What Kind of Man am I?

Brian looked down at his new baby son and thought... “What kind of man is he going to be when he grows up? This little boy is going to grow up looking at me and what kind of man I am.” Then it hit him like a crashing wave… “What kind of man am I?”

At this moment, his quest accelerated to figure out just who God is. After reading through the Bible, chapter by chapter, over and over again, Brian felt God leading him to Lincoln Berean to continue his growth.

In reflecting, Brian can see how God is bringing him through a gradual journey to being mature in Christ. After 14 years, the Holy Spirit really burdened Brian’s heart with a desire to take time out of his busy life to study the word deeper than he had ever studied it, and to get to know God better than he could have ever imagined. This meant enrolling in the Christian Leadership College at LBC.

After 28 years of running his own fast-paced business, this was not an easy decision to make…to just leave behind everything he had built up so far and start anew. On the other hand, Brian expressed how he didn’t really feel like he had a choice either. His wife put it best when she said “If God was calling Brian’s life to this, then he had to do it!” It was about being obedient and stepping out in faith, knowing God would be there with them through it all.

Brian and his family celebrated his graduation from the Christian Leadership College on May 11, 2007. Brian expresses gratitude for this opportunity he had to learn. “Alone, I could never have come close to the scope and depth of learning that the CLC has provided me. The instructors are highly qualified, top notch Christian leaders.” Brian will readily admit that it wasn’t easy at first. “I had not been in school since graduating from UNL in 1988. I was surprised at how challenging it was to spend hours reading, writing, presenting and studying for tests. I was rusty and out of practice for the life of a student. But now I can say with a high level of confidence that I had shaken off the dust, met the challenge and sharpened my skills greatly.Most importantly, the CLC has instilled in me the importance of learning a broad scope of subjects and disciplines related to my Christian walk.”

Not only has Brian grown academically in God’s word, but the application is more than he had anticipated. “I have been able to identify my leadership strengths and weaknesses in order to be a more effective leader. I now know which areas of ministry to pursue based on my giftedness. I’m also developing very specific personal philosophies to keep me focused on the important and relevant areas of my Christian life. Another outcome of this time spent focusing on Christ has been a strong desire to serve Him. I have an indescribable appreciation for God’s grace and for His unconditional love evident by the sacrifice Christ made on the cross for us, and my hope is for others to experience Christ in this way, too.”

Knowing how faithful God has always been in the past, Brian can’t wait to see what the future holds. The desire to learn and grow more for the rest of his life has been instilled, and he is eager to be a better light in the marketplace where he can share his faith with others. Brian is not only becoming the man that his son can look to as an example, but he is also becoming the man that his Heavenly Father has called him to be.