Dr. Martin's Farewell

He was one of the greatest influences on me once I made the commitment to go into ministry. Dr. D.C. Martin was a long time professor of theology at Grand Canyon College in Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. Martin's classes were legendary, as was he. His low "A" was a 96, and he was a tough grader. When I graduated in 1985 I was the only person I knew who had gotten an A in very DC Martin class (and I took pretty much all he offered). That was one of my highest accomplishments! In the years that followed I got to teach at Canyon, and got to know DC as a mentor and colleague. I guess the best thing I can say about DC is that he was a....Christian. In every sense of the word. He lived for the glory of Christ, and showed His love to all those around him.
I remember attending a special celebration of DC's life at the chapel of the North Phoenix Baptist Church not long before his passing. He was already having to use oxygen (he had lung cancer). I stood in line to greet him. He was sitting in a wheelchair. He beamed as he shook my hand, pulled me down close, and said, "I know your book is going to have a huge impact. It will help many people!" He had read my recently released book, The King James Only Controversy. Here he was, on a day when we were all honoring him, thinking about his students. It was just the way DC was.
To this day a group of us who knew him gather once a year to fellowship and share our thanks for the life of DC Martin. He had that kind of lasting impact on so many.
You will still see me putting my thumb up and talking about knowing ABOUT Jesus, but not KNOWING Jesus, and then grasping that thumb with my other hand. I learned it from DC. God bless him. I can only hope to have helped a few others like he blessed me.