by David Melton
I like pictures. Around my office I have all kinds. My son, Samuel, did a sketch of our family when he was about six years old … I am tall and thin. I like that picture! On the mantle is a picture of our whole family with the 2004 World Series trophy. The digital frame on my desk has a rotating collection of my family — Christmas morning, summer vacation, silly shots.
Pictures are the greatest. They can freeze a memory in time and save it for when you want to see it again. But we can also use pictures another way. We can picture what is not yet but what we hope to do. On cold New England winter days, sometimes I picture myself in a warm climate.
Well, picture what we are doing in Boston. A new generation of church leaders is needed — church leaders for Baptist churches like ours. “Like ours” is dicey for some, but from my perspective, “us” are the ones who pay the bills and do the work. So I picture preparing leaders who can jump in and help our existing churches and start more. It is hard to picture more important work than that!
Picture Boston. Picture students who understand and love Baptist distinctives. I picture the student who just emailed me to request a term paper topic that contrasts baptism with Jewish ceremonial washings. That’s one worth framing!
Picture Boston. Picture students who sat in class this morning discussing back and forth why differences in the synoptic Gospels aren’t a sign of weakness — challenging the notions of liberal theologians we have studied together.
Picture students who can truly think biblically, who don’t have to wait for a book review to figure out the textual deficiencies of some of the “cool” personalities who profess “Christiosity.” Picture young leaders who can spot truth AND error!
Picture the student who came to see me in the last hour, downright “gushy” to show me her 1863 edition of a Baptist history work — I know some of you don’t see how that is possible, but this picture is not imaginary. Students want heroes. They grasp and respect courage and conviction.
I am looking around my office again. My dad and mom look down at me from a picture. Three Boston students on camels from our Middle Eastern study trip grin at me from across the desktop. Behind me is a picture from the Roman catacombs where 22 of us crammed into one picture after we sang “Amazing Grace” where second-century Christians worshipped.
I have pictures of the highlights of my life, the treasures I have known. But my mind has pictures of highlights yet to come. Boston Baptist College of tomorrow is about as real to me as the photo of my boy, Matthew, driving a boat wearing sunglasses that are way too big. Good times. Good pictures. Good future.