"I feel like I'm 22 again... just with 40 years of experience," Dr. Burch joked when we asked how retirement is going.
After 48 years in higher education, including 15 at JBU, what made JBU feel like home? For Dr. Burch, it was the individual relationships and the unexpected moments of connection along the way.
He still chuckles about the day a student taped a picture to his office door with his face edited elegantly onto a saint with the caption, "Saint Maximus." He still cherishes the conversations that happened on sidewalks, after class, and in the ordinary moments of walking in between.
When we asked where he's seen God most clearly, he didn't point to accomplishments or milestones. He talked about the privilege of spending his life with us, learning alongside us, and watching us grow.
As retirement begins, Dr. Burch is resisting the urge to drag the familiar into God's plan, and hopes to be faithful wherever God puts him.
He firmly believes in reciprocal mentorship and says he's learned a tremendous amount from students in whom he sees the hand of God.
Thank you, Dr. Burch, for reminding us that some of the most lasting lessons aren't just found in a lecture. They're found in the relationships that illustrate what it looks like to follow Christ. Thank you for modeling gentleness, tranquility and strength.
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