Weekly Email: February 9, 2026
In this week's email:
Student Tip: Reflections from Dr. Pierre’s chapel sermon: Wisdom is Greater Than Recognition
Program News: Know of a high school student that is thinking about college? Boyce College’s Preview Day is coming up March 26–27.
Student Tip: Wisdom is Greater than Recognition
Chapel started back up this week and Thursday we had the privilege of hearing from Dr. Jeremy Pierre preach from Ecclesiastes 9. The title alone was a needed reset and reminder for me: Wisdom is Greater Than Recognition
One thing that stuck with me was how honest he was about the long, unnoticed stretch of ministry. He described seasons where the work you do goes unrecognized, where the people you care for may turn on you, where gratitude never appears…you keep showing up anyway.
That got me thinking about your time in seminary. For many of you, your education, even online, is a form of ministry. True, it is not the same as on-the-ground discipleship, teaching, or counseling in your local church but it is still preparation for real people and real moments.
A lot of what you are doing right now will never be recognized. Nobody sees the late-night reading. Nobody sees the labor of finishing a research paper and trying to figure out the SBTS Manual of Style. Nobody sees you trying to do faithful work in a tired body after a long day of work, family, and church responsibilities.
At the same time, there is a real temptation in seminary. Paul warns us that knowledge can puff up (1 Cor. 8:1). The issue is not learning more. The issue is what happens in our hearts when learning becomes a badge. Everybody “knows” something. That is not what makes a person useful in ministry.
If knowledge is not producing love, patience, and a growing instinct to build others up, then it is doing the opposite. It is training you to feel above people instead of equipping you to serve people. And the truth is, whatever we think we know, it is partial. The real anchor is not that we have figured God out, but that God has graciously set his eyes upon us and claimed us as his. There is no room for pride in a world where our understanding is always incomplete and always dependent.
The deeper question underneath all of this is the one Dr. Pierre kept pressing. So much of the Christian life is about posture:
Who are you submitting to?
Who are you looking to each day for fulfillment, guidance, and recognition?
I had a student email me this past week and he quoted something I wrote a couple weeks ago about knowing your why in seminary. He then said it better than I did, “I’m glad that I know my why is a who.” He meant Christ.
That is the real question sitting underneath your weekly schedule. Who is your why.
As Dr. Pierre explained in his sermon, wisdom is not just information. Wisdom is strength that is aimed outward for the good of others. Ecclesiastes gives that picture of the poor wise man who delivers the city, and then is forgotten anyway. Dr. Pierre’s point was not sentimental. It was realistic. Wisdom often does real good for real people and the person who carried it may never be recognized for it.
That is exactly why your seminary training cannot be about bettering yourself for your own sake. It is not spiritual self-improvement. It is preparation to serve.
It is so you have words when a mom comes to you in tears because her son is wayward.
It is so you have theological grounding when suffering hits someone in your church and easy answers aren’t sufficient.
It is so you can counsel with a comprehensive understanding of Holy Scripture, teach with clarity, and lead with humility over the long haul.
So as you head into this week’s assignments, remember why you are doing this. Remember the danger of making knowledge a platform for yourself, and remember the better goal. God is forming you into someone who is others-focused.
Also remember this. Wisdom is a humble pursuit in an unfair world. Dr. Pierre said wisdom includes having the right expectations about the world, learning to submit to God’s providence even when life feels unpredictable and frustrating.
The work can be slow. The outcomes can be uneven and unfair. You can do the right thing and not get the result you wanted.
Still, wisdom is greater than recognition.
Program News: Boyce College Preview Day - March 26–27
Boyce College Preview Day is coming up March 26–27, 2026, and I want to put it on your radar in case you have a high school student in your home, or you know a family that is starting to think seriously about college.
One of the things I’m most impressed by when I walk across campus is that our students are genuinely serious about following Jesus. Boyce is not Christian in name only. It’s the kind of place where faith is normal, the local church matters, and students are being formed for lifelong faithfulness.
During Preview Day, students will:
Tour the campus and experience the Christ-centered community
Visit a class and hear a lecture from professors
Attend chapel with Dr. Mohler
Join a student life event and connect with current students
Parents will have a special panel with Dr. Mohler to ask questions and hear more about Boyce College
If you have a pastor or leader in your church who works with high school students, make sure they know about Boyce and Preview Day.
If you want to introduce us, send me their name and I’ll reach out. Or feel free to give them my name and tell them to contact me. I’d love to hear what they’re doing in their student ministry and how we can come alongside them as they help students think through college. We often host youth groups for Preview Day and we’re glad to set up a separate campus visit for student ministries.
Preview Day Details:
Date: March 26–27, 2026
Thursday includes optional activities, Friday is the main day with the full schedule
Registration is $25 per person and includes meals and up to two nights of hotel lodging
Student attendees are entered to win one of multiple $1,000 scholarships
