Spring has finally arrived in Minnesota! It has been a long winter in many respects—not just the weather, but the increasing realization that the world we live in is broken, not getting better, and more and more volatile and hostile with each passing day. Nevertheless, spring is here. Grass is turning green. Flowers and plants are pushing out of the warming soil. Trees are budding out their leaves, and the migratory birds are returning to their summer homes.
If you’re from a state with distinct seasons, such as Minnesota, the passing of those seasons is significant. And, the arrival of spring is perhaps the most glorious of all. As spring breaks forth, it comes with an instinctive ray of hope. Every year is a fresh start. No matter how bleak the winter may have been, spring offers us the evidence of new life and the hope of a better future.
This is such a kindness of the Lord to us! He grants us visual, tactile reminders of the glorious, eternal truths that have been revealed to us in the Bible. We can read, know, and understand the magnificent truths of the Bible, but then we also get to see, taste, hear, smell, and observe the evidences in God’s creation that corroborate those truths.
And all of it is pointing toward the consummation of history that will happen at the Lord’s appointed time. When Jesus triumphantly returns to earth to claim His bride, all things will be made new—permanently! He will make all things perfect. There will be no more sin, no more death, no more tears, no more brokenness. There will only be pleasures forevermore and the unending joy of being in the presence of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
I leave you with this remarkable picture from the book of Revelation:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Revelation 21:1–5)
As you enjoy the onset of spring, may your joy be full as you also contemplate the return of the King of Kings.
With joyful anticipation of His imminent return,
Tim Tomlinson, PhD
President
Prayer Requests:
- Please continue to pray for our students and faculty/staff as we are now on the home stretch of the school year. The Lord has been gracious to us so far, but we’ve had a bit of an uptick in COVID-19 cases recently. Please pray for our students, faculty, and staff who have been affected by this uptick.
- Please continue to pray for our preparations for commencement—especially that it would be a very special, in-person celebration of all that the Lord has done in and through our students.
- Please also pray for our admissions team as they work to bring in another outstanding class of students for the coming year. Pray both for Darcy Enthoven, our Associate Director of Admissions, and our new Dean of Admissions, Jonathon Woodyard, who officially begins his duties May 1.
- And, as always, please keep praying for our school’s finances. We praise the Lord for you and ask that He raise up more generous supporters in the months and years to come.