Good News - February 2021

HEART AND SOUL 26 FEBRUARY 2021 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida Edition I love finding books written by Palm Beach Atlantic University faculty and alumni. Dr. Randy Richards, our provost and chief ac- ademic officer, recently told me about a new book by Greg Bruckert, an alumnus from the class of 1978. That nearly makes Greg one of our PBA pioneers, for Palm Beach Atlantic had opened its doors just 10 years before his graduation. He went on to become a mission- ary to Indonesia, where he’s still teaching and preaching, serving God alongside his wife, Shelly, a 1979 PBA grad. In the new book, “Greg shares openly and honestly a lifetime of following God through both glorious and gut-wrenching mo- ments,” said Randy. “If you have ever won- dered if God still works like He did in Acts, reading the Bruckerts’ story will confirm that He does.” Randy Richards knows a thing or two about books, having written 10 of them, including his latest, Misreading Scripture with Individualist Eyes. So I was thrilled to get a sneak peek at Randy’s advance copy of Greg’s book, from Riverstone Group Publishing ( www.riverstone.pub) . It’s called Struggling with God in the Distant Islands. With a title like that, you’d rightly expect this missionary veteran to tell a fascinating story, but his aim is not to provide us vicarious experience in those distant islands. Instead, he writes to share a practice we all need: the struggle, through prayer, to hear, understand and follow God’s direction for our lives. Like Jacob wrestling until daybreak Greg calls this practice bergumul, using a word from his adopted lan- guage. He’s heard Indonesians use this word when they had to “struggle and strive and agonize” to recognize God’s voice as they prayed. He likens it to the episode in Genesis 32, where Jacob wrestles with that mysterious “man” until daybreak, finally receiving the blessing he sought. Most often Greg heard that word regarding the decision to change one’s role or to accept a challenging new ministry. And perhaps the most important bergumul comes as we wrestle with this foundational question: “What am I to do with my life? What is my calling?” The book’s chapter titles outline Greg’s calling over the years, including Call to Serve, Call to Go, Call to Wait, Call to Be a Learner, Call to Persevere. And the first chapter, Call to Salvation, begins in 1974, as Greg entered what was then Palm Beach Atlantic College. At that time, being a missionary was the furthest thing from his mind. He recalls, with embarrassment, that he was “three sheets to the wind” one night when PBA students invited him to a Christian coffee house. “More embarrass- ingly still, I must admit that I went along because the fellow students who in- vited me were two girls I thought were cute.” He didn’t turn his life around that night, but seeds were planted, and by the time he began his second year at PBA he had come to faith in Christ and changed his major from business to biblical studies. “How very much the Lord blessed me throughout my time at Palm Beach Atlantic,” he writes. And “most importantly,” he met the love of his life, now his wife of 40-plus years, Shelly Smith Bruckert. “She has truly been a blessing, the perfect match and helpmate in life and ministry.” To Jakarta with wife and kids After PBA, Greg went to The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and in 1987 he, Shelly and their two children arrived in Jakarta, Indonesia, to begin the work that continues today under the International Mission Board. You can well imagine how one might “wrestle” with the decision to embark on such a career, but Greg explains that many more episodes of bergumul would come over the years that followed. Again and again he and Shelly would turn to the Scripture and pour out their hearts in prayer as they responded to options, roadblocks, puzzling questions, disappointments, illness, even family tragedy. You don’t have to travel 10,000 miles to face those challenges. Wherever we live or what- ever our calling, we all need to develop ears to hear God’s direction for such times in our daily lives. I so appreciate Greg’s careful presentation of scripture as throughout his book he explains how he sought God’s voice and help in different circum- stances. I thank God for this missionary couple who have enriched the lives of so many. All along the way in the Bruckerts’ missionary journey, God has provided brothers and sisters to help and encourage. From chapter one of the book one brother in particular stands out to me: Jerry Cadenhead, a PBA student a couple years older than this young believer Greg Bruckert. “I remember how he took me under his wing to disciple and pour his life into me,” writes Greg. “Iron sharpens iron,” as Proverbs 27 says. What a precious way God has of placing others in our path to help us along the way. I’m so thankful when I hear of PBA students, faculty and staff blessing each other like this. Together we serve; together we pray; together we rejoice; and yes, together we strug- gle. Through it all, as Greg concludes in his book, “May the Lord give us all grace to keep our eyes on Him and our ears attentive to His still small voice.” Dr. Debra A. Schwinn is president of Palm Beach Atlantic University (www.pba.edu ). A physician, researcher and innovator, she began her role as university president on May 4, 2020. Veteran Missionary Explains the Prayerful Struggle to Hear God’s Direction - Dr. Debra A. Schwinn - Palm Beach Atlantic University President Greg Bruckert has written about what he and his wife learned from nearly 35 years seeking and serving God as missionaries to Indonesia.