by Mark Milioni
Several years ago I remember reading an interesting article about summing up your life. The author went to several well-known people and asked them to sum up their lives in six words. Could you do that?
Recently this world lost a champion. Dr. John Rawlings served the Lord as a husband, father, grandfather, pastor, mentor, and worldwide influencer. “Dr. John”, as he was lovingly called, had a life and ministry that has made a difference in this world like few ever have or ever will.
Baptist Bible College cannot be separated from the life of Dr. John. As the Baptist Bible Fellowship was born, some young firebrands — G.B. Vick, W.E. Dowell, Dr. John, and others — made starting Baptist Bible College among their first priorities. With G.B. Vick at the helm, Dr. John became vice president of Baptist Bible College for the next 25 years, but his involvement and influence didn’t stop there. While serving as a pastor and leader of the Rawlings Foundation, Dr. John continued to influence the Fellowship and Baptist Bible College.
As a young pastor I remember getting my first call from him. This phone call would be the first of many — as many others can attest. I felt so incredibly honored and intimidated that I stood and listened to that wonderful raspy voice “share” with me what I should be doing with my life and ministry. His wisdom was unparalleled, often using simple down-home phrases that made everything much easier to understand. I once bravely asked him a question about something I was facing at church — to invest in some advertising. It was a significant investment and I worried over the cost and whether it was worth it, so I asked what he thought about a church advertising. Without missing a beat he said, “Does Pepsi Cola believe in advertising?”
It was always interesting to talk to Dr. John. You would always learn quickly what his agenda was for the call, you would hear of the latest projects around the world, and regardless of what else was said this was evident — it was all about the gospel. After a conversation with Dr. John it was clear that he always wanted your church to grow. He always wanted you to do something bigger than you were. He always wanted you to produce fruit. He always wanted you to work hard. He always wanted you to be faithful.
And because of his unfailing desire to see me succeed, there was a part of me that always wanted to make him proud.
So, could you sum up your life in six words? Famous TV cook Paula Deen answered this way, “Might as well eat that cookie.” To summarize a life as large as Dr. John is tough, but I think it might be as simple as how the writer of Acts summarized King David’s life in Acts 13:36 “… did God’s will during his lifetime.”
Please continue to pray for Baptist Bible College