51st Founders Day

Text of LXA Keynote Address

Saturday, April 17, 2010

First of all, thank you very much for the invitation to attend the 51^st Iota Theta chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha Founder’s Day celebration.

My name is Rob Roedel, Iota-Theta 723, and with me tonight is my wife of 14 years, Carrie. We reside in Bryant, Arkansas where Carrie works at the Bryant Chamber of Commerce and I work as the corporate communications manager for the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas.

I am a 1989 graduate of A-State with a degree in Journalism with emphasis in Public Relations. My parents would tell you that my real major was the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.

For any wives, girlfriends, guests or visitors here this evening, I would like for you to know that Lambda Chi Alpha (ΛΧΑ) is one of the largest men's general fraternities in North America and has initiated more than 270,000 members and held chapters at more than 300 universities. It is a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) and was founded by Warren A. Cole, at Boston University, on November 2, 1909. The youngest of the fifteen largest social fraternities, Lambda Chi Alpha has initiated the third highest number of men ever.

There is an exercise I have done with youth groups. Actually, I have even seen it done with adults as well.

It's called a faith walk. A faith walk is where one person is blindfolded -- actually sometimes there is a group that is blindfolded. Then they are lead around by someone. Someone who can see and knows the path and potential dangers.

I owe a debt to the brothers of Lambda Chi Alpha that provided me with a clear path through college and preparing me for life. College was a challenging experience. But, it was made much better by being lead by someone that I trusted, a brother, who had been there before.

As a freshman associate, I was basically forced to live by faith -- and not by sight. I had to depend on someone else for seeing the fullness of college life and life in general.

I was a 1985 graduate of Valley View High School. One of a class of 48 students. I was one of the first members of my family to attend college.

One day during the summer of 1985, my dad walked into my room with two envelopes. One was a payment book for my truck and the other was the insurance bill. He told me that I could live at home while I was attending college, but I had to pay for my truck…and the insurance when it was due.

Well, nobody knows his son like a dad or mom. That was my challenge. Are you going to win or not? Are you man enough to do this?

Needless to say, I got a job and worked the rest of the summer. One night I was talking to a group of guys and they asked me if I planned to join a fraternity. I told them maybe. They asked if I had registered for classes. I said no. They looked at me with a shocked look. I had apparently missed a deadline for registration. The guys, a group of Lambda Chi’s, somehow managed to get me registered and in classes that accommodated my work schedule. I was blind, but they were not.

When we trust someone else to lead it can be very scary. You really aren’t sure about the direction at times. You can be very challenged. That is was me in 1985. But there became a time -- that time I was the leader. Once I became a brother I was able to see, and the blindness and trust of faith gave way to sight.

The following scripture helps me summarize what I learned. It is written by Paul, who was trying to help a group of people that believed the same thing - to look at the big picture.

1 Corinthians 13:4

4 Love is patient; love is kind. Love does not envy; is not boastful; is not conceited; ⁵ does not act improperly; is not selfish; is not provoked; does not keep a record of wrongs; ⁶ finds no joy in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ⁸ Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for languages, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. ⁹ For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. ¹⁰ But when the perfect comes, the partial will come to an end. ¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things. ¹² For now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known.¹³ Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

But the greatest of these is love. Why? Because love will remain for eternity until we see God face to face, whereas faith won’t.

Faith won't remain -- but what of hope? Well, hope has two parts -- a desire, and the future expectation of something. Hope. The greatest hope for the Christian is to see God face to face. To sit at the heavenly banquet, and see all of those wonderful saints who went before.

This is what determines and shapes all the rest of our lives – the hope of the resurrection.

Hope has a way of seeing the future, and knows deep down what will be in the future.

A father hopes to see his child after he is born. There is usually a reasonable expectation that this will happen. When it does – hope is gone, because you have experienced the reality.

When I became as associate member of Lambda Chi Alpha in 1985, our chapter consisted of about 40 very diverse members. Our hang out was a suite in Danner Hall, which is now gone. We met for chapter meetings in Wilson Hall.

It was a time of excitement though. The chapter was about to build a fraternity house thanks to an awesome group of alumni.

The house was to be the second built on campus. The TKEs had built a Pizza Hut, and our house was going to knock everyone out! It was an exciting time.

I was able to move into the house during my sophomore year. I guess it sounds strange, but I wanted to be around the other Lambda Chi’s and the girls. I had a few roommates, but Tal Taggart was my long-time roomie.

I was driving through Augusta, Arkansas a few years ago day with a film crew and a group of people. I glanced out the car window ..who did I see? Old Tal. With the group in tow, we had lunch and then visited his parent’s new houseboat. Any of you that know, Mr. Tommy and Mrs. Rosemary, know how much fun they are.

Upon leaving, one of the production crew people asked, when the last time I had seen them was. I answered about 15 years ago. He was shocked and replied that they must be true friends, my reply was simple. Nope. They are my brothers.

