August 24th, 2008 Jeff
Wrote an article on GoingtoSeminary.com titled, "Starting Seminary Year 4 of ? "
My hope is to encourage those who must take longer-than-average in their studies, specifically as a reminder (to ourselves as well!) that God’s process on the journey is so vital.
While I could perhaps envy those who are able to breeze through seminary without delays, no debt, employed by their church, and with relatively little hardship or disappointments, there is no way I’d change this work of God deep in the soul for another path.
After all, isn’t it my own contention that all of life is preparation ?
Posted in Blog, Multnomah Seminary, Sanctification | No Comments »
July 8th, 2008 Jeff
Not from me, but from a fellow student on the East coast. Jake Belder writes in "Make Yourself at Home":
"… seminary can sometimes come to be viewed more as a means to an end or as a stepping stone than a time of formation and growth…. Understanding seminary as a stepping stone to something else will only lead you to view your whole life at that particular time and place as a stepping stone. You will never fully unpack the boxes, so to speak. Your apartment will be more like a hotel room than a home." (He then offers some advice on two fronts: relationships and church.)
Read the rest at goingtoseminary.com …
Posted in Blog, Multnomah Seminary | 1 Comment »
May 12th, 2008 Jeff
No worries — Kari and I are not failing seminary 
Instead, the title refers to a good reminder posted a while back at Goingtoseminary.com: "Failing Seminary for the Glory of God ."
I left a comment about the article, and recently Timothy Paul Jones, Assistant Professor of Leadership and Church Ministry at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, commented:
I may be wrong, but I do believe that some seminary professors are beginning to glimpse the truth in what you’re saying here—especially with reference to refusing to neglect your family. As a seminary prof, my students probably hear this statement in every class I teach: “What you do for God beyond your home will typically never be greater than what you’re practicing with God within your home. If this class keeps you from being the spiritual leader in your home that you need to be, drop the class and finish later. This seminary has been here 150 years and will probably be here another century or two—but your family, at the stage of life they’re at right now, will not be here forever. Do what they need you to do before you do what I ask you to do.”
Good words.
—
Here’s the list of seven given in the full article :
- Transformation, not information
- Give the wrong answer
- Read the important stuff (the Bible)
- Stop listening
- Put your family first
- Ignore your GPA
- Love the Church
And a concluding word from the author, "Just a Guy":
Note: I love seminary and I love my seminary. However, I am willing to do poorly in my classes in order that I might excel in the things listed above. These two things are not mutually exclusive, but I’d argue that focusing on the above will very likely result in lower grades (maybe not failing, but would you be willing to fail in order to do the above?)
What do you think?
Posted in Blog, Family, Multnomah Seminary | No Comments »
March 12th, 2008 Jeff
Dutch is a walking billboard for his student parents
Pray for us as we persevere in the joyful seminary journey.
—
You can join in a community of those attending seminary, those curious about it, and those praying for students and professors at GoingtoSeminary.com.
Posted in Blog, Dutch, Multnomah Seminary, Pics | 1 Comment »
March 8th, 2008 Jeff
Kari reminds us of the value of our continuing education, which far outweighs the rising financial cost of it.
The whole discussion was started by our reading an article (see original) first discussed over at Going to Seminary.
Posted in Blog, Kari, Multnomah Seminary | No Comments »
March 3rd, 2008 Jeff
As you may have noticed, Kari and I are going to seminary. Multnomah Biblical Seminary in Portland to be precise. We’ve found a home there, theologically, relationally, and on so many levels. It has been life-transforming and deepening for us. The old joke is that seminary = ‘cemetery’ … but the exact opposite has been true in our first-hand experience. I’ve been challenged in my love for God, love for others, and being a husband and father. Our marriage has been enriched and encouraged. There have been practical applications of deep theological truths. It is truly a unique experience to be in school together, not just one of us. The learning is not mere head knowledge (cognitive), it is reaching the very core of our beings and character (affections). In fact, while we would love to be able to drop all outside work and charge ahead full-boar towards graduation, this season of working and plodding along in school has been a formative experience. We wouldn’t trade it for anything. The degree is not our primary goal; knowing Christ and becoming like Him is our aim.
Our professors, godly men and women, continually challenge and nurture us. Our classes ranges from spiritual formation (development of character, prayer, and spiritual warfare) to biblical survey, from preaching to biblical languages , from pastoral counseling to biblical exegesis. My MDiv program is a 3-yr program for a full-time student (15+ graduate credits per semester), although I’m already at three years and will be half-way done in May. Kari’s Masters of Arts in Pastoral Studies - Women’s Ministry degree is a 2-yr full-time degree. She’s nearly complete with her course work, and then will have another year of part-time internship. As far as we know, she and I are the only full-time couple both currently at Multnomah.
We’ve also found support with our local church family. Among our church leadership only one went to seminary (our senior pastor), yet there seems to be at least a curiosity and in many cases supportive attitude. Others in the congregation wonder why we could be in college with a child. We’re not exactly in ‘college,’ but we understand the puzzling look.
Certainly, going for years to get a Master’s degree that will end up decreasing your earning power seems a bit odd. There seems to be a general disconnect between seminary and the local church (one thing Kari and I hope to influence the opposite direction). Multnomah seeks to impact that trend with their internship program, melding the best of the academy with local churches who want to develop the next generation of equipped leaders. Our experience in my internship has been great. Instead of simply handing me a pile of tasks and things-to-do, the pastoral leadership has rallied around me as mentors ought to, allowing me to watch and learn and ask and attempt and fail and grow. It is not an all-or-nothing proposition, and while we hope for a pastoral position (a job) in the end, the process is worth it. We love the local church and that is a primary reason to be in seminary. We want to see the church become better, all she is meant to be.
One recent source of recent camaraderie has been the new site, Going to Seminary, started by ‘Just a Guy.’ He and his wife and two kids are venturing through seminary, having started this year. Over at that site there various posts related to relevant topics for seminarians, ranging from finances to relationships to spiritual life to advice on how to go about researching a seminary. The comments are helpful too, with a growing readership of current and past seminarians (and others, I’m sure), giving varying perspectives for a unique (niche) group in our Christian population.
Posted in Blog, Family, Multnomah Seminary | 1 Comment »
