A Lifetime of Holy Moments: An Interview With Dr. Dan Estes

For more than 40 years, Dr. Dan Estes ’74, Distinguished Professor of Old Testament, has faithfully taught and prayed for students at Cedarville University. As one of the longest-serving professors at the institution, Estes sat down with Cedarville Magazine to reflect on the lessons God has taught him and his students through decades of ministry. 

--- 

What first led you to transition from the pastorate to becoming a professor?  

One day, my senior pastor was speaking in Cedarville’s chapel. I came with him, and after chapel, Dr. Gromacki came up to me and said, “We've just received a new position, and I'd really like to have you come and join us now.”  

When I came back to campus for the official interview, I was really trying to seek the Lord's direction. There were two things that particularly stood out. First, I had a meeting with Dr. Dixon, and he laid out for me the ministry of discipleship that I could have in working with my students and sending them out literally all over the world. That really got my attention.  

A few hours after that, I had to teach a class. It was the first time I’d ever taught a formal college class, and it just was so natural; it was so delightful. I just felt the pleasure of the Lord as I was doing it, and I thought, “Yes, this is such a perfect fit.”  

What about your work has sustained your long teaching ministry?  

Teaching undergraduate students is the niche that the Lord has for me. This period of time is when all of the biggest life questions are right there on the table. I get to see a student come in as an 18-year-old and then see them when they graduate — they have made this transition in their lives, morally, intellectually, spiritually. I love that age group.  

And then I have the chance to do my research and writing, which is focused on Psalms and wisdom literature. I'm able to write resources here that are literally going all over the world, and it's my students who have been the first to receive it. 

What do you enjoy about teaching students from all different majors?  

My Psalms and wisdom lit courses are mainly juniors and seniors. And these are non-Bible majors. This semester, I've got all different majors, and so it's fun, because God's Word is intended for the people of God, not just for the “Theo Bros.” It's a joy to prepare them for life and have the Bible speak to their interests and concerns and questions as an accountant or as someone in communications or athletic training. They live in very different worlds, and yet the Bible speaks to all of those things well.  

What differences do you notice between the freshmen and upperclassmen you teach?  

The freshmen are starting to clarify what needs to happen, and we see some progress through the Bible and the Gospel semester, but it takes time for maturity to take place. By the time they get to be juniors and seniors, you see things starting to really come together in their thinking and in their life. And you can't speed that process up. It just takes time for the Holy Spirit to help them to really process it. But it is exciting to see a student I had as a first-semester freshman, and then I see them spring semester of their senior year, and it's like, “Wow, you've grown up so much.” It is just a delight.  

Do you see your Bible and the Gospel students coming to faith or developing their faith in significant ways?  

What I see is coming to Christlikeness. A lot of students have gotten the idea that, “Oh, I asked Jesus into my heart when I was seven, and I'm going to go to heaven when I die. And that's the whole story.” They are missing out. And so I really challenge them to become complete in Christ and talk about what God is doing to accomplish that and what we need to do in response to what God is doing. To see them making those steps in that direction is really rewarding.  

How did you begin your ministry of prayer for your students?  

Well, there are probably three steps to that, the first back when I was in seminary. One Sunday night, I went with my mom to visit an old woman in my home church. She showed me a map of the world with a whole bunch of pins stuck in it, and she said, “These are the people I pray for each day.” Well, that planted a seed in my mind about praying for other people.  

I took the second step about 20 years ago when I started asking my students the first day of class to write me a letter just describing their lives. And as I did that, it just helped me to understand them better.  

The third step was probably a little over 10 years ago, where I said, “Okay, could I help my students better if I also write them a note every so often just to tell them I'm praying for them that day?” It's just a little thing, but it's like the proverb that says a good word does good like medicine. I try to write those notes of encouragement so that the student reads it and realizes, “Oh, hey, my profs are praying for me here,” and that can just encourage them to keep at it.  

As you equip your students to be future church members, what advice would you give them about establishing a discipline of faithful prayer?  

We tend to think of prayer as what you do when someone has cancer or someone is facing an operation. But praying for one another in a routine can really draw us close together, heart to heart. God has called us in Ephesians 6 to have the opportunity to pray for all the saints. I think it's an untapped resource that we have in the Church.  

What could it do to revolutionize a unit in a college dorm or a class or a small group or a church? Just really praying intentionally for one another on a daily basis. The bond of Christian brotherhood or sisterhood that you get is just really profound. And if we could get a web of interlocking prayer for one another, that would just provide such strength within the Church. 

How has your ministry to your students expanded over the years?  

The other piece of it is that I have an open-door policy. If I'm here, then you don't have to have an appointment. Because there are so many things where if you have to make an appointment, the opportunity is gone.  

I've had students that come in, and for one reason or another, their heart is just breaking. Right now, they probably need their dad, but they know I'm here. And it's such a privilege, because so many of them just open their hearts. I get a few Kleenexes, hand them to the student, and then say, “Okay, tell me about it.” And to be able to be here for them is really special. Those are holy moments, when students come in with something like that in their hearts, to be able to encourage them.  

What impact does teaching fundamental biblical truths each semester have on you?  

One of the differences between being a pastor and being a professor is that as a pastor, you can't get away with preaching the same thing year after year. Here, we're expected to do that. But it's like the Lord takes it a little bit deeper each time. And if I remain attentive to what the Spirit is doing, then that becomes part of my growth.  

You know, there's a huge danger in just kind of coasting, saying, “Hey, I've got this.” And then you can fake it a little bit. You can kind of play this mind game. But you have to stay fresh and attentive to the Lord. And teaching has helped me to do that. That's why I grade all my student papers myself, because that's an important part of teaching them, but it also is an important part of the Holy Spirit teaching me.  

How do you prepare your students for their lives after graduation?  

The godly walk is something that I've reflected on all my life, and for a long time, I’ve taught a day on the godly walk in the Bible and the Gospel class.  

There are so many things that conspire to make us want to feel thoroughly at home in this life. And unfortunately, there are a lot of people who are not living lives of integrity. Christ is over here, but He doesn't really affect what they do when they're on the job or with their family or in the neighborhood or at the ballgame or at the restaurant. That's not what it's supposed to be.  

We are supposed to be pilgrims. Our whole orientation is that we are people of God, and He is the One who has our eternal inheritance. We are not citizens of the world. We're citizens of heaven. Our Christian faith ought to permeate every single molecule of our lives.  

What has been the most rewarding part of teaching at Cedarville?  

Being a teacher has a good side and a hard side to it. In 3 John, John talked about how “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” And when I run into a former student of mine, it is such a joy to hear that they're continuing with the Lord.  

But the other side of it is that there's tremendous heartbreak. When I hear of a student that I'd invested in [who] has departed from the faith, that just grieves my heart so much. Those are the heartbreaks that come for a pastor, for a teacher, for a professor, for a parent.  

In my teaching here at Cedarville, I certainly have had far more of the students who give me great joy than those who have brought me sorrow. But I leave a part of my heart in every student that I've ever had.