I didn't get it quite right. The phrase κλητὸςἀπόστολος appeared on the first exam in Jim Cook's class on the Book of Romans, and we were to provide the correct translation. I thought I had it right: "called an apostle." My exam was returned, however, with the correction, "an apostle by God's calling." Along with the correction was a penciled-in explanation of the importance of Paul's recognition and assertion that his calling to be an apostle of Jesus Christ was a call from God himself. Paul was, said the note, not just called or named an apostle by himself and others; Paul knew he was called by God himself to be an apostle of Jesus Christ. At the time, it really didn't seem all that important to me. Of course, it meant a few points taken off the total grade, but aside from that, I really failed to grasp the importance of the distinction being made. It simply seemed another one of those things that academics worry about! How wrong I was! Since that time, the distinction Jim pointed out has come to be far more than a fine-tuned academic nicety! Serving as the pastor of a small-membership congregation has brought many joys to my life. It has also brought a variety of challenges and discouragements that at times have seemed overwhelming. In both the times of joy and in the times of despair, it has been so important for me to remember that I have not simply added a "title" to my name. It has been important for me to remember what Jim taught me in his careful correction of my exam, namely, that I, too, have been called by God and by the church of Jesus Christ, called to serve as a Minister of Word and Sacrament. How grateful I have been for a professor who took the time and the interest to insist I not overlook something important that was going on in the text! Stories such as this abound in the lives and in the ministries of the students of Jim Cook. In so many ways, inside the classroom and out, Jim Cook reached into our minds, into our hearts, into our lives. Sometimes he spoke a word of challenge or correction. ...