Great Is Thy Faithfulness

It is a season of transition on the campuses of Moody Bible Institute as we end the semester and say good-bye to our graduates. Commencement on the Chicago campus is this weekend and we asked our Public Relations intern to share a little about her time at Moody and the future she is looking forward to.

By Krystallin Baker, Public Relations intern

December 2007 I was offered the opportunity to transfer colleges and study at Moody Bible Institute. After much prayer and deliberation I decided to pack my belongings and transfer, but this was no easy decision. When January rolled around, I made the long journey from Colorado to Chicago. I still remember my first night arriving in the city. Prior to that night I had never seen downtown Chicago in person, nor set foot on Moody’s campus. To say I was overwhelmed is an understatement. A part of me wanted nothing more than to run back to the comfort of the known. But a much deeper part of me knew God had called me on a new journey, beginning in the chaos of Chicago at the legendary Moody Bible Institute. And I trusted in His faithfulness to carry me through to the end.

Three and half years later, Chicago is now home. The city no longer looms so large, and the people at Moody are not a sea of unknown faces, but rather a family I have memories and roots with. My time at Moody was, in the famed words of Charles Dickens, the best of times and the worst of times. Moody Bible Institute is a challenging environment, but a challenge worth rising to. I have spent nearly four years living among some of the most intelligent, faith driven people I have ever known. I have made friendships with peers who have inspired me to walk deeper with the Lord. And I have sat under countless professors who have influenced my life greatly with their deep wisdom and thought provoking lectures. I have walked the tunnels of Moody during blustering winter days weighted down by deadlines, but I have also experienced moments of epiphany when God shows up in my life in indescribable ways.

In short, my time at Moody has been like a vast ocean. There have been times when the waves reached so high I thought I would drown, and there have been times of peace when I have rested in the calm. But through every calm and every storm, Christ has been with me and my knowledge and passion for God has increased. I know being at Moody has been an immense blessing and privilege given to me by the grace of God. I know for those whom much has been given, much will be asked. And I am infinitely grateful to those who have graciously donated the funds to give me an education of eternal value.

I knew coming to Moody many “greats” have filled the halls before me. To this day I am often overwhelmed by thoughts of the people who have lived in my dorm, ate in the school cafeteria, and sat in chapel before me. So as I sit with my cap and gown waiting anxiously for my name to be called on May 14, 2011, I sit with a deep appreciation for the role I am privileged to play in the dynamic future of Moody. Throughout my time at Moody I have come to see the great importance of not leaving Moody simply with head knowledge of God, but rather leaving with heart knowledge. I do not want to simply know about God, I want to know God. Wherever God takes me from here, even if it is a small, behind the scenes role in furthering the gospel, I am overjoyed to know He has brought me this far and will carry me forevermore. Great is the faithfulness God has shown to me. My degree from Moody Bible Institute is so much more than simply a “B.A. in Communication Studies.” It is a degree made great by all the wisdom and lessons Moody has taught me during my time here and all the places God will take me hereafter. I truly pray as I pack my belongings and move away from this temporary home, “Great is thy faithfulness, Oh God my Father.” And I ask for His continued blessing upon this great school that D.L. Moody founded.

The Practice of Integrity

Mark Wagner is the president of community management at Walgreens, based in Deerfield, Ill. and is a member of the Moody Bible Institute Board of Trustees. We asked Mark if he would reflect on Moody’s 125^th anniversary in today’s blog post and share what he is most excited about for Moody’s future.

By Mark Wagner, Moody Bible Institute Trustee

Celebrating 125 years of service is a remarkable accomplishment, and one that deserves a moment of reflection on how we got this far. Our Biblical values have helped shape our success in the past, and are the main reason I’m excited for many more years of service to come for the Moody Bible Institute.

One of Moody’s core values that resonates with me is “the practice of integrity.” Just scanning a newspaper shows how a lack of integrity can cause much harm and burden upon our communities. A lack of honesty and ethics can cause mass problems, and harm even to those people that are making all of the right choices.

As a leader in the business world, integrity and honesty are some of the things I expect most from my team. Integrity can sometimes be the difference between making an easy decision that is wrong in principle, or making the difficult choice that at its core is right and moral. The people who make the right choices are the ones that ultimately succeed. Even though those choices may cause more work or cost more money, people with integrity make them without compromising their ethics and morals.

The benefit of a Moody education is that students learn the practical use of biblical principles, and how to keep their integrity in the face of adversity. Their faith in God prompts them to then be honest influences in their communities through their ministries, making decisions that align with their core biblical principles.

125 years of students and constituents have learned how to practice integrity within the biblical context through the guidance of Moody. That’s 125 years worth of people who are out in the world helping others understand and live these same biblical standards. Just think about how many people in the next 125 years will benefit from the leaders that arise out of Moody’s halls.

It makes me proud to be affiliated with an organization that has such broad potential to make an impact on our world and spread a foundation that will help our communities flourish. I look forward to the next 125 years and beyond, as more and more Moody students venture out into the world to share their biblical education of the practice of integrity.