Criswell grads told: Reflect on God’s faithfulness

DALLAS?Forty-one students were awarded bachelor of arts degrees, 19 students earned the master of arts and one received master of divinity during the 35th annual commencement exercises of Criswell College on May 8.

Michael A. Deahl was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree by the school’s board of trustees, recognizing distinguished service in the cause of Jesus Christ. Deahl was commended for 30 years of service at First Baptist Church of Dallas, including 21 years of which he served as a deacon and 12 years on the school’s trustee board, the last five as chairman.

Deahl also was recognized for serving as a trustee of LifeWay Christian Resources, on numerous committees of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and as a member of the board of directors for the Kelly Green Evangelistic Association.

A graduate of the University of Wyoming with a degree in business and the University of Wyoming College of Law with a juris doctorate degree, Deahl began his legal career in Dallas in 1980 and became a founding partner of Powell Coleman & Arnold LLP in 1995.

He and his wife, Susan, have one daughter.

In presenting the honorary degree, Criswell College Interim President Lamar E. Cooper Sr. commended Deahl’s service.

David L. Henderson, a board-certified psychiatrist recently was named to the Hope for the Heart counseling chair and serving as professor of psychology and counseling, offered the commencement address. He encouraged graduates to use the day “as a check point, to stop and take a breath, reflecting on the Lord’s faithfulness.”

Quoting Isaiah 66:9, Henderson said. “These are days that confirm to us the promise God gave, ‘I will not cause pain without allowing something new to be born.'” He compared the scrolls certifying their degrees to the stones the Israelites set as monuments to God’s faithfulness. “The purpose is the same, to never forget that the God who brought you in is the God who will bring you out. The God who led you to this present place is the God who will sustain you in the future that awaits.”