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Summer 2009 | Volume 67, No. 4
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From Angus to Aristotle: 50-Year-Old Cattleman Goes Back to School
by Keith Collier
Before the sun begins to peek over the horizon of his 800-acre farm, 50-year-old cattleman Tim Stobaugh climbs into his pickup truck and begins his hour-and-a-half drive south to attend classes at the College at Southwestern. For a man who for 20 years rarely left rural Cooke County, located along the Texas-Oklahoma border, this early morning sacrifice reflects a commitment to the Lord’s call on his life.
The majority of Stobaugh’s life has focused on cows. “I was born on a dairy farm,” he says. “When I was 25 years old, I decided to put in my own dairy operation.”
After 20 years of milking cows and farming, Stobaugh sold his dairy business and made the transition to beef rancher. Currently, he farms 400 acres of land and pastures about 90 mother cows.
Despite his success, one thing nagged at Stobaugh. “All my life I’ve always accepted a challenge, but school was not one of them,” he says.
“I was never what I considered a good student in my early years. But the older I got, the more I thought about what I might have missed by not going (to college).”
One day the education minister at Stobaugh’s church invited him to ride to Fort Worth to pick up some books at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s bookstore. Stobaugh’s curiosity prompted him to ask for a campus tour while they were there.
Initially interested in simply taking a few Old Testament classes, Stobaugh decided to pursue a Certificate in Biblical Studies at Southwestern.
After one semester, Stobaugh was hooked. “I only went to get some Old Testament,” he says, “but once I completed that first semester, there was no doubt about it that I was going to come back the next semester and do it again.
“I was actually older than most of the professors that I was studying under. They were just as considerate and compassionate to me as they were any of the others.”
Eventually, Stobaugh enrolled in the undergraduate program and began to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities, which includes classes in the history, life, and thought of Western civilization and culture alongside a biblical worldview. Seven semesters later, he continues to make up for lost time and soak up what he’s learning.
“What has helped me the most is what I learned in the Old Testament surveys and focus classes because they give me an ability now to open up the Old Testament anywhere at anytime, and I know where I’m at,” says Stobaugh. “They have brought the Old Testament alive that was actually dead to me before. Now it’s just as alive as I am.”
Stobaugh claims his classes have strengthened his ability to critically analyze worldviews and truth claims, which gives him more boldness to engage people in conversation and transition into a Gospel presentation.
“That’s just all I think about much anymore … just another witnessing opportunity. That’s what God has called us to do.
“I think God used Southwestern as a tool to change my heart so that I can look at others differently than I did before.”
This heart change is preparing Stobaugh for future ministry. “Wherever God leads me, I want to be ready,” he says. “If it’s another country, I want to have my passport ready.”
For now, Stobaugh’s time outside the classroom still consists of pulling calves, breeding cows, plowing fields, and building fences. “I’m not too old to learn, although I thought I might be,” says Stobaugh.
“I’ve never read so much in my life. I’ve never studied so much in my life. But, I’ve never gained so much out of something either.”
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