KEN ALBERT AT SOUTHERN SEMINARY

Ken is an old friend from Colorado who is now working on his PhD at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. This was his post on FaceBook today:

"Ken Albert Fired up, and ready to preach (oops, TEACH) for 3 hours at Southern. Hard to believe that I will actually get paid to teach personal evangelism. Yakov Smirnov had it right, "What a country!""

I added a comment to his page that said, "What a great God". Let me tell you some of Ken's story and why we serve such an awsome, wonderful God.

Ken grew up in the Boston area, and he was in trouble with the police from his earliest years. He was, what be described, as a hoodlum. I don't really know much about the crimes he committed, the time he spent in jail, or the locations. I just know that he finally ended up in the prison system of Colorado out on the eastern plains. His life was a mess, and he found himself in a terrible spot.

Ken volunteered to work with the chaplain at the prison, knowing that it would give him access to books and to a small amount of freedom. He didn't care anything for Christianity and its claims, but being a chaplains helper was easier than other jobs. He also didn't know that the Holy Spirit was already giving him direction that would place him in a position to clearly hear the gospel. (That's how God works!)

Larry Maxwell served as a Director of Missions on the eastern plains of Colorado, and he would often make visits into the prisons in the area. His daughter, Shawna, a school teacher in the panhandle of Texas, would often visit her parents, and Shawna would also go with her father to the prisons. It was on one of these gospel sharing trips that Shawna met Ken, who was working as the Chaplains Assistant. Larry told me later that he immediately recognized a "connection" between Shawna, the preacher's daughter, and Ken, the inmate. As most people would understand, that was not a good thing. So Larry and his wife Betty began to pray very diligently about that relationship.

I don't exactly remember the details, but during this time, Ken Albert was gloriously and wonderfully saved by the power of God. He accepted the claims of Christ for his life, and he began the new journey of faith. And, oh yes, he and Shawna were later married.

By the time I first met Ken and Shawna, he was already pastoring one of our small Baptist churches in Colorado and was a student at the Rocky Mountain Campus of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. His testimony, as you can probably tell, was thrilling. He was so excited about the gospel, growing and maturing each day. It was "fun" to be around him and to feel his enthusiasm.

Ken and Shawna did a wonderful job of ministry, but it wasn't long before he had completed his seminary education. He knew that God wanted him to teach, and he had such a brilliant mind. So, without fear or hesitation, they folded up their roots in Colorado and headed to Kentucky where Ken had been accepted in the PhD program.

That brings us to today.
1. Read his statement in the first paragraph.
2. Ken is serving as an evangelism consultant for the North American Mission Board.
3. He just returned from Nevada/Utah and a week of teaching evangelism.
4. Ken and Shawna have two growing boys.
5. He is serving as the interim Executive Director of a Baptist association.

Wow, I'm glad I wrote all of this. It reminds me of the greatness of God. I sometimes get some caught up in the small stuff that I forget how God is still in the life-changing business.