Issue link: http://denverseminary.uberflip.com/i/1041431
Falling for Faithfulness ALUMNI & DONORS 10 FALL 2018 How long does it take to fall in love? Is it based on time or the quality of experiences shared? Is it defined by how quickly it happens or how long it lasts? Love is a term that is too often cheaply used and falsely applied, but when it's real—when it is for the right reasons—it can be world-changing. Twenty-five years ago, Linda Foote Brown and her husband, Steve Brown, began falling in love with Denver Seminary. In 1993 Linda, a young mother at the time, heard the Lord calling her to be a Bible teacher. She didn't have the money or the time, but she had the call. She found Denver Seminary, and although she couldn't yet attend, she started to pray. Six years passed, and the call was still on her. Her husband took her youngest child to the first day of first grade, and Linda headed off to Denver Seminary to finally enjoy being a student of the Bible. "That time of waiting to go to seminary wasn't wasted. I was in Bible Study Fellowship, where I fell in love with the Old Testament. That led to me teaching Precepts classes. By the time I became a student at Denver Seminary, I was so ready," said Linda. It took seven years to finish her MA in biblical interpretation with an emphasis in Old Testament, but she loved it. "Linda was involved at a lot of levels, because she was there for so long, and I got to be as well," said Steve. "Every time she took a class, I tried to meet her professor. Linda and I even served at different times on the elder board at our church with Professor Randy McFarland." After graduation in 2007, Linda moved into the role of adjunct professor at the Seminary, where she has been teaching Old Testament ever since. "She really grew in her confidence and as a person," said Steve with a smile. "When I first married her, she was a sweet, shy girl who loved the Lord, but now she's a dynamic woman of God." "It just made sense," reflected Linda, "that the next step for me—because I've experienced what the students and the faculty go through—would be to accept an invitation to join the board of Denver Seminary." Since March 2017, Linda has been serving on the board and is the chair of the Educational Programs Committee. Steve and Linda's journey with the Seminary didn't end there. The latest season of their relationship with the Seminary has a lot to do with how it all began. When Linda first wanted to go to Denver Seminary, they didn't have the financial resources to make it happen on their own. Steve's parents gave generously to support Linda's seminary aspirations. That early education in generosity gave them a framework for giving they call a "pass it on" mentality. Now Steve and Linda have become donors, choosing to invest in the next generation of biblically trained leaders. by D.G. Wynn