Beeson Podcast, Episode #617 Pastor Bob Hutto Aug. 30, 2022 >>Announcer: Welcome to the Beeson podcast, coming to you from Beeson Divinity School on the campus of Samford University. Now your hosts, Doug Sweeney and Kristen Padilla. >>Doug Sweeney: Welcome to the Beeson Podcast. I am your host, Doug Sweeney, I am here with my co-host, Kristen Padilla. Today we have with us our alumnus of the year. He’s a very humble man who doesn’t like it when we make him sound special. But he is pretty special, as many in our larger Beeson family will attest. And we are excited to speak with him today. Before Kristen introduces him, let me tell you that this is the first day of our fall term and academic year. At least if you’re listening on the day we drop this episode onto the internet I will be preaching in chapel today during our opening convocation service, introducing the theme of our fall chapel series on the life of King David, from 1 & 2 Samuel. From the earliest days of the Christian church, David, son of Jesse, a shepherd boy turned warrior, turned Israel’s greatest king, has been hailed as one of the most important forerunners and types of Christ in Old Testament history. He is a lynchpin of God’s cosmic history of redemption. But why is this the case? Who was this man? What would the Lord have us learn from him today? We’ll explore these questions in chapel this fall by working through selections from 1 & 2 Samuel. We hope you’ll join us and worship with us in person, or even online at www.BeesonDivinity.com/live on Tuesdays at 11:00 AM in Hodges Chapel. All right, Kristen, would you please tell our listeners just a little bit about our alumnus of the year? >>Kristen Padilla: Thanks, Doug. Today’s guest is Bob Hutto. He is a Beeson alumnus, the Minister of Oak Mountain Church of Christ in Pelham, and is this year’s alumnus of the year award winner. We are so glad to have you on the show today, Bob. Welcome to the Beeson Podcast! >>Bob: Well, thank you for having me. It’s really an honor for me to be chosen alumnus of the year – very much unexpected. I feel like there are others probably more accomplished, maybe more deserving of the award. I’m mindful of something that happened while I was a student here. One semester the professors were asked to speak in chapel and tell a little bit about themselves, about where they were born and raised and their family, their educational experience and so forth, and they did that. I remember Dr. Brave when it was his turn he, if I remember it correctly, he could correct me if I don’t, but about the first thing he said was, “We’ve been asked to tell a little bit about ourselves, but I thought, why would I talk about myself when I can talk about Christ?” And that impressed me. That stuck with me. I’ve thought about that as we were working toward today. I knew some questions were going to be asked about me and my background, and I thought well, why would I want to talk about myself when there are others, especially Christ, that we can talk about. But I’ll be glad to answer your questions and talk to you a little bit. That’s fine. >>Kristen Padilla: Thank you so much. We just finished a series on the Beeson Magazine. Your episode today is an actual nice segue because you are featured in the Beeson Magazine. And so I hope our listeners by now have gone online and have read the story about you. But for those who have not done that yet, I wonder if you can begin by giving a little bit more background about yourself – where you are from and your faith in Jesus Christ? >>Bob: Sure. I was raised by godly parents, two strong Christians, a man and woman, husband and wife, strong faith, my mom and dad. My dad was a preacher. So, he was from this area – the Birmingham area, as was my mother. But we moved around, like preacher’s families sometimes do. We lived in this area some, we lived in Florida and central Illinois, north Alabama. But I was raised in that environment, godly people influencing their children in a Christ-like way. Not only did we hear them teach us what it meant to be a Christian, but we saw it in their lives. I say “we” – I have three sisters. And we saw it in their life. So, we grew up in that environment. We had friends at school, went to public school, had friends. But really the local church was the center of our life. So, we all reached that point where we began to realize I’m responsible for my actions. I’m accountable for what I do. I’m accountable before God for what I do and say. You become aware of the sin that’s in your life. And so I’d already been taught. When that time comes, here’s what you need to do. And so that’s what I did. I put my faith in Christ as my savior, as my Lord, and turned