Briercrest

Does God use places? Well, he uses people and he uses events. Like a shepherd, God gathers his people. Once gathered, God’s people engage in Spirit-prompted action and interaction. Suddenly, things happen. Wonderful life-changing things. Events about which we find ourselves saying “this is a God thing.”

So if these “God-things” are the events that change us, and if these events are simply God’s people in action, and if these actions are Spirit-prompted, and if the Spirit-prompting happens when we are gathered, and if we are gathered because God has gathered us in certain places, then I’ll say yes, God uses places.

Maybe certain places have such a concentration of God’s people engaged in Spirit-prompted action, that the place becomes a “hot spot” of changed lives. For me, Briercrest College and Seminary is one of God’s hot spots. Here are the “God things” that have happened to me at Briercrest.

The Bible became part of my life at Briercrest. When I was a Briercrest student from 1978 to 1981, three of my teachers were Dr. Henry Hildebrand, Dr. Henry Budd, and Mr. Orville Swenson. The strongest lasting impact of those three men was the unshakeable biblical basis for what we believe and how we are to live. Years later as I worked on my Doctrinal Statement for ordination in the Baptist General Conference, I had earned a Master of Divinity degree at another school, but found myself continually remembering my theological foundation established at Briercrest: never let go of the authority of Scripture.

The Great Commission became part of my life at Briercrest. World missions was the air we breathed. We heard from at least one missionary each week in chapel, and there was a strong “Student Missions Fellowship” program that we were all to have at least a minimal involvement in. Some of us jumped in with both feet. In my second year I led the “Africa Prayer Band” which was a weekly gathering of students who wanted to pray for Africa. There were 6 or 7 other prayer bands focused on other regions. We students covered the whole world in prayer every week. For my entire adult life, I’ve had a strong sense of accountability to the task of making disciples of all nations. That started at Briercrest.

Ministry became part of my life at Briercrest. My leadership in the Africa Prayer Band was hugely formative. The following year I was asked to coordinate the entire prayer band program. Other ministries that were part of my Briercrest years included children’s Bible clubs, a witnessing group, helping with a Youth Quake missions session, teaching Sunday School to college students, my first preaching experiences, and one summer of involvement in an inner city multi-racial church. I searched for and tested my spiritual gifts at Briercrest.

Anne became part of my life at Briercrest. In our second year, when I led the Africa Prayer Band, Anne was our guitar player. During that year, Anne and I grew from teammates to friends to a “couple.” The next year was our senior year, and the year after graduation we got married. After seminary in Minnesota, a stint as a health care chaplain, and pastoring a church in Maine, the Paulson family came back to Briercrest in 2003 so I could work on a Master’s degree in Old Testament. Since 2004 I have had the privilege of serving as a “Faculty Adviser” (part teaching; part advising). Anne is the manager of the Briercrest Bookstore. We love our life among Briercrest students.

Each of our three sons has seen their Caronport experience become a “God thing.” Steve and his wife Kara found each other here, and are currently blessing both sets of grandparents by living in Caronport with baby Ella. Mike has found his way to the University of Waterloo through the influence of his good Caronport buddy Chris (and in Waterloo God is doing very good things in Mike’s life). Eric is going into grade 12 and has found a niche in which he can thrive—the arts—thanks to faculty and friends at Caronport High School.

God gathers his people, God’s people engage in Spirit-prompted action, and things happen that can only be called “God things.” God uses people and events in the places to which he calls us. He has profoundly used Briercrest in the lives of the Paulson family.