Finishing Well - Remembering Prof

Howard Hendricks' faith has become sight.  Christianity--and the world in general--have lost a towering figure whose impact during his lifetime is incalculable.  (Personally, the guy who taught me how to study Scripture in depth learned how to do that under Dr. Hendricks, or "Prof" as he was widely known.)

I had the great pleasure of hearing "Prof" speak a couple of times during our days on staff with Cru.  Just fantastic.  I remember him sharing his own story of coming to faith out of an unchurched background.  "Sunday School?  Why would I want to go to school on Sunday?" (in response to an invitation by a Sunday School teacher when Hendricks was a kid in Philly.)

I can both see and hear Prof speaking to a group of men.  "You need a Paul--an older guy who's building into your life.  You need a Barnabas--a soul brother at your same life stage.  And you need a Timothy--a younger man into whose life you're building."

And I can see him & hear his voice raised as he stepped from behind the podium while speaking to 5,000+ folks all in ministry.  He pointed at us & said, "You wanna know why I'm so fired up about accountability?  Because it's already hard enough for me to share my faith as it is; I can't have any more people like you crash morally."

Great sense of humor.  Amazing teaching.  Married for 66 years.  Taught at Dallas Theological Seminary for--get this--over 60 years.

To use an analogy from track, Howard Hendricks leaned into the tape.  As Paul told Timothy, he finished the race & kept the faith.  (2 Timothy 4)

O, that you would raise up men to follow in the footsteps of Dr. Howard Hendricks, Lord.  Raise us up like Prof to be faithful all the way to the finish line.  Make us faithful in our marriages, and in our teaching, and in our discipleship as Prof was.  Help us love our wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her as Prof did.  Make us men who love Scripture and who study it all the days of our lives as Prof did.  Make us think it a sin to make the Bible boring, as Prof said.  Show us not the many things we might do, but rather, focus us on the one thing we must do, as Prof taught us.  May our lives model 2 Timothy 2:2 just as Prof's life did.  And may we always be careful to give You the glory for whatever you choose to do with our lives.  Just like Prof.

R.I.P., Prof!  Thanks for blazing such a clear trail for us to follow.
Mike, your long-distance 2nd-generation student.