Remembering Ken Neller

I just learned about the passing of a very dear friend of mine named Ken Neller. Dr. Neller was a New Testament professor at Harding University, and he had a profound impact on my life. As I understand it, he had a heart attack very suddenly today. It was completely unexpected, and quite a shock.

As I started thinking about our connections over the years, it really amazed me how many blessings I experienced because of him. I first had him as a freshman at Harding for advanced New Testament Survey. Later, when I was adjuncting for Harding, I would base my class point system on the one he used for us. He was always prepared, and was very clear about his expectations for us. He took time to answer questions, and a lot of our discussions in class have still continued to stick with me over the years. He was a fan of mnemonic devices...I'll never forget the story of him tackling Brian Brophy for the sake of giving the class something to remember. Nor will I ever forget in Greek that when dia occurs with the genetive case, it means "through", due to a rather awkward mnemonic tip he gave us. Dr. Neller was never afraid to talk about anything, even taboo subjects. This helped me to be more courageous as a teacher myself. Still today, when a hard question is posed, I think of how Dr. Neller never shied away from any topic, because he knew that Scripture speaks powerfully to real life issues and challenges. I knew from very early on that he was a person I could trust, because he never tried to hide anything. He was an honest person. He taught me that if I'm going to believe something, I should know why, and that my reasons should be good reasons.

He always had all of his classes over to his house each semester for an excellent meal (for which he readily gave much credit to his wife Barbara), and some fun out in the yard. I will also remember him for the way he made an effort every week to eat lunch in the cafeteria with the students. He wanted to sit with us and to make himself available to us however he could. He wanted to understand our needs and perspectives.

I loved him as a professor, and as I graduated and began my own work in ministry, I continued to appreciate him even more. He's continued over the years to be a true friend and encourager. Even as recently as a few months ago, when I faced a hard dilemma, he was one of a couple of people I contacted for good advice, with which he was quick to respond.

Every time I've been back on campus, if he's seen me, he's immediately come to ask how I'm doing, how my ministry is going, and how my "lovely wife" is. The last time I saw him was this year at the lectureship. I'm doubly thankful that I was able to go this year. He walked with me some around campus and caught me up on some of the good stuff he's been involved with. He never missed an opportunity to verbalize, "I'm really proud of all you're doing."

In terms of losing Dr. Neller, any time would have seemed too soon. I know I am just one person of many who could say so many good things about how Dr. Neller has blessed our lives. I'm sure that over the next few days, many others will share their stories, too. He was an excellent shepherd for the Downtown congregation in Searcy for many years. He truly gave his life one day at a time to the service of the Kingdom, and I'll miss him so much until I see him again.

I would not be who I am were it not for Ken Neller. With this post come prayers for his family, as they will miss him deeply. He's given them much to be proud of and many reasons to be comforted in his passing.

Being Interesting 09 - Try On Some Different Shoes

I think there may not be a better way to get a fresh take on a familiar story than to view it from a different person's perspective, walking in their shoes, so to speak. I think this is particularly true when trying to see things from the perspective of a person who is lower in social standing, such as women or slave characters. Rather than talk about Abraham's life through his eyes, have you ever considered it from Sarah's perspective?

Can you imagine being told by your husband:
"We're going to be moving."
"Where?"
"I don't know. God'll tell us when we get there."
"How long will it take?"
"I have no idea."
"But what's wrong with where we are?"
"Nothing. But God's telling us to move, so we're gonna move."

Or when traveling through a foreign land, "Hey, I'm not going to tell anyone I'm married to you. We're going to tell them you're my sister." Imagine the fear of being taken away from your family to the royal palace where who knows what you might be expected to do; particularly as your husband denies being married to you.

Or what about the day that your husband tells you he's going to take your precious only child to a mountain and kill him to "worship God." Abraham got the benefit of an angel to stop him, but don't forget that Sarah was still at home, waiting for his return, expecting he had just murdered their first child...if he even filled her in on the details before he left.

It is quite a different point of view!

I wanted to share as an example of this approach in a song by a college friend of mine named Matthew Wright (a.k.a. "Fiji"). He used to perform a lot around HU doing mostly Christian-oriented acoustic rock. It's written about Jesus from the perspective of a Roman soldier. I think there's no better way to experience it than to hear him sing it, but the words still speak powerfully. Matt was kind enough to share the lyrics with me so I could post them here.

