To God be the glory, I graduated from Colorado Christian University!!

Today I graduated from Colorado Christian University!  I now have a second B.A. in Youth Ministry, and I give thanks to God!

   Boy, in this world, going for dreams requires much sacrifice, yet being obedient to God, going by His loving guidance, encouragement, and help, results in goodness.

   This accomplishment is a dream come true!
   CCU is a great university, and graduating summa cum laude is due to God enabling me to persevere during the smooth times as well as the rough times.  I have a passion for learning about God, and I went all out in my studies at CCU!  I gave it my all!  In four and a half years as a part-time student, I think I only missed 3 classes, though it may have been four.  Giving it my all, I could not go another semester, yet on the flip side, I feel totally ready to teach Bible.  I only was able to do what I did because of God.

   It has been one of the best and most unique things I have done.  Many may wonder why I would go for a second B.A. rather than go to seminary considering that my B.A. and grades at Virginia Tech could have gotten me into most seminaries in the U.S.  My answer is, "Do you want the long story or the short story?"  The short story is that CCU is where I wanted to go, thanks to my mentor Dr. David Beckman.  Then I had God's unique affirmation, the primary time being, of all places, during my lunch period at my part-time job.  The other time was when I was frustrated once during the second semester of my first year, and standing in a corner of my room praying.  If God encourages you to do something, I have learned to do it even if it seems a little crazy.  I know I had God's blessing by studying at CCU!

   CCU is academically challenging.  In the course of my studies over four and a half years, I wrote 187 pages worth of papers, not counting bibliography pages and cover pages obviously.  There were countless sacrifices.  For Thanksgiving my first year, after three days of distributing flyers in a Denver neighborhood that week to make some needed money, I spent the bulk of Thanksgiving Day working on a history paper.  (Or that may have been my second year, and the work was on a Western Civilization paper.  I was really tired when I wrote this, and I do not remember now.)  Then there was my birthday which is always near final exam time.  My first year, I spent much of my birthday working on a fifteen page paper for my Biblical Interpretation class.

   Colorado Christian University is a special school, an inter-denominational university, which is rare for an evangelical university.  In retrospect, how incredible there are students and professors from a vast variety of denominations and doctrinal convictions, all learning together at the same college.  Being inter-denominational obviously has it challenges.  Student and professor convictions were across the spectrum.  For example, one professor, who I like, who is no longer teaching undergrad at CCU, taught that the Biblical book of Jonah is fictional, (the only such book of the Bible), meant to be a biblical parable.  That is one example of some of the variety of teaching you have at CCU.  I add that I spoke up with my reason as to why Jonah is not a fictional book.

   I had some disagreements with some of the professors over the course of my time there, but the key about CCU is that almost all professors allow all students in class to give his or her opinion.  I think this is an enriching forum for good inter-denominational teaching, more so, that is an enriching forum for education.  To allow open discussion fosters learning for those who genuinely seek the truth.
   I have heard of Christian colleges and seminaries where students are not permitted to discuss disagreements in class.  I would never recommend such colleges, since there is a difference between preaching and teaching.  Teaching needs to involve discussion, and there needs to be the acceptance, even by professors, that not everyone is going to agree.  The "open" method at CCU, the fact that CCU is overall an evangelical university, and the fact that CCU has many extremely special people as a part of that family, is a reason I am a supporter of CCU!

   (I add here, after writing and posting this on a day where I was extremely tired, that I look back on my time at CCU and realize that I gained a great education.  Granted much of that was because I was engaged in the entire learning process.  Yet it was also due to some extraordinary classes.

   My favorite class was my New Testament survey class, yet there were so many other quality classes.  And the biggest surprise: I think the class of which I benefited the most from the teaching was "Research Writing" taught by Dr. Windy Petrie.  Looking back, my writing has been vastly improved by some simple basic lessons taught by Dr. Petrie at the beginning of that semester.)

   And the outstanding moral standards exemplified at CCU are not for the sake of showing off.  CCU moral standards are about living a life that is good, resulting in more and more love poured out for God and for other people.  Sin blocks love.  Living God's way results living by true love.  We people at CCU are human, yet the advocation at CCU of living by the teachings of Jesus are embraced, and the love of God is flowing at CCU.

   I love students at CCU!  I thank Jesus for enabling me to be a loving big brother-in-Christ with numerous students, the most important thing for me at CCU.

   Seriously, this was one hope of mine as I planned to be a new student, though old student, at CCU: I wanted to be a supportive big brother-in-Christ to at least one student in some special way.  I was, in unique ways, to several students.  It was God who put me in a special position to be a big brother!

