Inspire, Fall 2003

What’s Abuzz What a group we are! I am in the last year of my 40s, and I find myself asking, “How did I get to be this old? Where did the years go?” Some of you ask the same questions. And, some of you reading this consider the 40s to be young (if you remember correctly)! It seems like only yesterday we were teenagers looking at our 40-ish parents and wondering how they could sit up and take nourishment as old as they were. Now, we know they didn’t realize how old we thought they were. Those of you under 40 — stop smirking. You’ll be joining us before you know it. The passing of time possesses certain sadness. My college-age daughter will be gone for good soon. Sometimes when I look at her, I see her as a two-year-old, nestled in my arms as I rocked her for hours to help her get over her ear infections. My son looks me in the eye now when I’m standing up, not when I’m on my knees. The brevity of life is scary if you do not know Christ. Because of Him, every day has infinite value and every experience, good or bad in itself, is a part of God’s work in our lives to make us more like Him. But the passing of time also has a sense of anticipation. Today is one more day — but it is also one less day. We are one day closer to God’s ultimate promises. We know what God has planned for all of us in the future, and we have an eager expectation about the good times to come (I Corinthians 15:19, 50-58). This is one of the reasons I am in Christian higher education. Helping people learn the truth of God’s love and His plan for His creation is the only hope our world has. Cedarville University grads all around the world share this common legacy and a unique challenge — to celebrate the reality of the eternal Christ in a world of despair. Thanks for sharing in the legacy and the challenge. Together we bring light to the darkness. Those of you over 40 — you can put your hands down now. Bill Brown President 6 Fall 2003 President’s Pen Commencement Honors Cedarville University held its 107th commencement ceremony on May 10, with a record 667 students receiving degrees. Dr. Paul Dixon ’94H presided over commencement for the last time. In addition, Dr. Dixon presented a number of special awards: the President’s Trophy, the Faculty Scholarship Award, and a doctor of divinity degree. The President’s Trophy, the highest honor for a graduating senior, recognizes leadership, ministry, community and campus involvement, athletic performance, and academic achievement. The 2003 recipients of the President’s Trophy were Joel D. Estes (top), a preseminary Bible major from Worthington, Ohio, and Jyoti Philip (bottom), a chemistry major from Westwood, New Jersey. If you are over 40 years old, raise your hand.