BOLIVAR – Neil Franks, pastor of First Baptist Church in Branson and president of the Missouri Baptist Convention Executive Board, challenged the nearly 150 graduates at Southwest Baptist University’s Dec. 19 commencement never to settle for less, but always to settle for more.
“This night is about you,” Franks said. “It is about the decisions you have made. Good decisions so far. But my charge is to have you consider your future decisions. The challenge I want to give you is about the decisions you are going to make.”
Franks challenged graduates not to settle for less, even in the small decisions that add up to bigger decisions.
“We live in a world that exchanges an easy, quick fix for hard work,” he said. “We live in a time where we cannot afford, for believers in particular, to settle for less. This world is going to offer you things that seem like more, but it really is less.
“Your goals and your aspirations are probably not contrary to the good things you want to do in your life. There are some of us that God calls us to do things that we may not want to do, or don’t pay a whole lot of money, or maybe they will, but our motivation and reason for doing those will be because it is God’s will for us.”
Franks challenged graduates to follow the unique call God has placed on each of their lives.
“My hope, graduates, is that you won’t settle for less, but you will settle for more,” he said. “The ‘more’ is doing all that God has called you to be and accomplish for the benefit of those who will live around you in the years to come, but most of all for God’s glory, may you never settle for less.”
Franks also has served on the SBU Board of Trustees.
BOLIVAR – SBU President C. Pat Taylor congratulates Richard Brewer on his retirement after 32 ½ years of teaching in the Department of Behavioral Sciences.
Commencement highlights:
• Sarah Jean VandaVeer, a marketing graduate and daughter of Dwight and Mary VandaVeer of Pacific, Mo., delivered the Bob R. Derryberry Senior Address.
VandaVeer told her fellow graduates that they are entering an elite realm in which only 6.7 percent of the world’s population has earned a college degree. She charged her classmates to measure their future successes not by society’s standard, but by making a return on the investment and pleasing the Lord.
“To whom much is given, much is to be expected,” VandaVeer said. “It is now your responsibility to do something with that. As Jesus showed, he is not entirely concerned that you become wealthy or successful by society’s standards. It’s not about impressing everyone.”
• Kia Her, a biology graduate and daughter of Blia Her and Pachai Her of Rochester, Minn., sang her original composition, “Where You Call.”
• Richard Brewer, Psy.D., was recognized for his retirement after 32 years of teaching at SBU. He joined the faculty in 1982 as an instructor and was promoted to assistant professor in 1987, associate professor in 1992 and professor in 1998. He also served as the chair for the Department of Behavioral Sciences from 1994 to 1998.
• SBU President C. Pat Taylor said commencement is the most important academic event for any university.
“When our graduates receive their diplomas, we know that we have accomplished our primary objective, graduating students,” Taylor said. “Our graduates are extraordinary people, and they have worked very hard to achieve this significant milestone.”