I'm just a Roman Soldier walking up this hill
I remember him coming up towards me in such pain and agony
Such pain and agony
I nailed his hands into the Cross
I nailed his feet into the Cross
And every time I pounded he cried so loud

But He knew and He loved and He wanted you set free from the sin like a cage that binds you and me

But I'm just a Roman Soldier standing on this hill
I remember He forgave us all
He said, "Lord forgive them. They know not what they do."
He forgave us all
And then He died
I pierced His side
He had no pride
He did not hide from the fact that He loved us all
He loved us all

And He knew and He loved and He wanted you set free from the sin like a cage that binds you and me

But I'm just a Roman Soldier looking off this hill
I remember they took His body away
And they rolled a stone right over the grave
And I watched that grave for three days and nights
I watched that grave with all my might
And I don't know what happened
Don't ask me what happened
I know just one thing
One thing
He rose
He rolled the stone away
He rose to live another day

I want to believe in you oh God
I want to go where your feet have trod
Give me a strength that is so true
Are you really the King of the Jews?

You know and you love and you want to set me free from the sin like a cage that binds me

But hey, I'm just a Roman Soldier

Harding's New Oglesby Preaching Studio

Harding University has recently added a new state-of-the-art preaching studio. It is a decent sized room, set up much like a contemporary church auditorium. I have personally been really concerned with the shortage of preachers in churches of Christ, though I know the problem isn't unique to us. This new studio was paid for by the Waterview Church of Christ in Richardson, TX, and it is named the Oglesby Preaching Studio in honor of Robert K. Oglesby, a long time minister at their congregation. I appreciate Harding trying to place an emphasis on this important area. It's good to communicate that preaching is something that is cherished and is worth putting resources into. I also commend the Waterview congregation for making this needed area such a priority.

Here is a link to the news article.

Here are some pictures that my dear friend Bruce McLarty, VP of Spiritual Life, sent to me when I asked him about it:

Random Observations from the FHU Lectureship

I was able to go this year to the FHU lectureship. I got to see some friends that I haven't seen in a while, and got to visit with my grandparents. When you registered, they gave you a cool name tag and a small leather notepad holder with paper. As I heard several different speakers, rather than taking extensive notes this time, I would try to just jot down what I thought was something new or different than what I've heard before. In no order whatsoever, here are a few of the things I noticed:

Angels - Ralph Gilmore pointed out that in Scripture, though angels bring messages to humans, angels never do the preaching. Whether it be prophets, the apostles, or Christ himself, God has always preferred for men to teach men, and has entrusted us with the Gospel to spread. I thought that was empowering to know that we get to do what angels don't.

Knowing Christ - In general, Freed has a tendency to be labeled as a bunch of ultra-conservatives with closed ears and closed minds. Though there is an element of that present, that has not been my experience. Ralph Gilmore had a fantastic grace-oriented sermon on Sunday night to open the lectures. Several times during the week, I heard it affirmed how important it is that we seek to know and really love Christ, not just to get everything right. I think K.C. Moser would have been proud to see the "Man" of salvation emphasized at least as much as the "plan" of salvation.

Feet Washing - I had never thought before about how when Jesus washed his disciples feet, it was just a short amount of time before they'd be using those same clean feet to abandon him to the devices of wicked men.

Capital Punishment - In a discussion about capital punishment, it was mentioned that some pacifists will go to Exodus 20 saying, "Thou shalt not murder." But it's significant that in Exodus 21, there are 7 different circumstances given under which killing is appropriate. It reminded me of the importance of reading passages holistically rather than just as proof texts.

Is lying ever ok? - There was a prologued discussion about whether it could ever be appropriate for a Christian to lie. It was the classic old scenario about "what if you're in Germany, hiding Jews, and the Nazis come a knockin' on your door." Can you lie to protect people? Some insisted that even Rahab had not been dishonest, others insisted that sometimes there are levels of priorities where one has to be chosen as the lesser of two evils. I was not aware of the passage in I Samuel 16 where God tells Samuel to bring along a heifer with him and to say that he is going to sacrifice to God, when in reality he is planning to anoint a new king. It seems that God might have even been suggesting deception in this case.

My personal feelings are that this is a struggle between two different approaches to ethics. A deontological perspective will argue that actions are inherently wrong. A pacifist believes that violence is in and of itself wrong, and therefore cannot ever be an acceptable option. A teleological view says, "Do whatever is going to bring about the most good in the long run." People who hold these two different views will never be able to agree because their presuppositions are different, hence the discussion went on for way way way too long.

The problem with teleology is that you can end up saying, "The end justifies the means," which is terribly untrue. At the same time, I really believe that sometimes people get in situations where the only options are bad options, and if I catch someone trying to harm my family, though I'm committed to loving my neighbor, I'm just as committed to protecting my family, and would do so, feeling no remorse.

