I’m sitting in the sound booth through the second session of our Advanced Conference listening to John speak. At some point my mind wanders…  I’m musing* about “teaching “and God nudges me asking, 

When did you enjoy teaching most?

Immediately it was the college level theology courses I regularly taught at my church in LA. I’m grinning ear to ear enjoying the memories of waxing eloquent on Christology, Anthropology, and Harmitology… I’d hand out my 70 page syllabus chock full of enticing insights, perspectives, implications… oh, and a ton of footnotes noting alternative views with their pros and cons,  rabbit trails, sources, exegetical notes  etc. etc…. I loved it. It was thorough authoritative clarity on the cardinal doctrines of the faith… full of footnotes.

And with big warm eyes and in the voice of a loving father God says, “Yeah… you were hiding”

Pause. Silence. My smirky smile shifting to a furrowed brow,  mouth open, questioning look.

“You loved it so much because you “found” validation there. Your syllabus and footnotes was all about you answering your question about having something to say…. Your syllabus was your God”

I remember while in seminary dreaming of getting a PhD. in theology. The “Queen of Sciences” as many refer to it.

Doctor Craig McConnell would undoubtedly/unquestionably/most surely have something to say. Right?

Wow… so 30+ years have passed since bone head greek and some of my best memories of teaching are being exposed as a godless quest for life… the abandonment of God and all He provides for the in-truth mousey affirmation of man. Footnotes! Footnotes were my broken cistern… my god, my mistress in hiding. I was feeling “it”… the shame of looking to footnotes over and instead of the self revealing, sovereign immutable, triune God ….

Great… so I’m speaking to 433 men in 8 hours and I’m marveling at the times and places God “shows” up to deal with some issue of our soul. And then again I’m not surprised at all. He’s always present… longing to be our God.

– Craig McConnell

*(I’ve always viewed myself as a “pastor teacher” loving the ongoing influence my life has upon those “sitting” under my tutelage over time. It’s been one of the things I’ve missed doing most over the last several years)