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LBU School of Biblical Studies Newsletter
AUGUST NEWS
A Word from the Dean:
Greetings students, family and friends. I trust your summer has gone well. With the coming of August we are reminded that summer and those times of vacation/relaxation don't last forever. Soon our fall on-campus classes will begin. If you have not yet registered for these as a student in the Shreveport area or looked over the e-campus offerings this semester as someone outside the region of Shreveport, let me encourage you to do so quickly. We are seeing a great deal of interest in e-campus and the ability for distance education students to be able to participate in the classroom discussion from their own homes, regardless where they live.
This semester we are offering a new class, a combination study of the books of Ruth and Esther. These are two very good books that reveal God's working, often behind the scenes, in behalf of His people. It is exciting to see how each concludes. With Esther we see God's marvelous intervention that brought about the deliverance of His people from the evil scheme of Haman. In Ruth we see how God took Naomi from a state of bitterness and emptiness and blessed her beyond her wildest dreams. She had to come to the end of herself, turn everything over to God and let He who is all-sufficient take care of her. Naomi came to realize God had something better for her, a plan she could never have imagined. After the death of her husband and sons there in the land of Moab she made a decision to go back to her people, the people of God, to Bethlehem, the house of bread.
Many who come to the end of themselves revisit the faith of their youth, the God of their youth, looking again to the Word of God and find that God is able to meet their needs. They come to find a new purpose. Ruth 4:14 says, "and the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than ten sons, hath born him. And Naomi took the child and laid it in her bosom."
The next verse tells us they named the child Obed which means "worshipper." He would become the grandfather of King David and a part of the linage of God's Son, Jesus Christ.
What a wonderful God we serve.
In His blessed name,
David Keeny
Dean of Biblical Studies
A Word from the Associate Dean:
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…” (Hebrews 12:1-2a)
August is here! The heat is on! At least in Louisiana where temperatures hang out in the upper 90’s to triple digits. If I were a runner, I would be saying, “It’s too hot to run.” We all know serious runners who find a way to run every day—even when the heat is on.
Sometimes it seems life turns up the heat. Pressures, stress, ministry commitments, and even the fun things can sometimes seem oppressive and overbearing, much like the heat of a Louisiana afternoon in August.
For me, just surviving the summer is an accomplishment. In addition to my responsibilities here at LBU, I also pastor a growing church. July was just crazy! Music Camp, Teen Camp, VBS, and Junior Camp – four weeks straight of constant activity. Add to that a major renovation of the parsonage. I’m glad it’s August, quite frankly. It all is worth it, of course, when precious souls come to Christ in salvation!
Well the list goes on. I realize these are all good things that have blessed my family and others. Some were even instrumental in seeing precious souls come to Christ. Still, there is often that feeling that there is too much to do and too little time.
I have had the opportunity over the last month to talk with many of you who have become inactive or have fallen behind in your studies. The faculty of LBU has made a commitment this summer to be intentional about helping you get on track and, “finish what you started.” As I speak with some of you, I hear and understand your challenges. In many cases, your list sounds like mine. Yes, the heat is indeed on.
Just as the verse listed above reminds us, we need to “lay aside” some of the things (distractions, for a better term) that are keeping us from obtaining our goals. It is so easy for us to be so “busy” in the ministry that we don’t get the essential things done.
We need to remember that we are in an endurance race – not a sprint. An endurance runner has discipline. He is careful in his training. He is consistent in what he does. He remembers what his goals are. He presses on, even when it is not convenient or popular.
Our ultimate goal in life is to please Jesus with everything we do. We are to keep our eyes focused on Him and do everything for His glory (I Corinthians 10:31). Ministry training should be done with excellence and for the glory of God.
Visualize your finish line. I was impressed by one of our new students who sent an email on the day she enrolled to say she is making plans to come to Louisiana to walk across the stage and receive her diploma. Picture yourself, diploma in hand, celebrating your accomplishment – and work consistently toward that goal!
Quite often I advise students with some practical steps to take to create some personal discipline. Here’s a few of them:
- Set aside one night a week to study. Make it the same night every single week. Make it your goal that this new night will be your “school night”. Guard that time carefully. If you are married, get your spouse to help keep you accountable to study that night – every week. For me Thursday night from 6 pm to 10 pm worked best for me. (If your schedule requires, you can make it a morning or afternoon – just make it the same day and time every week).
- Find a place with as few distractions as possible to study. I found an empty Sunday School room to be especially helpful for me. The library is always good, too. Starbucks is fun, but expensive!
- Enlist an accountability / prayer partner. Have them ask you every week if you’ve spent time studying. They can also pray for your success. Some of our course assignments require much prayer!
- Work on one course at a time. Hammer it out and turn it in. We’ll grade it immediately and return it to you with the final exam. Pass the final exam and start on your next course.
