OBU Blogabout: The Finale

In finishing a month of celebrating 125 years of Ouachita Baptist University, they've asked for blog posts about What does Ouachita mean today or how has it helped you get to where you are today?

That's a tough one. If you've read the prior posts in the OBU BlogAbout, both mine and others, you'll get a glimpse of how many of us have gotten where we are thanks to our alma mater. What else can be said?

I've spoken of Ouachita as home, of professors that remain an inspiration, and of friends made and lost along the way. OBU has contributed to the fabric of both our state and our nation, to the heritage and culture, and to the religious tides in Baptist life.

Has my OBU degree opened doors for me? I think so---but I can't guarantee that it opened doors that a UA degree wouldn't have. Have I worked my Ouachita Alumni network? Not too much, but maybe a little. I haven't been called on by our famous political alums, like Mike Huckabee or Mark Darr, for any great purposes. The great religious leaders that sprouted from OBU don't call me for sermon tips. (or with sermon tips, though I could use some )

I was a student at OBU when maintenance, in their infinite quest to fill the hours, built the lovely decorative wall around the main part of campus. It's not one that could be used to keep anyone out or in. I'm not sure what the purpose was for it, other than a hard point to mow against. Yet we had a lot of conversations around campus in those days about "life beyond the wall" and how we lived in a bubble on-campus.

As if the real world couldn't touch us and we weren't actually dealing with it. As if there was no connection between where we were and what we would be. As if it wouldn't echo back in the days to come.

But it does. The academics are there for future access, the relationships are part of life, but the time spent. Ouachita may wall out certain things, but there wasn't spoon-feeding when I was there. We learned to find for ourselves what we needed. It was a time that fed my faith while challenging my faith. The nearest moment to it was the satisfaction of a Boy Scout experience that required a lot of effort to cook a single egg. That was about the best egg I've ever eaten: more for the work than the flavor! Yet OBU was more than physical nourishment and challenge. Really, the stairs up to the 3rd floor of Conger Hall were more difficult than PE courses.

I grew, I learned to fight hard for truth that had been hard won. I learned when the OBU-ABSC relationship was a little rocky that even friends have disagreements and that right was more important than history.

Life beyond the wall hasn't been that much different. The bills are bigger, but the paychecks are a little bigger to pay them. The friends are fewer but deeper. The challenge remains the same:

Take the faith, take the knowledge, take the study and do something with it.

Don't think about the assignment. Write it. Don't consider serving. Put on a t-shirt and get your hands dirty. Don't think about speaking. Get up and say it. Savor the moments that make the life, because it's fleeting.

All this was a part of OBU, but it's a part of every day life now.

What does Ouachita mean today? How am I where I am because of OBU?

Because God works through nouns: people, places, and things are in His hands to accomplish His purposes. Ouachita is that noun for much of what I've learned that I go back to when I'm weak, tired and worn.

It's a good place. I wouldn't trade my years with OBU for anything. Not even a complete elimination of student loan debt

Doug

OBU Blog-About: Student Life

In the continuing celebration of 125 years of Ouachita Baptist University, we've got a month-long batch of blog posts going up here, there, and everywhere. It's part of the OBU Blogabout, and you can find all the links at this link.

This week's task: write about memories of involvement with Student Life or Campus Organizations. OBU really has some good campus groups: there's ministry groups, social clubs (fraternities and sororities), and specialty folks (like business majors or music majors). I hope you'll check out the link above to the links out there, because there's bound to be some great memories.

I, however, did not really belong to any campus life groups. Didn't pledge a social club (fraternity), wasn't heavily involved in campus BSU/BCM activities, and I really didn't get into much else. That was a choice that was more blundered into than willfully selected, but it was what it was.

So, what am I going to do to fill a blog post?

Tell you about the 2 minutes of playing time I got in intramural basketball for The Flaming Tongues? Not a chance. I'm more fit now than I was then….and that's not good. Tell you about all the reason why I was too awesome for any one social club (fraternity)? Nah---you either already know that or wouldn't believe it.

Actually, as I type this, I can think of one small organization I did belong to. Well, for a time, at least, I belonged. It was a group that existed to discuss, endorse, and recruit people to a specific theological viewpoint. Rather than dig up that whole point and turn this from a good memory to a battle over diphthongs, burnt heretics, and historical theology, I'll try to word this without isolating the issue or group.

We were, really, a small group. Mostly religion majors, though guys like me who kept floating into and out of the religion department (now the Pruet School of Christian Studies, and if had had a cool name then, I would have gone to class more often!) were involved as well. The first time we met as a group, Dr. Buckelew let us use his office for a short meeting.

Then we moved elsewhere, so that he could work and we could have space. Being religion guys, we gathered in the religion department some of the time, and I don't really remember where else we met.

