One of the deep joys of the Christian life is that the Lord Christ uses his people to shape his people. “Iron sharpens iron,” as it says in Proverbs. As I look back on the last thirty years of my own Christian walk, among the brothers who have shaped my life one of the first that comes to mind is Jacques Alexanian, now residing with his wife Loretta in Gatineau, Quebec. Jacques served for a good number of years as the President of SEMBEQ. His influence on me has been enormous. In many ways, he has been a father in the Lord Jesus. In particular, he taught me about the nature of true Christian leadership, its vital importance for the Church, and the joy of serving Christ humbly.
I am also deeply thankful for the hospitality he and Loretta showed me year after year when I came up to Montreal to teach at SEMBEQ. Those days are over now, but not forgotten and times of fellowship with Jacques and Loretta are woven into the fabric of my Christian life. May the Lord continue to make both of them a blessing to his people and an ornament of grace.