- Set some realistic timeline goals to finish each course and to graduate.
- Call your advisor every time you need to request more courses. We can advise you on which courses are better than others and are more relevant to your ministry direction. We can even tell you which courses are easier than others!
- Have fun! Learning and expanding your mind is a great privilege. God gave you the brain – use it for His glory!
I encourage you to stay on track. August is a great time to run the race – even when the heat is on.
Brent Shoalmire
Hispanic Highlights:
Unas Palabras del Director de Estudios Hispanos:
CONCLUYENDO LO QUE COMENZAMOS
“estando persuadido de esto, que el que comenzó en vosotros la buena obra, la perfeccionará hasta el día de Jesucristo;” Filipenses 1:6
Es una gran bendición saber que Dios no ha terminado su obra en nosotros. Cuando Pablo escribió a los Filipenses afirmó que la obra que Dios comenzó la perfeccionara hasta el día de Jesucristo. Había convicción en el apóstol acerca de la obra divina en cada creyente. Aun antes del día de nuestra conversión Dios ha estado obrando y no va a parar hasta que Cristo regrese o seamos llamados a Su presencia. Nos gozamos en saber que no somos lo que éramos cuando tuvimos nuestro encuentro con personal Cristo. Sin embargo, estamos conscientes que todavía Dios tiene trabajo que hacer en nosotros.
Durante el mes de Julio estuve contactando a muchos de usted para animarles a continuar sus estudios. Como pastor entiendo que hay ocasiones que simplemente se nos acumula el trabajo ministerial y nuestras tareas académicas tienen que esperar. Sin embargo, quiero animarle a que no se rinda en cuanto a sus estudios. Estamos orando por usted y esperamos que pronto pueda completar lo que con tanto esfuerzo ha comenzado. Les recuerdo que si usted esta en el programa de Maestría o Doctorado, es importante que tengamos su Tesis para antes del primero de Enero del año que desea graduar.
El semestre de verano 2010 esta a punto de ser historia. Ya nos estamos preparando para el nuevo semestre y en esta ocasión tendremos dos clases nuevas en el programa hispano. Las clases son: Ética Cristiana II y Pedagogía: Principios de Enseñanza-Aprendizaje. Estarán disponibles para el 1 de Septiembre. Así que puede registrarse para tomarlas en nuestras instalaciones en el semestre de Otoño 2010 o pedir las guías de estudio para trabajar en ellas desde su hogar por correspondencia.
Les recuerdo que estoy en la oficina de la Universidad los días Martes y Jueves de 8:00 AM a 4:30 PM. Puede llamar durante estos días o escribirme en cualquier momento a mi correo electrónico.
En Cristo
Juan Puente
Juan Puente, Ph.D
jpuente@lbu.edu
Director Del Programa Hispano
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
August 23 Late registration for On-campus Fall Semester
begins
August 23-27 Week of final exams for On-campus Summer
Semester
September 6 Labor Day
September 7 On-campus Fall Semester begins
September 21-23 Last day to drop/add classes for On-campus classes
The LBU School of Biblical Studies welcomed the following new students during the month of July:
Thomas Brock Jenna Gilbert Tyler L. Burke
Dustin Byrd Richard Dobson Tashi S. Farmer
Timmie Howard Leonel Mendoza Jaime Alberto Lengua
Phillip D. Thomas James R. Wilkes
The following students are celebrating their Birthday this month:
Joe S. Albertini Hugh Armstrong Jr. Rosendo Arvizu Shelia Atley
Wilbert M. Bannister Waymon Beshea Robert Bostrom Thomas Brock
Tim Byrd Richard Caldwell Toni Calloway James Clifford
Michael Coleman Sidney Combs Darrell Cooper Connie Davis
Jon Decatur Jacqueline DeLeon Fikru Desta Austin Gardner
Steve Gardner Ivan Garza Vernon Garza Jesse Grice
Norma Guillen David Gunter Lisa Harris Laura Hefner
Beau Hesterburg Larry Hood William Hutson Elvin Ivory
Ruth Jackson Debra Kolenovsky Aaron Lavender David Lehman
Jaime Lengua Joey Madden Mark Manning Jeff Marsh
Ricky Marshall Eric Mayes Jay McCaig James McDowell
Russell Minor Samuel Ogunboye David Parker Jr. Christopher Pope
Daniel Potter Donald Reid Joyce Robinson Brent Rosendal
Jeffrey Sebers Charles Shorter Steven Siefkes Kelly Snyder
Juan Soto Jon Stamper Karl Steudl Kimble Stohry
Jimmy Strong Lizet Us Dave Waters Tracie Williams
Timmy Wilson Scott Wolcott Daniel Woodward
Jo Ann Wilkerson- Pray for her brother who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Pray that the Lord will heal him. Also, pray for his immediate family during this difficult time.