My involvement didn't really last long, maybe a little over a semester. We were really little more than college students who thought they knew everything and that we needed to meet, solidify our arguments, and go show the world why they were wrong. Our points would be irresistible if people had the sense to listen. Really, we were arrogant windbags.

The pivotal moment with this group was when it dawned on me that the professors that allowed us to use their rooms for meetings disagreed with us. They were gracious and calm while we were agitated and angry.

At this point, I don't know if there's a vestige of the group left on campus. For the purposes intended by the students who had started it, I hope there's not. But for the maturity that came from learning better how to handle disagreement that I caught from wiser heads, I hope there's still a few folks around to learn and listen.

After all, that's what college student life is about: an accelerated course in how to handle real life. It's a good thing, and it's a good thing at OBU.

OBU BlogAbout: Professors and Staff

 

In the continuing celebration of 125 years of Ouachita Baptist University, we've got a month-long batch of blog posts going up here, there, and everywhere. It's part of the OBU Blogabout, and you can find all the links at this link.

This week, the goal is to post about our favorite professor, instructor, or staff member. I don't doubt that there will be a few posts about how hard it is to choose or how wonderful everyone was at Ouachita. There will be posts about great rescues or deep inspirations or lifelong friendships.

What will this post be?

I consider an extended gripy-blog about faculty members I didn't like or a statement or two about how I didn't really know staff members and such because I stayed holed up in my room most of the time. But you're not here to read about bad things, are you? After all, if you can't say something nice, you should say nothing at all, right? Right.

So, of whom shall I speak? I was a Religion major, back before the "School of Christian Studies" became a "school." That means there's Drs. Steeger, Hays, Duvall, Carter, Vang, Stagg, and Eubanks to discuss. They were all good, and well worth the time to know and write about. There are still days I doubt my need for seminary for having gone through the gauntlet that was the Department of Religion and Philosophy.

I minored in Speech, and Dr. Phillips remains one of my favorite people on campus, while I still feel a gap from the passing of Dr. Buckelew. The Speech Department was the best experience of my time at OBU, without a doubt. Everyone ought to take speech and argumentation.

But my favorite faculty member?

Dr. Andy Westmoreland, President of Ouachita Baptist University in 1999.

Why?

He signed my diploma. Well, technically he did. I'm sure it was some form of auto-pen, but if it's good enough for the President of the United States to sign a law or two, it's good enough for me.

Dr. Westmoreland signing my diploma was an act of grace. I graduate from OBU after picking up a few extra hours to balance my GPA. I was immature beyond my years, and really deserved to be sent back for another round. All the knowledge and wisdom from the general education work, the major, the minor, and I was still a self-absorbed problem.

Yet that piece of paper, now framed and on my wall, put the reputation of a good place in my hands. When I finally got it, I was headed out of state to a city with no OBU Alumni. (As opposed to now, where I see about 10 alumni on a regular basis.) The only impression of Ouachita that Dalton, Georgia, was going to have was, well, Ann Hibbard and me. Which meant a good show for the women's dorms and a bad rap for the men.

Looking back at the wonderful people and the great experience that is Ouachita, my favorite person is the one who pushed me out carrying the Ouachita name. I had no choice but to grow up a little more and move forward towards who God was calling me to be.

Of course, Dr. Westmoreland up and left for Samford. Alabama's gain was truly Arkansas's loss. No beef with Dr. Horne, but he wasn't there when I was. I started with Dr. Elrod (Grass or mud?) but finished with Dr. Westmoreland.

OBU BlogAbout: Favorite Memories

This year Ouachita Baptist University celebrates its 125th anniversary. September 6, 1886 was the opening of a little college that has since played a big role in the lives of many young people.

This year, as we celebrate this milestone for Ouachita, they’ve encouraged us to blog each Tuesday in September on various subjects. To start off, the alumni office has challenged us to think on our favorite Ouachita memory.

Favorite Ouachita memory? How do you nail it down? For many of us, one memory includes “I met my spouse at Ouachita.” I met my wife there. Two of the deacons in the church I serve met their wives there. I know dozens of people who came to Arkadelphia single and left either with a spouse or a definite date to have one.

And I would hate for anyone to think that meeting Ann Hibbard wasn’t the best thing that has happened to me, short of salvation by the Grace of God, ever. In any context or situation—whether OBU memory or favorite truth about Jacksonville High, that I didn’t marry anyone from there.

There’s just a couple of problems with using “I met Ann at OBU” as my favorite memory. 1. It seems trite and predictable. I do enough predictable around here, why do it now? 2. I can’t actually tell you when I met her at OBU. I know that sounds odd, but it’s true. I know I met her when I was dating someone else, so I foolishly didn’t store the memory.

So it’s not fair to claim the “meeting spouse moment” as my favorite OBU memory. Because I can’t remember it. And she had graduated and it was summer break when we decided to get married. So, that’s an Arkadelphia memory, like Fendley’s Jewelry or a Wal-mart that closed at 10pm (spoiled students with a SuperCenter!).

