A Perfectly Good Pair of Shoes
Kevin Butler
Milton, WI
Rev. Dr. Kenneth Chroniger
Alfred Station SDB Church, NY
President’s Page
L
ooking forward to setting foot on the stage at Wesley Chapel
this August, it will mark 40 years since I started attending
Houghton College.
As the bald little character Vizzini said in the movie
Princess
Bride
, “In-con-THEEV-able!!”
I became a Houghton Highlander in 1976, transferring as a
sophomore from Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica.
The Lord had altered my career path from Criminal Justice to
Communications with an eye toward pastoral ministry. The
next three-year “stage” of college life strongly impacted how
I would view faith, family, and education.
Lord willing, I plan to share stories from this stage of my life:
how my
faith
as a new believer was stretched and challenged;
how my idea of “
family
” grew far beyond blood relations; and
how “
educa on
” happens — sometimes even in a classroom.
FIRE!!
The ‘76-’77 academic year was marred by some serious fires
on the Houghton campus. The top floor of the beautiful Luckey
Academic Building was gutted by flames. It took awhile, but it
was thankfully restored. With a couple more fiery incidents, a
feeling of foreboding hung over the school.
Late one Saturday night after the monthly variety show at the
chapel (you’ll hear more about those shows at Conference), I
was inspired to “tickle the ivories” at the nearby music building.
While playing on a practice room piano, a freshman co-ed burst
in yelling, “The chapel is on fire!!”
I looked out the window and saw nothing — no flames, no
smoke. But I could tell that she was serious. I told her to call
the fire department as I headed toward our beloved Wesley
Chapel. My walk turned into a sprint as I indeed caught sight of
some flames shooting up in a side hallway just off the other
side of the stage.
Opening the door, I saw the fire erupting out of a wastebasket
and spreading across the floor. Flames and smoke billowed up
several feet. My first reaction was to start stomping!! My size-
12 beige-and-brown saddle shoes had rarely moved so fast!
Some of the stray flames went out, but I couldn’t keep up with
the growing inferno. Where were those volunteer firefighters?
Then I spotted a heavy floor mat nearby. Picking up the side of
the mat closest to the burning wastebasket, I dragged it over
much of the fire and continued to stomp out the remaining hot
spots. My shoes would never be the same again.
When the firemen arrived and started cleaning up the mess,
several of them started questioning me — what I had been
doing, where I was before the fire, and why I was in the chapel.
They were all appropriate questions but I felt a little cornered.
I got a quick lecture about needing to know where the nearest
fire extinguisher was, and they walked away. Looking at my
scorched shoes with melted soles, I wanted to shout out,
“You’re welcome!!”
So, in many ways, that chapel stage is “my” stage. To me, it’s
a reminder that God can place us in certain situations “for
such a time as this.” May we trust that He has gifted us our
faith, placed us in particular families, and wants us to get a
good education — sometimes even in the middle of a fire.
Kevin Butler is the former Executive Director of the American Sabbath
Tract and Communication Council. A er graduating from the
Methodist Theological School in Ohio, Pastor Kevin served the Madison,
WI, SDB Church, and then as
Sabbath Recorder
Editor.
SR
SR • February 2016
15
