, he "settled down in his lawn chair with some snacks — and a parachute. Attached to his lawn chair were 105 large helium balloons."

"Nearly nine hours later, the 47-year-old gas station owner came back to earth in a farmer's field near Union, short of Idaho but about 193 miles from home." "'When you're a little kid and you're holding a helium balloon, it has to cross your mind,'" Couch told the Bend Bulletin. "'When you're laying in the grass on a summer day, and you see the clouds, you wish you could jump on them,'" he said. "'This is as close as you can come to jumping on them. It's just like that.'"

"Couch is the latest American to emulate Larry Walters — who in 1982 rose three miles above Los Angeles in a lawn chair lifted by balloons. Walters had surprised an airline pilot, who radioed the control tower that he had just passed a guy in a lawn chair. Walters paid a $1,500 penalty for violating air traffic rules."

It's one thing to be bold and go where no one has gone before, but this guy (just like Larry Walters) is definitely messing around with the law of gravity, if not common sense. These kinds of stunts are fairly harmless unless, of course, you suddenly lose altitude! As for me, I plan to enjoy life while firmly planted on terra firma.

Pillsbury Baptist Bible College: 50th Graduation

Pillsbury Baptist Bible College held its 50th graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 5. The genesis of Pillsbury College was primarily the work of Dr. Richard V. Clearwaters, who was the long-time pastor of Fourth Baptist Church in Minneapolis. In those early years, he asked Dr. Monroe Parker (affectionately known as "Monk" to his friends) to become president.

One of Pillsbury's 1963 graduates was Dr. Fred Moritz, and it was Dr. Moritz who was the commencement speaker last Saturday. In addition to preaching from 2 Timothy 2:15, he also reminisced about those early days at Pillsbury. Dr. Moritz currently serves as Executive Director of Baptist World Missions, which is located in Decatur, Alabama. Dr. Moritz has been a great friend of Pillsbury, and he is one of the most popular chapel speakers that we bring to the campus.

Of course, we want to honor our graduates. To the left, Nancy celebrates with senior Lynette Benda, who was one of our student teachers this past spring. We will be attending her wedding this coming weekend in Wisconsin. Below, senior Ray Miller is standing next to Jon Calcamuggio, who was part of the Color Guard. Jon is a graduate of Pillsbury who also served two tours of duty in Iraq.


All told, we had about three dozen graduates this year. Because Pillsbury is relatively "small," you get to know just about every graduate along the way. Of those three dozen graduates, nine were education majors, so I worked with them rather closely during the last year or so. We bid our graduates Godspeed, and we pray that He will direct their lives in their vocations, marriages, families, and ministries. That's what Pillsbury is all about.

The Old Main Tower at Pillsbury

On many college campuses across the country, there are buildings and other locations that students are not allowed to access on a regular basis. And then there are places that students really don't want to access under any circumstances. When I was teaching at Bob Jones University, I would hear tales from some of the security folks about some of the strange things that went on in the Art Gallery, Rodeheaver Auditorium, and Amphitorium in the middle of the night. Just the thought of walking through the Art Gallery during the wee hours sends shivers up and down my spine, what with all those paintings and sculptures looming up in the dark as you went from gallery to gallery.

Here at Pillsbury, one of the places that is generally is off-limits to students is the tower on top of Old Main, which serves as our administration building. The fact is that over the years students have surreptitiously managed to make their way up to the tower for a spectacular view of Owatonna. Although we have just finished final exams, Tuesday was "Student Appreciation Day" on the campus. Dr. Crane announced in chapel on Tuesday morning that anyone who wanted to do so could legally walk up the three flights of stairs and spend a few minutes in the tower. So a number of us did so, including me.

It was a clear day with blue skies all around, although it was quite windy when you reached the tower. We are told that the Old Main Tower is the highest point in Steele County, so one can see quite a distance from that vantage point. I used my camera phone to take several photographs. In this photograph you can see the men's residence hall, and at the lower left is the house that we lived in for twelve years between 1984 and 1996. We can tell you many interesting stories about what it was like to live on campus and in such close proximity to the men's residence hall. I suspect that there are stories that we don't even know anything about. One of the things that Nancy didn't miss when we moved out of the old house was the periodic invasions of bats that took place when one of the kids would leave a door open on summer evenings. Nancy HATES bats!

This photograph to the right is of the northwest corner of our campus, at the intersection of South Grove Avenue and East Main Street. If you look closely, you can see the back of the sign welcoming vistors to Pillsbury College.

