I just finished a lecture and ran to chapel, planning to finish up my monthly Tribune article as soon as it was over. Rush, rush, rush. Checking things off my to-do list. Chapel was next. Then writing. Boom, boom, boom.

We prayed in chapel today. That's not unusual here at Boston Baptist College, but I thought about it in an unusual way today. Probably 10 or 12 students prayed aloud today — all prayers of praise, thanking the Lord for who He is and what He has done and is doing. We "banned" all requests for a couple of minutes at least and tried to say some things that needed to be said. Just giving credit where credit is due — to Jesus.

We sang today. Every song was Christo-centric. I know this is the age of music wars, so even mentioning songs gets some asking "Which ones?" But, after verbalizing biblically accurate prayer-praises, songs just sort of came. Date of composition never crossed my mind — text that glorifies the Name above every name, that's what we want. I'm not even sure what instruments were involved. It was all about Jesus Christ.

Then Duke Hergatt, one of our Boston trustees, preached. Duke is the founding pastor of Temple Baptist Church in Half Moon, New York. He was rescued from a life of sin by the Lord Jesus more than 30 years ago and he's never gotten over it. And when he preaches, the secret is out.

As Duke preached, he walked across the room, looked back from where he had started, and told us that soon all of us will do that. We will look back over where we have walked, and then come to the end of this life to stand in the presence of Jesus — face to face. My heart skipped a beat as I was reminded of that truth. I "cri-joiced" (my new word, a combination of cringed and rejoiced). I want to see Jesus. But I do not want to face His displeasure with my service for Him or lack thereof. We got a big reminder today about what living for Jesus and being in ministry really is. I took notes in my soul. Jesus was in chapel today.

I'm pretty sure that nothing like this happened anywhere else in Boston today. I would venture to say that it would be very hard to find the experience we had today very many places in the whole country. Our Bible colleges still have the "luxury" of being focused on Jesus. We don't have all the bells and whistles of major universities, but we can have an attention to the Savior that turns all else into "tinkling cymbal." How great is it to still have that, even in the midst of an emerging, post-modern, nobody-knows-which-way-is-up world? Nobody on this campus left that chapel today wondering "What really matters, anyway?" I am so thankful to the Lord, to you who underwrite this college, to those of you who pray, and to every member of the Boston family for making this a reality. Jesus absolutely goes to college. I saw Him on campus today.

Funny thing, for this month I planned to write about 14 reasons why it's hard to build a great Baptist college with a limited budget, in the Athens of the modern world, when there are so many cool opportunities to have disagreement, and you wonder sometimes if anybody cares anyway! It is pretty easy to focus on the challenge. And each day typically brings a new one or two. There is a part of me that really wants you to know that. And maybe there is even a time and place for me to tell you about the hills we need to climb and how you can help us. That's where I was headed.

But not today.

I trashed my old article in chapel this morning. I have a renewed dream. I want to help build a great 21st-century college that will be a catalyst for young people to live deeply in love with Jesus Christ. Here in Boston we want to educate passionate young leaders for Baptist churches, who will give their lives to work tirelessly for the Savior, who will think biblically in a spiritually-clueless world, who will demand purity of themselves even though we all must walk through a vile Satan-blinded world. We beg God to help us train men and women who will love more than trends, who are groupies of only One, who will be a spiritual family to each other, and who are willing to fight on the frontlines for Jesus — even if He is the only one who ever knows about their work. I want to pour "Duke sermons" into students and leave them with lifelong memories of praising the Savior in the Boyler Room on a rainy day. As Nehemiah once said, "We are doing a great work."

A funny thing happened on my way to the office today. I fell in love with this college again. This is something on the to-do list worth doing. It's all about Who we do this for.