Head Coverings - This was part of the open forum where the questions came up about whether women should wear head coverings. I learned some things. (1) The Greek word used for what women should wear described a veil that covered the entire head and face. Women today who wear the little white thing on the top of their head, insisting on this continued practice, aren't actually practicing it in a way that is true to scripture. If women are to wear veils because of this passage, then we shouldn't be able to see their faces. Garland Elkins pointed out that John the Baptist was "Beheaded", not "Be-scalped." A head covering is a head covering.
(2) I got tickled at one man's comment that where in I Corinthians it says that it is sinful for a man to have his head covered, yet we have a lot of good brothers who wear toupees. :-)

General Characteristics of Bible Departments at FHU vs. HU - At Harding, I have been discouraged for some time at the low number of preaching or ministry majors that are being produced. Youth and Family ministry majors outnumber them 8 to 1. Most young people who want to be preachers seem to choose Freed. And honestly, I've met a lot of Freed graduates who have become excellent preachers and teachers. But as I've thought about the people I know from each place, it seems to me that both HU and FHU have different niches. Freed is probably turning out more people who go into preaching ministries, but I think Harding is doing a lot more producing of missionaries and church planters. I can hardly even count the number of people I know from Harding who are currently overseas, or who have moved to another part of the US to start new churches. Not that Harding doesn't produce preachers, or that Freed doesn't produce missionaries. I just think we're each doing really well in some different areas.

Reynolds Building Roof

I got this video from looking at Mark Elrod's blog. Wind storms went through Searcy. It took part of the roof off of the Reynolds Center. Some student happened to get it all on video.

HUTB

From the time I got to Harding, I always said, "Why do they have all these other restaurants on campus? Taco Bell would be perfect here, but I bet it will never happen."

Then for 4 years, I lived on the west side of town, and the closest Taco Bell was all the way over on the east side of town. And what happens as soon as I move away? BAM! Taco Bell. Now in Harding's Student Center. Lucky.

Back from Arkansas

Carolina and I went to Arkansas this last weekend. It was the closest thing we've had to a vacation since December, and it was much needed. I went there to perform a wedding for some of our friends from the church in Rose Bud. As far as I can tell, everything went smoothly.

In between wedding events, we made it a point to see as many people as we could. It's amazing how many friends you can make in one place. We made the rounds at Harding's campus, and went to as many people's houses as we had time to. Some we managed to see out in public, but only briefly. And of course, there were several people we didn't get to see. Hopefully, none of them will take it personally. There are only so many hours in a weekend.

I think the highlight of the weekend for both of us was getting to go to church again in Rose Bud. We have really missed everyone there. It was great to see that Phil Thompson is doing a good job there. (Not that I really doubted he would) The church is still strong and friendly. Attendance was good, so we got to see almost everyone. I think the most important people we got to see were Wayne and Ruby Davis. Wayne has Lou Gehrigs' disease. When I got to Rose Bud, Ruby's health was already not so good, but Wayne was pretty lively. He's a true cowboy. At this time, the disease has caused his muscles to deteriorate to the point that he can barely take a few steps, and has to use a wheelchair most of the time. He's kept an amazing attitude, and has been truly inspiring. Before we left Rose Bud, he asked me if I would do his funeral, and we talked about some of the details. In all likelihood, the next time I go to Arkansas may be for his funeral. He's ready to go whenever God calls him.

We went and had lunch with a crowd of Rose Bud people at the Rambler, and I sat next to Wayne. It was very special to me, because I'm aware that every time I see him might really be the last time. I really care a lot for him and his whole family, and I'm glad I had another opportunity to tell him so. He always lets me know that he thinks of Carolina and I like his children. In fact, most of the Rose Bud church views us that way. They take a lot of ownership in who we are, and they have every right to.

It was a visit that we had really needed to make. Things are going well for us in Nashville, and things are going well for our loved ones back in Arkansas. I see all of this and I know again that God is good.

S-E-A-R-C-Y

For some reason, rap seems to be the music of choice in describing Searcy, Arkansas. The lyrics in this video aren't as funny as Kodak and D'Lee, but I still find it entertaining.

Dr. Burks and ATE

For any of you Hardingites--especially those of you who were in Alpha Tau Epsilon like me--this is solid gold. I hate that I wasn't there in person for this. I've been actually shocked by how much I've been missing my social club. I have been around those guys for 8 years now. Friends came and graduated. I graduated and then became a club sponsor. My orange and black roots run pretty deep at this point. From a distance, I send my best regards to ATE...keep it going fellas!

