The President's Circle

Everything in the Window …

Nothing on the Shelves! 

(download the President's Circle as a PDF here)

Have you gone “window shopping” lately? This works well in enclosed malls. The climate is just right, the stores are close together, and there is no reason to rush. Conditions for browsing are perfect.

However, “window shopping” has entered the American church. In a deep desire to connect with the culture and the demands of people, much is showcased to attract a first and second look. No doubt, excellence must be the Christian’s pursuit. However, the question comes: How far do we go in meeting the itching and expectations of the world as the foundational provision of attracting women, men, boys and girls to the Person of Jesus Christ?

Look at what was written in 1953:

“Many a Christian, many a church has everything in the showcase and nothing on the shelves. The customers come in, but everything is in the window. We have nothing in stock, no spiritual reserves, no divine supplies, no bread from heaven.”

Day by Day Devotional

Very prophetical, don’t you think?

What is on your shelves? When the hurricanes of demands, responsibilities, and obligations strike, do you have the supplies to meet the challenge? Is there a sense that you have the capacity to meet the challenge with “Divine Resources?” Is there a resident strength to handle adversity, trouble or trials with emotional and spiritual strength? Billy Graham quotes A. B. Simpson’s discovery in a devotional he wrote years ago:

“As Peter Marshall once put it, ‘God will not permit any troubles to come upon us, unless He has a specific plan by which great blessing can come out of the difficulty. It is through the suffering, the tests and trials of life, that we can draw near to God.’ A. B. Simpson once heard a man say something he never forgot: ‘When God tests you, it is a good time for you to test Him, by putting His promises to the proof, and claiming from Him just as much as your trials have rendered necessary.’”

As Christians, let us be bold in the “claiming!”

However, many times as Christians, we are not saving up for the “rainy day.” We do not journal. We do not write things down. We do not remember. We do not underline our Bibles. (Thank the Lord, there is the capacity for highlighting on the electronic versions.) We do not read as we should. Yet, there is a showcase, but nothing is on the “shelves of our lives” to be used at an instant’s notice.

Do you feel like the crowd in Acts 2 when they finished hearing Peter’s speech: “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

First, Go for the “Substance!” That is, go for the reading, the thinking, the depth of the Word of God. Meditate on Scripture and write it out! Watch what happens!

Second, Trust the Spirit of God to teach you from the Word of God! Have paper and pen handy. Write your impressions, your thoughts, and your ideas. Trace them together and see the work of God in your life.

Third, Look for an opportunity to share what you have found. Pray for that opportunity. Giving it out helps you get it in! Giving out helps you to get more! As one writer stated: “We are dispensers, not depositories.”

Fourth, Stock Up! Plan for the rainy day! Have your Scripture ready! But, make sure it is “dusted off,” fresh, and empowered for use! Make sure it is clothed with the “blessing and anointing of the Lord” through the power of the Holy Spirit!

Next time you see shelves in a store, how are they stocked? Do you like it or not? More importantly, do they look like your shelves – good or bad?

The Happenings …

▪ Over 70 attended the Spring Campus Preview. Prospective students along with parents, advisors, and supporters, as well as guests from the community, enjoyed a day of teaching, fellowship, eating, and planning. A wonderful lunch was enjoyed under the “Big Tent!” Dr. Eric Bargerhuff was the chapel speaker. He received his PhD in Biblical and Systematic Theology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. Faculty members met with students who are considering Trinity College of Florida.

▪ Rev. Greg Johnson, lead pastor of Generations Christian Church, 1540 Little Rd, Trinity, Florida, will be our speaker for the 2013 Commencement ceremony. He served as a missionary in Kenya prior to coming to this congregation in 2001. Graduation will take place at this church on Saturday, May 11, 2013 at 10:00am.

▪ Trinity’s 2013 Annual Banquet, The Family Together, Stronger, is only a few days away! We will be celebrating 80 years of Biblical teaching. The time and place for this “Great Birthday Party” is Friday, May 10, 2013, 6:30pm, at the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Florida. There is still room for you and your family. Click here for the 2013 Celebration Banquet. The Annie Moses Band will be in concert, along with so many festivities, even a time capsule!  Come watch one of our alumni couples blow out the candles of our special birthday cake!

▪ The fundraising goal this year is $200,000 for the Life-Change Scholarship for students who qualify for need. Come for the evening with expectant hearts as God meets this need!

▪ A dinner cruise for students is scheduled for May 3^rd and departs from Clearwater, FL.   

▪ The President’s Council met on April 12, 2013 on campus. This advisory group of Christian leaders from education, the business world, and the church meets every six months to encourage, energize, and provide insight for administration and trustees. Many projects have been undertaken, amounting to over $260,000 in gifts last year.

▪ The Senior Awards Chapel was held on April 24^th. Kevin Dunn, a graduating senior majoring in Pastoral Ministries, preached on the theme that God is not just a subject to be studied, but a Father to be worshipped.

▪ Funds for the online program, chapel renovations, and scholarships have been received this year! This amounts to almost $100,000 in contributions, in addition to private support of personnel for the College outside the budget. Our deepest appreciation and gratitude go to the donors for these sacrificial efforts for the development of Trinity College of Florida’s educational offerings and experience.

Real Needs of the College …

▪ Pray for a comprehensive software package for all departments. This will save hundreds of “man hours” providing data needed by every department of the College. Cost can vary from tens of thousands of dollars to over $100,000. Pray for wisdom and resources for this very important component to enrollment and online activities.

▪ Pray for the Board of Trustees meeting and the Annual Banquet on May 10, 2013.

▪ Pray for the admissions efforts of both the Traditional and Degree Completion programs.

▪ Pray for the camp ministries this summer led by Trinity College of Florida personnel. This is also another recruiting effort by Admissions.

“From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that man would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him though he Is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being …”

A Major Truth from Paul’s Message to the Athenians

Serving with you,