away from sin. I was baptized into Christ. I began my life as a disciple. So, it’s not a dramatic story. But still I feel like my faith and my commitment is as strong as if it were a dramatic story. So, I think that’s an important message and a message that some people, it would help them to hear. You grew up in a godly home. You were prepared to become a Christian when the time came. That’s a good thing. Now you can spend your life in service to the Lord. Not that I always did that perfectly, of course. I fell short in many ways. But that’s how I became a Christian. >>Doug Sweeney: Bob, Kristen mentioned when she was introducing you that you preach in the Church of Christ in Pelham, just outside of Birmingham here. Of course we’ve had several Church of Christ students at Beeson over the years. You’re not the only one. But the Church of Christ student population hasn’t been as large as some of the other student populations, as the Baptist student population, for example. Probably some of our listeners need a little education on the Churches of Christ. Would you tell us a little bit about the Churches of Christ and how it was you sensed a call to become a preacher in the Churches of Christ? >>Bob: All right. So, Churches of Christ ... I think of the church at Pelham, the Church of Christ at Pelham as an independent, really non denominational congregation. And so there’s not a denominational tie between the congregations. We have some similarities in what we teach, although there’s a wide range of things that are taught among churches that refer to themselves in that way. And there’s no denominational organization that governs the churches. So, we’re committed to certain things. Although those things are always a matter of discussion. I think what I would do is maybe draw upon our church history learning. I think about the Reformation period where you have Luther and he’s involved in reforming the church and so forth. And you have Zwingli. And so they’re contemporaries. They don’t see everything the same way. They have some similarities and some agreement but some pretty strong disagreements. In fact, I see a theology of the reformer sitting on the table over there. I remember reading that. >>Doug Sweeney: I know a faculty member who wrote that book. >>Bob: Yeah, Dr. George was the dean while I was here, but I remember reading that book and coming across the idea that for Luther in the practice of the church, whatever was not forbidden would be allowed. But for Zwingli it was only what is you might say authorized or sanctioned by scripture should be allowed. And so that’s a different approach. We would be more like Zwingli. So, as a result of that, Zwingli takes the instrument out of the church. Takes the icons down. It’s just a plain building. Takes the religious symbols down. Because of his approach to scripture and how to apply scripture. I’ve thought that maybe Zwingli, if he walked into our building he’d say, “I’m right at home here.” We don’t use an instrument when we sing. There’s not a lot of religious symbols or icons around and things like that. It goes back to that approach to scripture – we’re going to do only what we find sanctioned or authorized for the church. And so there’s some differences. We try to simply call ourselves Christians. We’re simply Christians. We’re trying to reproduce what we find in scripture. Another maybe unique feature, or what people are not accustomed to, we observe the Lord’s Supper weekly, every week. And so if someone were to come into our worship, it would be a little different maybe than they’re used to. It’s congregational singing. It’s a capella singing. It’s the Lord’s Supper on Sunday – every Sunday. There will be a sermon. And I’d usually be the preacher, though we have others that preach from time to time as well. So, that’s kind of our approach. I don’t know if that’s helpful or confusing or what. >>Doug Sweeney: That was very helpful. Your dad, you mentioned, was a preacher. Was he a Church of Christ preacher? >>Bob: Right. He preached for Churches of Christ in Birmingham area and Gainesville, we lived in Florida for a while, central Illinois, and then kind of back to Alabama. So, my wife and I kind of at home here in the Birmingham area. That was for both of us kind of a home base. >>Doug Sweeney: Yeah. So, that helps us a little bit to understand why you’re in a Church of Christ. But how did you sense that the Lord was leading you into preaching ministry? >>Bob: Okay. Well, I grew up in that environment. My dad was a preacher and so I kind of grew up in that environment and just watching him and learning from him. When I was growing up people would ask me, “Are you going to be a preacher like