I just wanted to share a holy memory of a classmate from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. I met a man who met the Lord and allowed himself to be totally transformed by God’s grace. He had the kind of thing many of us might use as an excuse. But not the Rev. Dr. Alpha Estes Brown. He’d lived the rough life and done things he wasn’t proud of doing. But he put all of that behind him and proceeded to earn at least seven college degrees, including a doctorate and a law degree.
The thing about sharing a class with Alpha was that he blessed us all with his super power. On the first day we received the syllabus, because of his learning peculiarity, he mapped out the entire semester’s reading and assignments. So he’d know what he had to do each day. And he shared it with all of us in his class. Talk about being blessed by a super power. He was never late with assignments. He was always ahead with the reading. And he found hours beyond the usual 24 to pastor a church in D.C., work with young people and encourage those who struggled with the same demons with which he’d wrestled.
He readily shared the story of the grace he’d found and the people who’s encouraged him. He often offended those with which he had no patience. He was on a defined mission, with not a whole lot of years to get it accomplished; and he made every hour count. It was the thing that kept him going.
I think sometimes we have a responsibility to remember the saints we’ve met along the way and honor the ways their lives have graced our own. Thank you Alpha Estes Brown.
