You crown the year with your
bounty; your wagon tracks overflow
with abundance. Psalm 65:11
I deeply appreciate the imagery of this verse which so beautifully depicts God's goodness to us. The whole psalm is a praise song to God, and this line pictures the culmination of a year being crowned and then looking back to see that the wagon tracks all along the way have been overflowing such that they simply spill out on the path.
Often, we use birthdays, a new year and anniversary celebrations to remember and reflect. I've been doing that a good bit since Feb. 10, the date 10 years ago I was named the 16th president of 黑料论坛.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. Psalm 16:6
King David recognizes in this psalm a realization of how gracious the Lord has been to him throughout his life. We know there were difficult moments and challenging seasons for David, just as there have been for each of us these past 10 years. Still, we acknowledge the lines have fallen for us in pleasant places — God has provided for us in every way. And, in his goodness, one of the most important ways he provides for us is people to share life with.
A few people I'm thankful for over these years include...
Susie, my wife and our amazing first lady at Union. Proverbs 18:22 reminds us, "He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord." That is certainly true. Thank you for loving me. It is true that lives of significant service and leadership depend upon lives of support. Simply, I could not carry these responsibilities without you. I thank God for his favor upon my life through you.
Callie ('17 and '24), our daughter, and Zach ('19), our son-in-law. I'm so proud of you! Thank you for making me a Union dad, for faithfully living out God's call on your lives and for your constant love. And, for giving us Betsy (future class of 2041), Oliver (future class of 2043) and Henry (future class of 2046).
The Executive Council at Union (Bryan Carrier, Dan Griffin, Catherine Kwasigroh, John Netland, Rick Taphorn and Ray Van Neste). Each, in their own right, is incredible, and even more so as a team seeking to advance Union. Thank you for your partnership in advancing our Christ-centered mission. Union has been and is blessed with excellent leadership. We thank God for that.
The Board of Trustees, and especially the Board chairs (Norm Hill, Lisa Rogers, Chad Wilson, Robyn Hari and Jeff Perkins), with whom I have served. Proverbs 15:22 couldn't be more true — "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed." Union trustees' good, godly and wise counsel mean the world to me personally and to Union as an institution.
Students! Goodness, I am so so grateful for you! Thank you for sharing life with me over these years, for letting me be a part of your journey and for spurring me on to love and good deeds. You have been a tremendous blessing in my life and to us at Union. There have been 9,984 degrees awarded during these 10 years, each a precious life. I am overwhelmingly grateful for these lives and what they will do to touch and shape the lives of others through the years.
Protinus! Let's press on in the days and years ahead. May we be faithful stewards of all that Union has become, and may it always be a place where students are in the process of discovering God's purposes for their lives. Help us to always remember, Lord, that the purpose of our work is to bring you glory.
With immeasurable joy,
Samuel W. "Dub" Oliver, Ph.D.