your daddy?” And I would always say, “No. That’s not for me.” But like I said I became a Christian in my youth. But didn’t always live it the way I should have. I wasn’t very diligent in very many things at all. I wasn’t a very good student. I had that solid 2.5 GPA in high school. Really not diligent in spiritual matters either, to tell the truth. But as you mature you begin to look at the way the Lord has blessed you. I came under the influence of some people who encouraged me. And you begin to think about if the Lord has given me these abilities what am I responsible to do with them? And so in the article I talk about an awakening. So, it’s kind of like that voice saying, “Okay, Bob, time to wake up.” You know? “It’s time to get serious about what you’re doing with yourself.” I kind of look back at my life and think, “Okay, this is where I’ve been led.” I grew up under these circumstances. My dad was a preacher. The local church was really the central part of our life. I look at my experiences and the people that have influenced me and I kind of think, “Okay, this is where you’re meant to be.” It reminds me of the episode in Esther’s life where Mordecai says, “Who knows, it may be that God has put you in this place for this purpose at this time.” So, I think about that. So, that’s sort of how all that worked with me. >>Kristen Padilla: You describe yourself as a gospel preacher. And we’ve already heard your emphasis on preaching and how important of a ministry that is to you. Our benefactor of Beeson was known for saying that he wanted us to prepare pastors who could preach. >>Bob: Right. I heard that many times. >>Kristen Padilla: Yes. So, I wonder if you can talk about how God led you to Beeson and how Beeson actually prepared you for a preaching ministry? >>Bob: Well, it’s an interesting story. I had taken a course in New Testament Greek in my undergraduate work. I didn’t really do very well. I did okay. But I didn’t excel by any means. And I didn’t really use it very much once I got out. But I wanted to strengthen that. So, there was sort of a mentor of mine who is an older gospel preacher, an older preacher. And he was a very good Greek student. So, he and I and a couple of other guys, we got together and just went through Machen’s Grammar. We went all the way through the grammar in sort of an informal setting. Just the three of us. He kind of got to the point where he said, “You know, I think I’ve taken you as far as I can go.” And so I came over here to Samford. I was really just looking to take a Greek class, to build those skills. I happen to walk into Reid Chapel. And Dr. Bassen was there. This would have been 1990. The divinity school was meeting over there in Reid Chapel before they moved over here to this building. Dr. Bassen said, “Well, exactly what is it that you’re looking for? Are you looking for just a class? Are you interested in our masters program?” And so we got to talking about that a little bit. I really wasn’t familiar with the masters program. He sort of told me about it and said, “If you’re interested, you may want to do this.” I think they were looking for students at that time. (laughs) I was very excited about that. I enrolled and it was a wonderful experience for me. I could not have asked for a better experience. Just the opportunity to sit at the feet of these men and learn from them and just be associated with them in that way. I hated to see it end. I enjoyed the beginning of the semester more than the end of the semester, because the beginning was kind of exciting for me. What are we going to learn? What ideas am I going to be exposed to? And so that’s kind of how I ended up here. I almost feel like my comments are so positive, people aren’t going to believe me. (laughs) I really don’t have a negative thing to say about it at all. It was just a great experience. I’ve told, as I’ve kind of bumped into the professors, Dr. Matthews or Dr. Thielman, Dr. Bray, maybe others, I use something that I learned here every day. I took language classes, it might be I’m working on a sermon, I’m using my language skills that I learned here. Or I might read a commentary that I would not have picked up if it were not for my experience here. Or I might read a book that I would not have read or wouldn’t have been familiar with, if it were not for my experience here. And so it’s affected me in a positive way a great deal. So, that’s kind of the way I look at it. I tell people, I use something just about every day that I learned here. Some skill or something I learned one way or another. >>Doug Sweeney: That’s wonderful. Another thing that I love about your story is that you have served your congregation for more than 30 years. I