   Even on the second day of classes, there was a freshman who was perplexed about something discussed in a class, maybe even disturbed.  I had the opportunity to comfort her with an explanation and encourage her.  That would be the first of many opportunities to assist my fellow students as someone who has followed Jesus for over twenty years by His mercy and grace.

   One huge blessing at CCU was my job in the CCU library for three years and four months.  I liked working in the library in a big way, because I liked helping students, and I liked seeing the oodles of cool Biblical books we have.  Granted I have my weaknesses.  On my first day on the job at the library, I was told to quiet down.  For those of you who know me, I am not a quiet person.  I honestly have trouble lowering my voice.  Fortunately I got quieter with time, since I was getting older with time.  I also socialized a bit too much, yet on the whole, I worked darn hard in that job, and I miss serving students already.  And I am thankful to the Director of the CCU Library, Gayle, who gave me a huge compliment at our Christmas party, saying I was the pinnacle of giving service to students.  Also the going away gift, a CCU blanket, is great and useful.
   Then there was my tutoring job.  The privilege of tutoring students for New Testament and Old Testament general education classes for one year was one of the most blessed activities of my life.  I only did it for one year, since I could not give my all to my course work and to the tutoring.  Yet it was an incredible CCU experience.  Supporting students in a manner which fit my passion was awesome, and I thank each student who worked with me to learn more about the Bible.

   I have worked a number of jobs in my life, and they all have one thing in common: they were short term.  I am thankful God opened the door, and helped me all along, so that I am now a graduate of Colorado Christian University.  This positions me for a career.  The difference between a job and a career is that a career is long term.  And a career needs to fit you in some unique way in order to be fulfilling.  And I am thankful that because of my calling from Jesus, my career is rooted in a calling, which is possible for all followers of Jesus.

   There were challenges being an older student at CCU that I would never have imagined.  And being 41 when I started at CCU, it was a social challenge simply being back in college.  Yet God used the unique circumstance for good, and I learned much about even my own flaws and the need to improve.  And having the dream of doing vocational ministry work, and the dream of being married one day, I have confidence that my CCU education will contribute to both of those dreams, even after such a long wait.

   And then there is a statistic I will never forget.  In four and a half years at CCU, I went on one date.  Good thing it was a nice date.  It did not go romantic between us; there was not even a second date, but she is still a dear friend.  I am thankful for a compliment she gave me at a later time, which was one of the nicest things anyone has ever said about me.  She is a special woman.  I will not embarrass her by giving her name, but she can smash a volleyball.

  I have to add I think it is great so many students get engaged at CCU.  When I was in college the first time, I never knew anyone to get engaged before graduation.  To see so many students at CCU who are mature enough and godly enough to get married at what I consider such a young age was encouraging to me.

   I want to thank every single person who supported me on this challenging journey!  I give a special thanks to those who supported me all along, and I was thankful I took the opportunity to personally name them in my Christmas letter.  And I am grateful to those who came last night to the graduation banquet: my mom, sister Holly, Becky, and Dave.

   Today after my last final exam, I went out to the edge of the duck pond and cried!  Then I gave God the glory for enabling me to flourish at CCU.  Then I knelt and prayed.

   After my time beside the duck pond, I went to the classroom where I had my second class at CCU, starting on Monday morning, August 25, 2008.  (Ironically, that class my first semester, New Testament Introduction, was my favorite class of my entire time at CCU, though I had a number of other incredible classes.)  I sat in the exact chair where I sat for the whole semester.  Then going to the class where I had my first class at 8:00 am that same Monday morning, a great history class, I sat down in my same seat and said the Lord's Prayer.  It was an incredible time of acknowledging the finish.

   For my success at Colorado Christian University, I say, "To God be the glory!!!"

Hunter

[Picture from the fantastic spring CCU graduation, which I attended, after having graduated mid-year!  A happy alumnus!!]

Please note: I edited this piece on two different occasions after posting it.  I was so tired out that Thursday evening, I do not know how I even was able to write this.  It shows how excited I was.

   Back to how exhausted I was, the mid-semester graduation banquet was Wednesday the 19th.  Then Thursday the 20th, I had my last final exam.  Though drained, against all odds, I aced it.  Quite rare.

   Honestly, looking back, succeeding at CCU was against all odds for me, and I remain thankful for God's help!

I add the link to my new beloved second Alma mater.
www.ccu.edu