Love remains. That is why it is the greatest. It will be the same now and forever.

I should tell you something about the word Love and my Lambda Chi Alpha experience.

So abide these three -- but the greatest of these is love -- the love that comes from God, and is a commitment to people because of God. This is not just an emotional response -- it is a much deeper kind of love.

But this is a love that doesn't delight in evil. This is a type of love that is not sort of wimpy and unwilling to talk about how a fellow brother is harming the community, or harming themselves. This is a love that doesn’t let evil sort of slide in to the back or the front door, and call it something other than what it is.

Yet this is a love that has a balance.

I was honored to serve Iota Theta as High Beta, High Alpha and High Rho. During this time our chapter experienced a great deal of success. Our membership numbers approached 100 active members, our programs were growing stronger and stronger, our chapter GPA approached a 3.0, and I was called to the Dean of Students office less and less.

I learned a great deal about leadership from these roles. Like what?

Even if you are the president, people won’t follow you if you don’t earn respect. I would like to think that I earned the respect of my brothers by being one of the first to jump in on a project. Buffing floors, or whatever.

Standing firm on principles. If a brother got out of line, then we were obligated to assist the brother in solving the issue.

If a brother refused correction, then we learned to deal with it and move on.

I learned to – show love – by not rejoicing in evil – show love, by being kind and fair.

How in the world do you do that? That, my dear brothers, is exactly why Paul had to write this very part of the letter. It is a matter of maturity – a matter of growing up.

It comes from looking at yourself, and seeing what is inside of you. Being honest enough to see your own self – not as a way of excusing others, nor excusing yourself, but rather as a way of leading yourself to humility.

There were many brothers that I watched go through college and become very successful businessmen and above all else gentlemen.

You see many of them were like me. They knew that wanted a college education, but were lost and looking for guidance and direction. Once they applied the LXA principles and surrounded themselves with brotherly love, their path became clear.

Sadly, I watched others, many who were very intellectual and smart fall by the wayside with a lack of guidance and direction. Where are they today? I don’t know, but I hope they are happy in life.

Once an Associate locked into the concept of LXA brotherhood, then their focus was laser sharp. I remember the pride on faces when a light went off inside of them.

That was when he understood that despite all of the people in his life that had deserted him – his fraternity brothers wouldn’t. The joy in his face when he realized that the people of the Fraternity would try to follow the example of Jesus, and not desert him either.

That is a truth to rejoice in.

More rejoicing should have been done for that, than for some of those other kids who were able to learn lessons, but weren’t didn’t really know it.

The principles?

1. Loyalty

• 1. Alumni that signed notes and have continued to support the Fraternity.

2. Duty

• 1. Founded by Veterans with a chapter motto of, “We can do what we want to do.

1. Respect

   1. Jacob Cantrell was Iota Theta 468. Story of alumni that attended a chapter meeting; Smiled the whole time; Died from terminal illness shortly thereafter.

2. Service and Stewardship

   1. Prepares young men for a life of altruism

3. Honor

   1. Above all else.

4. Integrity

   1. Unquestionable.

5. Personal Courage

   1. I was diagnosed with a brain tumor in November 1995. I have been all clear since 1996.

Oftentimes in today’s society we like to put labels on people. In my experience, two things that can generally start an argument pretty quickly are religion and politics We also know those kinds of divisions – some are called Baptist, some non-denominational, some Roman Catholic, some Presbyterian. I like calling those flavors, rather than denominations. It is how we flavor our view – our slightly different understanding of life and our faith.

I learned this lesson during my senior year when I served as the IFC president. I worked to make the entire Greek system stronger by encouraging more partnerships.

Does everyone have to be in the same denomination for you to be friends with them? I would hope not. Rejoice in the truth that they can share with you. Rejoice in the friendship they show you.

So remain these three, faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love.

Love that finds its hope in Christ, and therefore can rejoice in the truth.

And love that endures – because a brother is willing to continue to protect and guide you.

Warren Dupwe was the High Pi during my time at Arkansas State. He often told a story of the lost rider in the desert.

A rider was riding through the desert in complete darkness, when a voice came upon him and told him to dismount; reach down and fill his saddle bags with the rocks in a creek bed. The rider was fearful that his horse would not be able to withstand much weight, so he did gather a few stones that he felt. The voice then said, so be it. You may never return to this place. The rider rode through the night. At daybreak, he approached his destination. Upon dismounting, he opens his saddlebags to find the most beautiful diamond and gold nuggets he had ever seen. He thought back and remembered his instructions and his reaction. As he reflected, he was greatly troubled as he realized that he didn’t truly obey and would never be allowed to return to the site of the richness.

Faith, Hope and Love and the greatest of these is love.

College age brothers, heed this story. Alumni brothers, cherish your gems.

Be blessed.