think that’s a marvelous testimony – the faithfulness to the people God has given you. >>Bob: I try to keep that quiet. (laughs) >>Doug Sweeney: Well, it’s out now. Your secret’s out! You remind me, maybe you don’t want to remind me of the Puritans, but you do a little bit, because the Puritans, like our brothers and sisters in the Churches of Christ, practice the regulative principle, for example. If you don’t find things in scripture you’re not going to find them in our churches either. And the Puritans placed a very strong emphasis on the bond between the preacher and the congregation. And they had this sense that unless something bad happens, the preacher’s probably going to be with this group of people for the rest of his life. Now, this isn’t me committing you to being with your people for the rest of your life. It’s just to say I’ve always admired that in them. And I really admire it in you. And I wonder, has that been intentional on your part? How is it that you’ve been the preacher there for so long? >>Bob: No. Well, I have a good wife. That’s the first thing that I would say. They would have shown me the door long ago, but they knew that Cherry and I have an agreement. If I go, she goes. And they want to keep her, so they tolerate me. (laughs) That’s my first point that I try to make. But it’s just we’ve had a great relationship with the congregation there. Every church is independent, kind of makes up their own mind about who the preacher will be, how long he will stay. And those kinds of things. When I was growing up, like I said, my dad was a preacher. My wife’s dad was a preacher. They moved around a lot. We moved about every four years. So, I was talking with the church there at Oak Mountain years ago. I said, if it works out, we’d like to kind of stay a little bit longer than we’re used to staying. And I thought maybe ten years. That kind of would be the outer limit. But ten years goes by like that. Especially when your children are growing up and you’re involved in their activities. It goes by so fast. Before you know it, it’s 15 years. Time gets away fast. I made that statement about my wife. But it is a team effort, isn’t it? When you’re working with a church it’s husband and wife working together with the church. You really could not ... I said it in a joking way. But if it were not for her, I couldn’t do what I do. And so it is a team effort. And we’ve had a good relationship with the people. And from time to time things would come up and you might think, “Well, maybe it’s time to move on.” But then I would think, “Move on to what?” Well, another congregation with people problems. One reason I’m here is to help work through the people problems. Know what I mean? And you don’t leave because there’s a problem. Sometimes you can’t get over it. But you try to work through those problems and you have great people in the congregation that work with you and support you and you support them. And it’s a mutual effort. So it’s just been a good combination of things. The Lord has blessed us. That’s how we feel. They’ve let us stay there longer than I deserve. And it’s just been a wonderful experience. >>Kristen Padilla: On that note about perseverance in ministry, we’ve had a lot of conversations over the past two years about perseverance. Really, in part, because of COVID-19. So, what could you say to those listening who are maybe at the beginning of their ministry career, so to speak, or who have been really worn down by the pandemic? What are some lessons in perseverance over your 30 year ministry that would be helpful to those listening? >>Bob: Well, that’s a good question. I gave some thought to that. I thought, “Just keep going.” Things are difficult. That’s okay. There will always be challenges. But just take it a week at a time, repair yourself for this week’s challenges. Do the best you can with them. But just you made a commitment, just keep on with that commitment and just keep working at it. And you’ll get there. I don’t know if that’s helpful or not. >>Doug Sweeney: I think it is helpful. I think that’s a message a lot of us need. And I think maybe especially younger folks coming up need that kind of encouragement. It’s not going to be easy all the time. And when it gets tough sometimes it won’t feel great. But the Lord wants you to stick at it. Bob, I still remember ... I have this vivid memory of the time when I called you on the phone to let you know that the faculty and the alumni leadership had voted that you ought to be the alumnus of the year. And I called to let you know that and asked if you would accept. I remember it. I hadn’t had a phone call like that before, because you were hesitant to accept. You are