It is with great sadness that we report to you that our beloved chancellor emeritus, Dr. John F. Walvoord, died on December 20, 2002. He was 92 years old.

John F. Walvoord, theologian, writer, teacher, and former Seminary president, was born on May 1, 1910, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, where his parents, John and Mary, were members of First Presbyterian Church.

In 1931, Dr. Walvoord received his undergraduate degree with honors from Wheaton College. He graduated from DTS with a Bachelor and Master of Theology in 1934, and hoped to go to China as a missionary. As he began his doctoral studies later that year, he was called as pastor to the Rosen Heights Presbyterian Church in Fort Worth, where he served for sixteen years.

In 1936 he was asked to temporarily fill the position of registrar at the Seminary, and in a short time he did much to organize and structure the office.

He married Geraldine Delores Lundgren in her hometown of Geneva, Illinois, on June 28, 1939. She became Dr. Walvoord’s lifetime partner in ministry. He and Geraldine had four sons: John, James, Timothy, and Paul.

In 1945, he was asked to assume the role of assistant to the president, a position he held until the death of Dr. Chafer seven years later. On February 6, 1953, John F. Walvoord was inaugurated as the second president of Dallas Theological Seminary.

Dr. Walvoord was a member of the DTS faculty from 1936 to 1986. He served as president and professor of Systematic Theology from 1952 to 1986. He then served as chancellor until 2001, when he became chancellor emeritus.

Dr. Walvoord authored thirty books, including “The Holy Spirit,” “The Millennial Kingdom,” and “Armageddon, Oil and the Middle East Crisis” (which sold two million copies in sixteen languages). He also contributed to twenty- seven other books on biblical theology and the Christian faith.

His son Timothy precedes him in death. Survivors include his wife, Geraldine; sons John, Paul, and James; and two granddaughters, Currin and Allison.

By Wayne Wright

Everyone loves a party! Throw into the mix the biggest football event of the year and over 110 people and you have the makings of the best BASH you’ll ever experience.

This years event was unbelievable. Anthony Marino, with the help of his wife Carey put together a buffet table that was “to die for.” The centerpiece was a roasted pig, with all the trimmings, lots of salads, spicy beans and sausage on a bun. I don’t think there was anyone who didn’t roll out of the gym totally and completely fed up!

Besides a great football game to watch on a MEGA screen, the evening was interspersed with winning lots of prizes. We had a number of great donations from area businesses and individuals, the highlight being a DVD player that went as the grand prize.

Besides all the fun and food and football, our purpose for the party was to invite our family, friends and neighbors to come together to watch a 15 minute video at half-time. The video was a clear presentation of God’s impact on three professional football players lives. They clearly communicated how He has given them direction and purpose for living that goes far beyond the football field. Pray with us, that seeds were planted in receptive hearts and that they might find nourishment in order to take root.

God is so great, to be able to use a football game to reach those who are searching.

You see, it’s not about the quality of the program (although that is important), it’s not about the information we try to teach, and it’s not about schedules or toys. The bottom line is showing love to these kids. They catch a small glimpse of God’s love for them every week in the welcoming smiles, hugs and genuine care that they receive from our volunteers.

Again, I think of specific children… some who have had to stop coming to Adventure Club because their families do not approve. But it’s amazing to us to see these kids come to the church more than an hour before Adventure Club starts, supposedly on their way “to the library.” They come to talk, to play basketball, and just to hear the voice of someone who calls them by name and is excited to see them. Even though they may not be able to attend the Club, their lives are still being touched by loving relationships.

A recent review of our Adventure Club statistics confirmed a very exciting change in our mid-week program: 80% of the children who come (or have come) to Adventure Club are non-Philpott children. Even more exciting, about 60% of the kids are from non-Christian families. What an exciting opportunity to touch these lives with God’s love. Some of them come from wonderful families and are well cared for, but the love of God is so much greater than anything they have ever experienced and so they are drawn back to hear more.

As you think of it, please pray for our Adventure Club volunteers - they are the tangible instruments of God’s love to these kids. How humbling that God would use us to show His love!

This is what a few of the people who took part had to say:

"Once we found the address, we had a great time!" Kay Corey

"We had a wonderful time. It was so good to really get to know folks that we had never socialized with before." Evelyn Wilton

"It was fun to surprise our hosts at their door and we made a lasting friendship." Ken & Dawna Vyse

"Our hosts were fairly new to the church so it was good to get to know them. We learned about their interests and heard about their family. We especially enjoyed the "homemade soup" Derek & Jeanette Wilson

The idea of entertaining for lunch is meant to be kept simple and easy and the main focus is on making new friends and reaching out to new people. We have done this several times over the years and it has always been very successful. The element of surprise makes it a lot of fun and many lasting friendships have been made. We hope that you will participate as we plan to have this outreach in April. Please watch your bulletin for announcements and for the form to sign up for this fun day.

As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room. “I love it,” she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old with a new puppy.

“Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room… just wait.”

“That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” she replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged… it’s how I arrange my mind. I already decided this morning to love it… I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away… just for this time in my life.

One thing is for sure: all of us always want something. Peter Drucker is probably the best-known name in modern management. He is wealthy, successful, famous and still married to his life-long wife. Born in 1909, Drucker is 93 years old. In a recent interview he said that people his age no longer pray for a long life but for an easy death. His story is all of our stories-always wanting something. It is the way we are wired.

Our list is long but one "want" tops all lists. We all want love. Paul wrote about "Faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13).

When children were asked what love is they gave some interesting and touching answers:

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love."

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is okay."

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."

The Bible says, "God is love" (1 John 4:8). Love is essential to who God is and what God does. God loves and God wants us to love him.

God created humans in his likeness and that included both the capacity for love and the desire for love. As fish were created for water and birds were created for air, so humans were created for love.

Whenever we lack love there is something missing in our lives. We feel hollow, incomplete and inadequate. We know something is missing even if we can’t quite point to what it is. To satisfy our desire for love we need to understand how love works. Love is actions more than words. While words are valuable and important, behaviour is more important.

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3:18

1 Corinthians is one of the most eloquent descriptions of love in all human literature although it never mentions saying, "I love you." All the descriptions of love are actions.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7

At one of the emotional low points in their ordeal, 43-year-old Randy Fogle started to shiver and experienced tightness in his chest. The other nine feared he was suffering from hypothermia. They all surrounded him and took turns hugging him. They hugged each other. Blaine Mayhugh, 31, said, "When we were cold we would snuggle."

I doubt that these Pennsylvania coal miners whispered to each other in the dark, "I love you!" but they did love each other-with actions more than with words.

God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8

His mother saved him and gave Dumbo to him after he was married-His wife got both a husband and an elephant. As the years passed, he increasingly showed his age-blind in one eye, patches of skin missing and a dirty looking colour. It was time to throw Dumbo away.

His daughter however claimed him. She is now grown up, married and a mom-with Dumbo displayed in her home. You just can’t imagine her selling Dumbo for any price. Dumbo is still loved-not because of his looks but because of his value. And the reason he has value in his daughter’s home is because of Dumbo’s relationship to her father.

That’s the way love is-value more than beauty!

Love is received as much as given. As important as loving others is to our lives, we first need to receive love.

There are a lot of people who keep love out. It is sometimes understandable-they once opened their hearts to a parent who abused instead of loved; they once opened to a spouse who abandoned instead of loved. Once you’ve opened up and become vulnerable and then been hurt, it’s hard to open up again. But that’s exactly what we need to do if we are ever to get the love we want and need.

The 1st century Christians in Corinth had this problem. They wouldn’t receive love. Here’s what Paul wrote to them:

We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. As a fair exchange-I speak as to my children-open wide your hearts also.
2 Corinthians 6:11-13

Love isn’t just one way-love is given as well as received. Loving and being loved are so closely connected that sometimes it’s hard to tell which way love is flowing.

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
1 John 4:12

Conclusion:
Here’s the simple summary:
- We all want love
- God loves you
- Open your heart to receive God’s love
- Love others as God loves you

‘Love’ has lost much of its meaning in English. We use the same word to describe our affection for both the latest CD and a life companion. Even ‘falling in love’ means less than it sounds. When not reciprocated, that sort of ‘love’ becomes anger, or hatred. We have trivialized the idea.

It’s easy to recognize what love is NOT! Songwriter Townes Van Zandt, in his forlorn Pancho and Lefty, describes two thieves who were eventually caught; Pancho ‘fell’ but Lefty escapes. He ‘did what he had to do’ and wound up with the money. No friendship that ends in betrayal can qualify as ‘love.’

Love does not put oneself before a friend. Instead, it chooses the better part for the other person. That’s one reason that the story of David and Jonathon is so compelling. A king’s son puts his own status in jeopardy because of his care for one falsely accused of disloyalty. That loyal love between friends was measurable! When Jonathon later ‘fell,’ David wept.

God’s definition of love has substance. He loves. God loves his son, the son loves his Father. Their enjoyment of one another resonates in Jesus’ ministry, ‘I do the things that my Father does…,’ ‘I only say what my Father says…,’ and, ‘This is my beloved son, in whom I am well-pleased.’ The suspension of their friendship brings earthquakes, darkness and fear to Jerusalem.

When Jesus ended his last evening with his disciples, he prayed that his Father would draw those present into the intense love between them, “that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them (John 17;26).”

When John the Apostle described love, he grounded his definition in the divine initiative, ‘we love because God first loved us.’ It’s the divine sort of love that connects with us. That love is intimate because it is so personal. God loves us, not a concept, or a flavour, or a style, but one unique person at a time.

Our love, then, can follow his form. We love best when we pass on the same love that comes to us in Christ. Paul described that love poetically…