Thanks, Dr. Bob Monts, A Creative Maestro of Learning

Congrats Dr. Bob Monts on retirement.

May 31, 2020, will officially mark the day that you retire as a full-time professor at Lincoln Christian University. Although you will still be teaching at LCU as an adjunct professor, and we are excited about that, it is a sad day for me. We have worked together, created incredible learning experiences for teens and adults alike together, and have gotten in trouble together just having fun and enjoying life. You will be missed by our campus. I will miss you a ton.

You are not only a friend, but you have been a mentor, a teacher to me (as well as countless other learners), and have shaped the way that I innovatively create learning environments and experiences for students by igniting imaginations, equipping, and unleashing them to maturity. When students thank me for a creative class, I quickly say that I learned everything from you!  

From the first day I met you until today, I always walk away with new insights, inspirations, and a firm assurance of your friendship and love. I will miss our friendly debates about theology or class pedagogy. I will miss the times that we sat in each other’s classes, played devil’s advocate and learned from each other. I will miss the practical jokes (that I usually played on you. Ha.)!!! 

I love listening and learning from you, Bob. You are a master. A maestro of learning. I have stolen thousands of ideas from you over the years (most, I give credit to you, but probably some I don’t!). You make me better as a person, professor, and curious learner. I love every conversation with you. The clever insights you share, in class or in the hallway, are always fresh, intelligent, and catalytic. You have always stimulated my thinking, sparked my creativity, and challenged my assumptions; you have helped me grow as a Christian leader.  I am always blessed and will be forever grateful. 

I remember the first time I met you in Putnam, IL.  Several areas ministers gathered at your house to put together a week of 8-9th grade camp. Little did I know that my initiation into the crazy world of Bob 33 years ago would have such a profound impact on me creatively, professionally, theologically, pedagogically, philosophically, epistemologically (and probably a bunch of other hundred dollar “oligical” words)!!!  That first camp season, we didn’t just pull out last year’s camp template. You pulled out a blank slate and we started with what we wanted the students to discover instead of what we wanted to teach. And we crafted one of the most creative weeks of summer camp I had been a part. This set the standard for how I did and do camps, retreats, leadership conferences, preaching, teaching, or even having conversations at McDs. That standard was to not teach material to passive listeners but to engage them with paradigmatic altering questions, silence, conundrums, learning experiences, and aha moment discoveries. You taught me that students must discover the lessons and insights we want them to learn, not just tell them pre-packaged information we want them to remember and regurgitate on an exam. And I did discover it by watching and teaching (creating discovery experiences) right along with you at Rock River Christian Camp in Polo, IL, serving together for a decade at Central Church of Christ in Streator, IL,  and then after a  taking a break from working together for a couple of years, teaching together at Lincoln Christian University for the last 18 years. 

I am thankful for all of those collaborative ministry experiences we had together at Central (along with Tim Hughes, our faithful leader) designing learning experiences for the great folks in Streator, whether that be teacher training weekends, family nights, leadership development experiences, Sunday school classes, and of course, camp. When you left, I was bummed. 

But the fun continued as I followed you to LCU a few years later to teach youth and family ministry. I was so excited to learn with other LCU students from you. Students love your classes and are always engaged because they do not passively sit and receive information lectured from a podium (what is a podium??) but learn through creative discovery learning experiences. I was always impressed with the learning environments in your classes as demonstrated by the hip hop music blasting out of the room, dancing a crazy jig, Friday Kahoot days (which I would almost always hop in on even though I would get 17th out of the class!), greeting your students as they enter the room in fun ways, engaging in thought-provoking discussions and challenging questions, the laughter, and the freedom to explore and challenge ideas appropriately. 

And yes, I will miss walking past your room turning off the lights and running out of sight to you yelling my name as if you would be able to catch me.

You exemplify the kind of servant leader Lincoln Christian University aims to develop, those who present Christ in the church and the world. 

Lincoln Christian University has been blessed to have you teach, mentor, and model life as a servant leader professor for the last many years. And happily, you will still be teaching intensives and online, but I won’t be able to shut the lights off when you are teaching online. So it is an end of an era. One that I am again bummed about, but excited for you to be a full-time husband, dad, and grandpa. 

I guess I just want to say, thanks a ton. My life would not be what it is if I hadn’t crossed paths with you in Putnam. I am filled with joy because of you. 

Love you, Bob. Well done. And oh yeah, Jesus love you!

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” Phil 1:3-6.