Although I enjoyed my time at the top of Old Main in the Tower, I was glad to come back down to terra firma. I really don't care for heights all that much. And did I share with you the fact that although I have been at Pillsbury College for twenty-three years, this was the first time that I ever made the trek to the top of Old Main. There's a first time for everything.

New President at Maranatha Baptist Bible College

This afternoon, officials at Maranatha Baptist Bible College in Watertown, Wisconsin, named Dr. Chuck Phelps as the new president of Maranatha. This is great news for Maranatha specifically, as well as for those of us involved in Christian higher education. Chuck has been a youth pastor, a church planter, and a senior pastor. He serves on the boards of several Christian organizations. He and his wife Linda have five children.

I knew Chuck when he was a student at BJU back in the 1970s. As it happened, when our family moved to Owatonna (so that I could teach at Pillsbury), Chuck was the youth pastor at Grace Baptist Church. For over fifteen years, Chuck has been the pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Concord, New Hampshire. I am very excited about Chuck becoming the president of Maranatha. He brings a strong vision for educating the next generation of young people for the Lord's service. Also, Maranatha is one of Pillsbury's "sister" schools, so we have more than a passing interest in anything that strengthens our fundamental Christian schools.

Be sure to pray for Chuck and his family as they make the transition to Maranatha over the summer.

The Thread That Runs So True

Last week Pillsbury College presented its spring play, The Thread That Runs So True. "This drama is based on the true life experiences of Jesse Stuart, an unusual educator who fought all his life for quality education in rural and mountain schools. His experiences as a beginning teacher in the Kentucky mountains inspired this play." Our students, under the direction of Mr. Ken Marsh, did a wonderful job portraying the trials and tribulations of encouraging education in the rural areas of Eastern Kentucky in the early twentieth century.

My father grew up in Eastern Kentucky and was a contemporary of Jesse Stuart. As many children did in those days, my dad attended a one-room school like the one portrayed in the play by Jesse Stuart. When my dad graduated from the eighth grade, he stayed on to help the teacher for a year. The teacher just happened to be his older sister. He then went off to attend high school in another town. Dad had to pay room and board and work his way through high school. When he finished high school, he went off to college. Like many of his siblings and cousins, Dad eventually became a teacher. I often say that education is a "disorder that runs in my family." I appreciate the fact that many members of my immediate and extended family have been involved in education.

One more note about Pillsbury's production. Our youngest son, Andy, had a role in the play. He portrayed Guy Hawkins, a rough character who always wanted to beat up the teacher and put him in his place. Eventually, Guy comes around and becomes one of Jesse Stuart's star pupils.

We are very proud of Andy. In addition to performing in the spring play, he sings in the college choir and has been one of the catchers on the Pillsbury Comet baseball team this spring. He is planning on working at a Christian camp this summer, so he will be a pretty busy young man. I forgot to mention that Andy just turned twenty. We have no more teenagers! What a blessing. Of course, our granddaughter Peyton Rose will become a teenager in just three years. The cycle will begin anew.

Easter Reflections

As is the case with almost all religious holidays, the "religious" character of holidays is often overshadowed by commercialism and materialism. Easter Day is no exception, what with Easter bunnies, Easter eggs, Easter outfits, Easter candy, and the like. Even though it is the culmination of "Holy Week" within some liturgical churches, it still should be a day of great rejoicing as we commemorate the resurrection of our Lord.

Numerous composers have written profoundly beautiful music to celebrate the day, running the gamut from Bach and Handel to more contemporary Christian composers. Athough Handel's Messiah is often performed during the Christmas Season, many of the well-known and well-loved portions of Messiah are actually taken from biblical texts celebrating Easter. One of Ron Hamilton's earlier works, The Centurion, tells us the story of Easter from the perspective of one of the Roman centurions involved with our Lord's crucifixion.

Here in Owatonna, we enjoyed worshiping at Grace Baptist Church this morning. In our first service, we read several Bible passages and sang a number of hymns related to Easter. We also celebrated the Lord's Supper. Then we were treated to a nice Easter morning breakfast. During the second service, there were several special musical numbers appropriate for the day. And finally, we heard a message from God's Word that empahasized how we should be affected and influenced by Christ's resurrection.

Nancy and Tricia prepared a nice turkey dinner for Easter. We had some of our children (and our two grandchildren) over for the afternoon, because we consider family fellowship to be vitally important. Although there is probably not the same level of excitement as at Christmas, we eagerly anticipate these opportunities when our family members are able to get together for fellowship. All in all, this was a good Easter Day for our family.