It's funny looking back how torn I was between which seminaries to attend. My choices spanned between Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in Virginia; Master's Seminary in California; Southern Seminary in Kentucky; Golden Gate Seminary in California; and Dallas Theological Seminary in Texas. I am profoundly impacted by teachers and alumni from all these seminaries but there are a few who stand out: Howard Hendricks (DTS), Charles Swindol (DTS), John MacArthur (Masters), and Tony Evans (DTS). As you can see, three out of four are from Dallas, which is closer to home and cheaper as far as cost of living goes. John MacArthur of course hails from the beautiful state of California and is powerfully used by God in doing great things.
Howard Hendricks is probably my most favorite person whom I never met. I've read only one of his books [for school] which changed my ministry and life forever. The book is called, "Teaching to Change Lives," and it is comprehensive and practical. "Prof," as he is effectually called provided helpful wisdom that included acknowledging a child's hair cut/style or new shoes - to developing genuine concern for others by asking questions, and using their answers to understand how to better teach and lead. This is why I chose Dallas Theological Seminary, because of Prof Hendricks. He graduated to heaven in 2013 and I started in 2016 but I can tell you that his impact is still felt here on the campus and around the world.
Here is another share from one of my other favorite DTS alums, Dennis Rainey, president and chief executive officer of FamilyLife.
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“One of the great Christian leaders of the last
century graduated to heaven this past week after 88 years on earth. Many
of you may not have heard of Dr. Howard Hendricks, but he was a man who left an
incredible legacy in leaders that he helped train during his years as a
professor at Dallas Theological Seminary.
Dr. Hendricks was also a great champion for
marriage and family. In fact, he planted the seeds that ultimately resulted in
the ministry of FamilyLife. While speaking at the U.S. Congress on the Family
in 1975, Dr. Hendricks made a statement that captured the attention of three
leaders from Campus Crusade for Christ (now known as Cru) in attendance. He
said, "In Dallas/Ft. Worth it takes three weeks of intensive training to
become a garbage collector, but about all you have to do to get married is to stand
before the justice of the peace and grunt and you are in--you're married!"
The Christian community, he said, needed to prepare couples for marriage.
Those three Campus Crusade leaders took this charge back to their leadership,
and the next year FamilyLife was launched.
Dr. Hendricks, called “Prof” by his students,
left his mark on more than 12,000 students during 60 years of teaching at DTS. I’ve
never known anyone who has worked at one place for 60 years. But Prof wasn’t
just anyone. He was always a cut above the herd.
The John Wooden of education
I was one of those who soaked up his classes
during the year I spent at DTS in the 1970s. He was the reason I went to
DTS; I’ve always said that I “majored in Howard Hendricks.” I took all
five of his classes that year, and it nearly killed me.
Prof didn’t believe in tests, but he was
thoroughly convinced that abundant homework somehow resulted in learning. I sat
in his classes for hour after hour and was never bored … whether it was Bible
Study Methods, Family Living, or How to Teach, Prof kept me on the edge of my
seat. He was the John Wooden of education! (Wooden won 10 national
championships at UCLA and is considered the greatest basketball coach of all
time.)
Prof had the uncanny ability to step into a young
man’s life at just the right time to give encouragement and express his belief
that God would use him. I certainly benefited from this encouragement and
mentoring over the years. I remember the day we spent together talking about
what parents need in terms of being biblically equipped to raise children.
He exhorted FamilyLife staff on a number of
occasions, was a guest on FamilyLife Today®, and both he and his wife, Jeanne, were a huge encouragement to
the 60 couples who speak at FamilyLife’s Weekend to Remember® marriage
getaways.
One of my favorite memories occurred when a
friend, Bob Horner, and I took Prof “float tube fishing” on a high mountain
lake near Laramie, Wyoming. Float tube fishing is really for die-hard fishermen
… you put on waders and flippers, and then sit inside an inner tube and paddle
out in the lake. Since Prof had never done this, we tethered his tube to ours
as we paddled out to fish. He looked like a sinking duck, barely above the
waterline. To his credit, he went along with it all, actually caught a couple
of rainbow trout, and didn’t drown.