What is my favorite memory?

My favorite OBU memory actually doesn’t come from student times. There were lots of great moments and there are plenty of regrets of missed opportunities for those days, but nothing commends itself as “favorite” from then.

To give you some context, I’m not really a person that answers “Where are you from?” well. I grew up an Air Force kid, and my freshman year at OBU my family moved from Arkansas to Georgia (and now they live in Louisiana). Home has always been wherever I’ve eaten the most dinners in the past month, and that’s not been bad.

After OBU, Ann and I moved a few times, trying to make it from this job to that one, following dreams and hopes. Like a good number of folks, we couldn’t wait to get out of Arkansas. Then, once we did, there was something missing.

2008 saw us living in Arkansas for the first time in 8 years. We had left a young married couple, and came back a young family of five. It felt good to be back in a state that we could shout “Woo!” in the midst of crowded places and not be lunatics.

That September, I had the opportunity to go the Pastor’s Conference at OBU. Officially, the Chesley and Elizabeth Pruet School of Christian Studies Pastor’s Conference would be the title, though I attended the “Department of Religion and Philosophy” when I was a student.

Walking on campus is the first real memory I have going somewhere and feeling like I was home. Not simply because of people---I’m always glad to see family and go where they are. But because where I was is a place that I feel like I’ll always belong.

Being back on campus that time 3 years ago is my favorite OBU memory. Professors remembered me, we had good conversations and good times.

But what I remember most, and best, about Ouachita is that it’s one place that I always feel like I belong. From the time we visited when my older sister was checking out colleges through the last time, and looking ahead to this year’s PSCS Pastor’s Conference and Homecoming.

The campus has changed. My old dorm was reduced to rubble, but I got a brick from it! Walt’s is gone, the bridge is gone, and Mitchell Auditorium is gone. Maddox and Anthony aren’t the new dorms anymore. I’ve gone from pitying the poor guys who stayed at OBU to work to envying them (including residence directors!)

My favorite OBU memory is just that: it’s the one place that always draws a memory of home.

But don’t worry, Mom. It’s not my memory of home-cookin’. That’s always going to be you :)

A positive happening in Baptist life...

A little over a year ago, a high school football team had traveled from one part of Arkansas to another for an away game. Like many other medium-sized town in Arkansas, Monticello had hotel rooms to stay in, but there wasn't meeting space large enough for 50 or more high school kids and their associated adult chaperones and coaches. Add in that football is a big deal, and there's not going to be much help forthcoming for a visiting team.

Well, one of the adults with this team was also the “unofficial” chaplain of the team. He sent out a message on Twitter that he was looking for a space to meet. That tweet was picked up by one of his friends, who happened to pass the info on to me. At the time, I was pastor of a church in Monticello. In fact, it was the church within rock-throwing distance of the hotel the team was staying at for the game. I made contact back with the team, and offered the use of the youth room in our church for their team to meet in, watch film, and do whatever they needed. Because it was a Thursday night and Ann was out with some friends, it took a little extra looping to get the keys to the church in the hands of the team.

Actually, it didn't take much looping. The football team was having dinner at the pizza restaurant that shared a parking lot with the restaurant Ann and another pastor's wife had gone to for dessert night. So, it was a quick walk across the parking lot and the problem was solved.

So, that night, the team used Calvary Baptist Church in Monticello, Arkansas. This was the first time nearly half the football team had ever been in a church. That's right. Ever been in a church. That night, and the next day, they got to look around and think it was a cool building and a cool room. They had the opportunity to hear their coach's testimony of his Christian faith. They had the opportunity to see nearly the closest thing small-town Arkansas has to “love your enemies” when their opposing team's supporters provided them meeting space.

How did it all come together? Like I said, a tweet went out from one person, and it bounced off of another. Well, here's a few other details: Doug, the team chaplain, sent a tweet. Mark, a mutual friend, saw it and forwarded it to me. I bounced it to Ann, who, knowing Mark and the first Doug helped with the project. How did we know each other? A little place called Ouachita Baptist University. Mark and I lived in the same dorm. Doug was there, and so was Ann. We majored in different things, but remembered each other, and had grown with a love for serving the Lord Jesus Christ together in our time there.

One other detail....Mark was in Singapore. Or China, or someplace in East Asia, because that's where he lives these days. So, one Doug helped another Doug in Southeast Arkansas, by way of East Asia, all because of a group of relationships that began with Ouachita Baptist University.

Why tell this story now? I was reminded of it when I ran into the other Doug this week at the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. I haven't seen him since school. I still haven't seen Mark. We were there, together, celebrating the work that Arkansas Baptists have been involved with together, and I remembered this story. I should have shared it then, but better late than never.

Doug