When I arrived in La Mirada, Bill Carden was the Dean of Students. For some crazy reason he took a liking to me. It was he who arranged for me to attend Biola even though my high school grades weren't exactly stellar. Peggy Russell was the head of Financial Aid. Together with Bill Carden, she worked tirelessly to secure for me scholarship aid. By the time I became a junior I was receiving a full tuition scholarship based on my grade point average. This scholarship came from a donor who wanted to remain anonymous.
As I look back, I see how God brought all three of these individuals into my life at just the right time. Even though I worked in the college cafeteria to support myself, there was no way I could have attended Biola and then Talbot without a scholarship.
Living the Christian life goes far beyond the "what," "when," and "how." It hinges on the "who" of the people God brings into our lives. It's about people who intentionally and sacrificially live out the gospel wherever they are. For those of us who are older, it's about seeing the potential in every young person God brings into our lives and calling out that potential. Because of these people, my life was interrupted and changed forever. Without them, there would have been no B.A. degree or M.Div. degree or D.Theol. degree. Biola was the family of my dreams. It was the right place at the right time for this island boy. God has enriched my life with thousands of likeminded people through the years.
I dare say that in your own life there is a great cloud of witnesses bearing the same weight. God loves us more than we ever dared to hope, and he does so through people.