One Year of Study Stands Out As The Best...It was 2007, I was working in a rail-yard by night and was just about to wrap up my undergraduate work by day. While I was excited to earn my degree I was feeling a little less than certain that my bible college studies were as rigorous as they might have been. Don’t get me wrong! My studies benefitted me greatly… it was just… well… I felt like I needed more.... particularly in the way of preaching instruction. If my memory serves me right my degree program (which was billed as being “ideal for those considering pastoral ministry”) contained less than 3 credit hours of preaching instruction.
 Hitting "The Book." Cornhill students studying to show themselves approved... yep... that's me, bottom left. Through a series of amazing events (far too intricate to go into at the moment, though I should probably write of them in the future) I stumbled upon a fledgling college in Glasgow, Scotland called Cornhill, whose purpose statement read: “Our aim is to train men to preach.” After prayerful discussion with my wife, and after taking into consideration the needs of our children (we only had 3 children at the time, the youngest of whom was only 5 months) we decided that I should apply to the school. I was accepted the following month, quit my job two weeks after that, cashed in my retirement account (such as it was), and boarded a plane with my wife and children to live and study in Scotland for the next year. It proved to be a great year for us! In terms of its mechanics, I soon discovered that the Cornhill Training Course offered a unique blend of biblical education that was helpful, practical, casual, and yet rigorous. At the end of my academic year I emerged with a better grasp of the bible, a more well-rounded understanding of the practice of preaching, and a deeper conviction about the power & place of God's Word in the local church. These are things that continue to shape my ministry today. Between 2004 & 2014 I studied more-or-less continually at a number of colleges and seminaries either as a fulltime or part-time student before eventually going on to earn a Master of Theology degree in Christian Education. While the Lord was faithful to use this entire decade of study to help me develop and mature into the minister and preacher He called me to be, I can nevertheless say in retrospect that my time at Cornhill Scotland was far and away the best and most beneficial year out of the entire decade!  A Gaggle of Cornhillers - circa 2007 AD I write this post today for the following reasons... Dr. W.J.U. Philip, Dr. Robert Fyall, and the Very Reverend Edward Lobb, three of the finest Bible teachers around 1) To thank the Lord for his providential directing of my path! My call to ministry & my theological education came about in a very unconventional manner. But even so, our Triune God directed my steps all along the way for His glory and for my good. 2) I am prayerfully expectant that someone – perhaps a "someone" in a position not unlike the position I was in all those years ago – might be introduced to Cornhill through my blog. Perhaps the Lord will lead him to study on the course... I would highly recommend it. 3) I want to express a public (and too long neglected) word of thanks to my main teachers at Cornhill - namely, Edward Lobb, Willie Philip, and Bob Fyall who were and are very faithful handlers of God's Word. Even as I write this I am reminded of Sir Isaac Newton's remark that if he was ever able to do great things it was only because he stood on the shoulders of giants – brothers, thank you for your willingness to hoist a young American novice up onto your shoulders. In my experience you have been and you will remain, much beloved giants. STILL WANT MORE? |
Rev. R Crabtree"...a son, a husband, a father of 6, a friend, a Presbyterian Archives
November 2022
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