a humble guy. And you don’t think very highly of yourself. And your instinct was to say, “No, there have got to be people who deserve this more than I do.” So, there’s another thing I admire about you. But I talked you into it. (laughter) And you decided eventually to accept the award because you wanted an opportunity to encourage other younger ministers, preachers, to devote themselves to the ministry of the Word, as you said. And I think that’s wonderful. I kind of want to tee you up to recommend faithfulness, stick-to-it-iveness with respect to the ministry of the Word to our audience. >>Bob: So, I graded for Dr. Mathews for several semesters. And we would sit in this office and talk and we would talk about the assignment or the test that had just been given. But sometimes we’d just talk. And I remember him saying one time, “The call to preach is a call to study.” And I’ve thought about that. That kind of stuck with me. That’s sort of the undergirding of the ministry of the Word. Study the Word. Learn the Word, teach the Word, preach the Word. And the Word is what people need. And I learned that from Dr. Wells as well in preaching class. He emphasized expository preaching. The Word is what people need. You might look at your congregation and think, “Well, you know, I think this is needed or that is needed.” Okay, find the Word, a passage that addresses that need and then teach it. And so that ministry of the Word, teaching the Word, the call to study. I’ve told younger preachers ... I remember telling one younger preacher, “When you’re studying for a sermon, really you’re studying for yourself. And you take what you learn and you teach it to others.” And he came back later and said, “Yeah, I didn’t really know what you meant by that, but I think I do now.” Sometimes people are more receptive than other times. But you’re growing and developing yourself and your faith and your understanding and your experience. And you draw from that as you devote yourself to the ministry of the Word. You draw from that and you share with the people what they need. I was reminded earlier ... My prayer is, on Sunday mornings as I’m ... Now, I don’t start preparing on Sunday mornings- (laughter) My prayer is, “God, help me to say what you want me to say in the way you want me to say it.” And that might just be another aspect of that ministry of the Word. What do you want me to say from your Word? And you help me say it the way you want me to say it. So, that’s my prayer. >>Kristen Padilla: Yeah. Well, alumni who are listening right now to this episode, we invite you to our alumni conference, November 7-8. During our alumni conference banquet our friend, our brother, Bob Hutto will receive his award and we hope that you will be there for that event. I know you’ve shared a lot of wisdom and have encouraged us so much already, but is there anything else that the Lord has been saying to you in your private study or as you have been preparing to preach that you think, you know, this would be an encouraging word to end on for our listeners? >>Bob: Well, you don’t always see the fruit of your labor immediately. As a teacher, for example ... I had a teacher tell me one time, “It’s when those students come back after several years and they say, ‘You helped me.’ Or, ‘I remember what you taught me.’” You don’t always see the fruit of your labor immediately. And so sometimes you have to sow and be patient. And just your work in the Lord is not in vain. You just keep at it. And you’ll see that reward later. If you make a commitment, stick with it. Work through those difficult times. There will be difficult times. Be devoted to the Word, preach what you find there to the people, and the fruit will come. >>Doug Sweeney: Amen. Listeners, this has been Bob Hutto, our friend, preacher at Oak Mountain Church of Christ in Pelham, Alabama for more than 30 years. We are proud to say he’s an alumnus of Beeson Divinity School. Kristen and I are proud to say ... He’s not a very proud man, but we’re proud to say he’s the alumnus of the year from Beeson Divinity School. We are grateful to him for being with us today. Thank you very much, Bob. >>Bob: Thank you for having me. >>Doug Sweeney: Listeners, thank you for tuning in. As ever, we love you, we’re praying for you. And we say goodbye for now. >>Kristen Padilla: You’ve been listening to the Beeson podcast. Our theme music is written and performed by Advent Birmingham of the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama. Our engineer is Rob Willis. Our announcer is Mike Pasquarello. Our co-hosts are Doug Sweeney and, myself, Kristen Padilla. Please subscribe to the Beeson podcast at www.BeesonDivinity.com/podcast or on iTunes.