Lent 2018 - Gratitude Diary, Day 18

When I was near graduation at Southwestern College in Winfield, KS I had decided I was going to seminary. I talked to Rev. Richard Ziglar at my home congregation, First Christian Church in Tulsa, and he said that he would suggest I apply and go to Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University.

Dr. D. Newell Williams was the Dean of the Seminary at the time and FCC Tulsa was his home congregation. Dr. Ron Flowers taught religion on the undergrad side at TCU and his home congregation was FCC Tulsa.

Against good advice I made only one campus visit and applied for only one grad school: TCU. Thank goodness I was accepted.

I entered Brite Divinity School in August, 1981. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for Newell Williams, Jim Duke, Bill Countryman, Cy Rowell, Bill Baird, Howard Stone and Toni Craven. I got a first class, top-rated, education at Brite. You couldn't convince me that I would have had any better at Princeton, Harvard or Yale. I mean, Brite just plain rocked.

Robert Carr Chapel, Brite Divinity School, Texas Christian University

I was also fortunate enough along the way to be roommates with Rev. Doug Pfeiffer and Rev. Greg Lombard Rea -- our denomination does not have any finer ministers than they.

I was at Brite for 3.5 years during which time I attended lots of TCU basketball rooting for Killer's Frogs and booing Phi Slamma Jamma. I also went to a lot of football games and was a Wacker Backer. I played intramural football. I learned. I loved and lost. I survived. I made amazing lifelong friends.

Coach Killingsworth with a young Jamie Dixon, now head coach at TCU

The experience at Brite and TCU was foundational to who I have been theologically, and helped me immensely in pastoring. The things I have done well I learned from experienced and intelligent professors. The things I have done poorly, they warned me against.

I graduated in December 1984 and was ordained on December 30 of that year at FCC Tulsa. I am unbelievably grateful for all my classmates, roommates, professors and the school itself. I wish everybody could be a Horned Frog.

I preached my senior sermon in Robert Carr Chapel and in 1985 I officiated my first wedding after ordination, of my lifelong friends, Charlie and Cathy Daniels.

Cathy and Charlie Daniels, and me. June, 1985 at Robert Carr Chapel, TCU

Grateful barely begins to describe how I feel about TCU.

Peace and Love,
Jerry