Tracy Dobbins- Pray for her as she recovers from surgery.
Josh Harris- Pray for his salvation and for healing from the heart disease that is weakening his heart every day.
Chaplain Tim Gresham- Pray for protection and strength for him and the Soldiers of his unit as they are deployed to Afghanistan.
Randy Ford- Please pray for him as he recovers from knee replacement surgery. Pray that his recovery will be speedy and as pain free as possible.
Leonard Romano Sr.- Pray for him to have a speedy recovery of concussion symptoms.
E. Paul Emery- Pray for his family and his mother as they grieve the lost of his father. Also, please pray for his mother’s health and for the Lord to comfort her during this difficult time.
Jeff DeLaurentis- Pray for his daughter Sarah who has been suffering from an eating disorder. Pray that the Lord will heal her. Also pray for her family as they support her during this time.
Roy Myers and Family- Pray for him and his family during this time as they are dealing with the loss of his father-in-law. Pray that the Lord will comfort them in this saddened time.
Ronnie Mires- Pray for him as he needs a liver transplant. Pray that the Lord will place everything in order so that he is able to receive a liver very soon.
Mark Norris- Pray for his sister-in-law Monica Richardson. A lesion was found in the brain in a place that is inoperable. The doctor at this time can not tell whether it is benign or malignant.
Derrell Hudgins- Pray for his wife Madeline Hudgins who had a light stroke last August and is having severe complications from it.
Jeffrey Stachmus – Pray for his mother Diane Stachmus who is recovering from a leg amputation. Pray that the Lord will comfort her during this healing process.
Bro. Rufus Saripalli (Missionary - INDIA) Please pray for his mom who has both her knees completely worn out and needs knee joint replacement but cannot go for it due to osteoporosis and also other possible complications. Pray that the grace of God will sustain the pain as both she and her husband are senior missionaries in India also.
Rowena Davis- Pray for Robert Davis’ wife Rowena who has recently been diagnosed with cancer. Please pray that the Lord will heal her and comfort her during this time.
Alexandra Miles- Pray for her as she is suffering from Stage 3 cancer. Please pray that the Lord will heal her and comfort her during this time.
Eli and Shona Barakat- Pray for the villages in Lebanon that he and his family minister to as there has been some issues involving false miracles by a "Maronite Christian". Also, pray for Shona’s brothers’ mother and father in law. His mother in law Davaa, was in a terrible auto accident and needs healing and his father in law who is not a Christian has stomach cancer.
Richard Frost- Pray for his friend, James Gilbert who has cancer and who is not saved and his wife Amy who is a Christian. Pray for Richard’s sister Jackie for God to give her financial wisdom.
Tony Gregory- Please pray for him as he has been diagnosed with a tumor of the brain. Pray for healing and that the treatments he receives will work swiftly.
Ray Wolfe- Pray for him as he is suffering from Crohn’s disease. Pray that the Lord will heal him and that his doctors will be able to treat his flare ups.
Richard GoKool- Pray for him that he will have the courage and discipline to continue his studies without the fear of falling sick of Epilepsy, in order to graduate in May. Pray for him to have the wisdom to purchase a used a car as soon as possible and that the Lord Jesus will bless him the needed finances to accomplish this task. Pray also for him to have spiritual discernment regarding personal decisions.
Brent Mosley- Pray for him as he is has recently gone through yet another critical surgery. He is doing well, but please pray that the Lord will continue to heal him and prevention of any infections.
Kenneth Hood Sr. - Pray for him as he has one last surgery on his right eye. They will replace the lens. He has now been declared legally blind and has had to make some difficult changes in his life. Pray for him that the Lord will strengthen him and will continue to use his life for the glory of His kingdom.
Sally Mullins-- Pray for her as she has recently been diagnosed with cancer. Please pray that the Lord will give her healing and comfort as she is goes through Chemotherapy.
Robert Stramski--- Pray for his mother as she is suffering from cancer. Pray that the Lord will heal her and help her through this time in her life.
Adam Muilenburg---- Pray for Ginny Muilenburg’s 12 year old son who is suffering from a severe illness. Pray that the Lord will heal him and comfort him and his family.
Athem & Indu Khiang Chothe- Pray for Indu as she is scheduled to have her baby mid August. Pray that the delivery goes well and that the baby is healthy.
NOTE:
You can submit prayer requests that you want posted on our newsletter to stillman@lbu.edu. **Please be sure that you tell us how to word your prayer request. If you would like for the staff of LBU to pray for you but do not wish to have your prayer request posted on the website or newsletter, please let us know at the time that you contact us for prayer. -Thanks
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