About a year later, he was speaking to the
FamilyLife team about the experience, and he sarcastically said he only caught
one fish. I interrupted him from the audience and said “Prof, that’s not true,
you caught two!” To which Prof retorted, “Well there you have it: another great
illustration ruined by an eyewitness!”
Pouring his life into others
I guess what has impacted me most is how he
continued to run to the finish line and make a global impact for Christ in his
final years. Despite losing his right eye to cancer, falling off a platform
while speaking (at the age of 80) and breaking a couple of ribs, and battling
other health issues, he didn’t coast to the finish. He modeled what it looks
like to continue to grow as a man and pour his life into others. He was a man
of convictions who was on a mission to the very end.
Another of my favorite memories was of joining
Prof and Jeanne for dinner with some friends the night before his retirement
celebration a couple years ago. I asked Prof, “What is the most
courageous thing you’ve ever done?” He told the story of when he was a young
man and was seriously dating a young lady who was not headed in the same
direction he was.
He said that he was growing spiritually and had
the conviction that God wanted him to go to seminary and study the Scriptures.
These convictions were not shared by the young lady, so he went over to her
house to break off the relationship.
That was not what she wanted to hear. He
said that he had to pry her fingers off his car so he could drive away. And
then he had to tell his father, who highly valued education unless it came from
a seminary, that he was going to go to Dallas Theological Seminary. In essence,
his father told him he was wasting his life. Prof said his decision to end the
relationship and attend seminary was life altering, but in the end proved to be
the right choice.
Prof spoke tenderly of his father, a military
man, and how he had prayed for more than 40 years for him to come to faith in
Christ. His dad made a commitment to Christ just a few months before his death.
Prof stressed the importance of continuing to pray for family members and
friends who show no interest in the gospel.
Stories of Prof
At the retirement celebration luncheon the next
day, a handful of Christian leaders spoke about the impact that Prof and Jeanne
had made on their lives. It was a great reminder of what Prof used to
say: “The only thing that is eternal is the Word of God and people.”
Pastor David Jeffries told how, as a
16-year-old, he was influenced by Prof’s statement, “Men, nothing will create
more doubt in your lives than trafficking in unlived truth.”
Michael Easley, pastor of Fellowship Bible
Church in Franklin, Tennessee, said through tears how Prof had “given me
permission” to try things and to be a leader. His favorite quote from Prof:
“Sin will keep you from this Book and this Book will keep you from sin.”
Dr. David Jeremiah, a pastor, author, and radio
host, told the story of how as a first-year seminary student he’d sat slumping
in the back row of Prof’s classes. Prof soon summoned him to his office
and gave him a wake-up call, “David, if you continue to sit on the back row
slumping, you are wasting my time and yours!” Jeremiah moved to the front row
and has been sitting up straight ever since.
And Dr. Chuck Swindoll, chancellor of DTS,
pastor, author, and radio host, sheepishly shared a story that he’d never told
anyone. Chuck said that when he was in seminary back in the 1960’s, he babysat
Prof’s kids one night. He admitted that he looked through the papers on Prof’s
desk and found a bank statement. Two things struck him: He was amazed at how
little Prof was paid to teach, and he couldn’t believe how much he gave away!
Chuck went on to speak about Prof’s impact in
his life. He told how, at the lowest point in his life and ministry, Prof had
put his arm around him and said, “Whatever it is, I will be here when you need
me!”
After all these men spoke, Prof stood up and
was momentarily overcome with emotion. I don’t think I’d ever seen him cry, but
God’s goodness overwhelmed him and for a few moments the words wouldn’t come.
Finally, Prof told how, as a young man when he was just starting seminary, a
professor put his arm around him and said, “Howard, God has a great future for
you.”
That’s an understatement. But it illustrated
the power of believing in someone, of passing on truth and encouragement to the
next generation.
What a man! What an impact! What a legacy!”
Source: http://www.familylife.com/articles/topics/life-issues/relationships/men/remembering-the-legacy-of-prof-hendricks