That is Keith Hruska's (sp?) night stick that Dr. Burks is holding. Most of the guys in the club at this point have never even heard of Keith. I wonder whatever happened to that guy. He was a police officer. I don't know where he is now. I have so many good memories with these guys.

I Should So Be Getting Paid For This

I've been an avid blogger for some time now. I've had many friends who have started blogging, then fizzled out, then started, then fizzled, etc. I've remained pretty constant on here. I probably enjoy hearing myself talk too much.

At any rate, I was logging onto Harding's Pipeline to see what's happening in my online course for this semester, and--lo and behold--Harding is paying students to blog about Harding! I hope they give Mark Elrod and David Underwood pay increases, as I know of no one who blogs more about Harding than they do. I wish they would have started this a long time ago. I could use the tuition discount, and I do this anyway.

Vicente Fox at Harding

Last night, former Mexican President Vicente Fox came to speak at Harding. Carolina has been so excited about this for a long time. I can't mention all of the evening, but I'll hit some highlights:

It began with a reception where he was more than willing to pose for pictures. He was polite, and his wife Marta was extremely personable. We got a picture taken with them that should come to us in the mail soon. We went to a dinner where they handed out reserved seats for the speech. I was in the 5th row, dead center (hence the good pictures I was able to take).


Fox's speech was not the typical American Studies kind of speech. I think it was really good for this particular crowd to hear some new perspectives. I remember several years ago when Barbara Bush came, I was really disappointed with how she handled hard questions. She would get flustered and try to turn them back on the one asking.

Fox didn't shy away, in my opinion, from any hard issues. He spoke about his views of the war. Namely, that we should already be out of there and that the Iraqi's need to decide to learn to fly on their own. He spoke in fatherly language about helping your children be able to make it on their own. He also made it very clear that he thinks the UN should have been much more involved in handling Iraq. What I liked about him was that he didn't sound like the average anti-war person you encounter. He was very respectful and intelligent. Whether or not you agreed with him, he actually presented his reasoning instead of just blasting our administration.
In regard to immigrants, he portrayed a better picture of them than what I think most people here are used to. He spoke about how much money they are sending in to Mexico from their jobs here, which far exceeds any other source of revenue that Mexico has. He said that the fact that they are sending so much back says (1) they care a lot about their families and (2) they want to go home when they can. I thought he made a strong case for a visiting worker program. He said, "They didn't come all the way here to eat hamburgers and hot dogs, because in Mexico, we have delicious tacos!" He lamented that in Mexico, there is still such a need for more jobs. He was more than happy for Mexicans to go to other countries to fulfill their dreams, but he doesn't want hunger or unemployment to be the reason why they go.

Something I had not really considered is how many of our products that Mexicans buy. He pointed out the millions of jobs created in the US purely based on Mexican consumers. When I thought about it, it's really true. Carolina's dad won't drive anything but American vehicles (especially GM). There is American stuff all over the place down there. As much as many Americans like to think we are some kind of big sugar daddy who props everyone else up, we really do benefit a lot from Mexico, though probably not as much as they do from us.

He was asked several questions about the border, and he said in very strong terms that he is against building a wall. He referred to the Great Wall of China and how ineffective it was in keeping out the Mongols. He talked about President Reagan who stood by the Berlin Wall and said "Tear it down!" Walls are in opposition to the democratic spirit. He really understood the value of networking and cooperating. He warned about the danger of China's growing economy and how we should band together to make sure that in North America we will have a future.

He really had an appreciation for teaching Christian principles, and saw them as key for a democracy to function. Democracies cannot be strong when the people are ignorant. He explained several of the things they have done to try and increase education in Mexico, which he sees as key to having a more solid economy. It was touching to hear him describe how under his leadership, Christian ethical teaching has been brought into Mexican schools. He talked about what a shallow life it is when all you are educated on is simply facts without any moral basis. It made me sad that in my own country, we don't have this freedom anymore.

For someone who speaks English as a second language, I thought he made a great presentation. His intelligence and talents for leadership were very obvious, and I can see why people would follow him.

I have to brag, too, because as I type this, Carolina is with President Fox and his wife Marta. She is one of two representatives from Harding accompanying them to Little Rock, where they are getting a VIP tour of the Clinton Presidential Library, then lunch at the Peabody down town. They're riding together in the Harding Security SUV. Not many people can say that they got to hang out all day with the President. I'm hoping she'll get me some good pictures to put up. She has been beaming ever since earlier this week when she found out that she would get to do this.