Twice this week I have engaged in conversations with brothers from the seminary on matters of sin, a believer's identity, the value of humanity, the value of the individual, Christ's perception of us, and much, much more. None of these topics are directly related to any assignment, reading, or purpose for my classes this semester.
So why do I love every minute of these conversations? Well, this quote does a swell job at summing it up:
"We seem in our generation to have moved a long way from this vehement zeal for the truth which Christ and his apostles displayed. But if we loved the glory of God more, and if we cared more for the eternal good of the souls of men, we would not refuse to engage in necessary controversy, when the truth of the gospel is at stake. The apostolic command is clear. We are "to maintain the truth in love," being neither truthless in our love, nor loveless in our truth, but holding the two in balance."
- John R. W. Stott, Christ the Controversialist.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Friday, December 16, 2011
I Made It!
Hello friends!
I know what you're thinking...
"Whoa! Sam! You're alive!!!"
Yes, it's been some time since my last post. I apologize. As the semester progressed my classes demanded more of me, and I ceased blogging. Over the break I will try and re-establish the habit and carry it into the new year.
But for now...
CELEBRATE! I MADE IT TO THE END OF THE SEMESTER!
6 classes, 14 credit hours, thousands of pages of reading, 10 papers, lots of little assignments, and one all-nighter. Whew.
Highlights of the semester...
-The Kern Scholars. I cannot express how thankful I am for the guys (and their wives) in my scholarship group. As the semester progressed we began to open up more, hang out outside of class, study together, and realize we were all having the same struggles. We learned to celebrate together, look out for one another, and most importantly, share actual parts of our life together. They've prayed for my mom, helped me with Greek, offered wedding and engagement advice, and helped make Alison feel welcome. It's quite possible that when I look back over my years at seminary, the best takeaway will not be the knowledge I gained, but the relationships I forged with these men. Thanks, fellas.
- Paper Grades. There are few things quite like the feeling of getting back a good grade on a paper you spent 30+ hours on writing. I had to write a 20-page paper for "Understanding Gospels and Acts," and was elated when it was returned to me with a 94%. Solid A, more than likely helping me achieve an A in the class, something I really wanted to do. Apologetics papers have been solid, my Biblical Interpretation paper was great...in the end, I have to thank the English Department at Shawnee Mission South. I had some of the greatest teachers during my time at South, who might as well have had the motto "Our students will NOT write bad papers."
- Greek Grade. Just found out I got an A- in Greek. Freaking yes.
- The Old Mill. They have $1 in-house drafts. Yes, this is a highlight. No, it's not academic...but it is delightful.
- The Challenge. I have learned so much about God, mission, the Gospels, faith, and a million other things over such a short amount of time. I've had beliefs shattered, convictions confirmed, paradigms blasted, and been humbled by my peers. 3 more years of this? I AM SO EXCITED.
What I've learned this semester....
Is that my greatest struggle over the next few years will be not to let the academic eclipse or silence the spiritual. EVERYONE I talked to who had been to seminary warned me about this. I believed them. And they were right. It is really tough to write so many papers, read so many books, and have a GPA you must maintain, and still remember that every pen stroke, every test, every page written should be for the Glory of God. Did I succeed in this? Not entirely. There were definitely days I pushed hard and fast just to get done, regardless of what I might need to be learning. But God is gracious, faithful, and will keep working on my heart to handle the academic rigors in the future. Next semester I drop from 14 to 11 credit hours. That should help alot.
But I'm also going to be far more intentional about establishing and protecting some non-academic time with God. Gotta have it. Missed that this semester.
So now, a break. I get to go home. I get to spend time with my amazingly wonderful fiancee, Alison, who has been absolutely terrific this semester. Yes, I am about to brag about the woman I love. If you think that's gross, just skip down a bit. Alison made so many sacrifices this semester. We live 500 miles apart. We skype every night. On multiple occasions she's left after work to drive 7 hours to Colorado, arriving at midnight or later, just to see me for the weekend. She's put up with me being locked away paper writing during our brief visits. She's trying to plan a wedding with minimal help from me, because there's little I can do from out here. She's met total strangers with a smile on her face and the gracious, loving attitude that makes me love her all the more. She's edited papers. She's let me rant about all the new theology I'm learning, which is fascinating to me, but usually pretty boring to those outside of seminary (pastor's are notorious for assuming everyone wants to know this stuff). She's been nothing short of wonderful. Thanks, my love.
(If you skipped all that, this is where you can come in again)
I'll be headed back to Kansas soon. If you live there, be sure and track me down, we can hang out. And I'll make an effort to get back into blogging. I've had a few people tell me they enjoy keeping up with my life (crazy, huh?), and I want to share what I'm learning with everyone!
Love you all,
-Sam
I know what you're thinking...
"Whoa! Sam! You're alive!!!"
Yes, it's been some time since my last post. I apologize. As the semester progressed my classes demanded more of me, and I ceased blogging. Over the break I will try and re-establish the habit and carry it into the new year.
But for now...
CELEBRATE! I MADE IT TO THE END OF THE SEMESTER!
6 classes, 14 credit hours, thousands of pages of reading, 10 papers, lots of little assignments, and one all-nighter. Whew.
Highlights of the semester...
-The Kern Scholars. I cannot express how thankful I am for the guys (and their wives) in my scholarship group. As the semester progressed we began to open up more, hang out outside of class, study together, and realize we were all having the same struggles. We learned to celebrate together, look out for one another, and most importantly, share actual parts of our life together. They've prayed for my mom, helped me with Greek, offered wedding and engagement advice, and helped make Alison feel welcome. It's quite possible that when I look back over my years at seminary, the best takeaway will not be the knowledge I gained, but the relationships I forged with these men. Thanks, fellas.
- Paper Grades. There are few things quite like the feeling of getting back a good grade on a paper you spent 30+ hours on writing. I had to write a 20-page paper for "Understanding Gospels and Acts," and was elated when it was returned to me with a 94%. Solid A, more than likely helping me achieve an A in the class, something I really wanted to do. Apologetics papers have been solid, my Biblical Interpretation paper was great...in the end, I have to thank the English Department at Shawnee Mission South. I had some of the greatest teachers during my time at South, who might as well have had the motto "Our students will NOT write bad papers."
- Greek Grade. Just found out I got an A- in Greek. Freaking yes.
- The Old Mill. They have $1 in-house drafts. Yes, this is a highlight. No, it's not academic...but it is delightful.
- The Challenge. I have learned so much about God, mission, the Gospels, faith, and a million other things over such a short amount of time. I've had beliefs shattered, convictions confirmed, paradigms blasted, and been humbled by my peers. 3 more years of this? I AM SO EXCITED.
What I've learned this semester....
Is that my greatest struggle over the next few years will be not to let the academic eclipse or silence the spiritual. EVERYONE I talked to who had been to seminary warned me about this. I believed them. And they were right. It is really tough to write so many papers, read so many books, and have a GPA you must maintain, and still remember that every pen stroke, every test, every page written should be for the Glory of God. Did I succeed in this? Not entirely. There were definitely days I pushed hard and fast just to get done, regardless of what I might need to be learning. But God is gracious, faithful, and will keep working on my heart to handle the academic rigors in the future. Next semester I drop from 14 to 11 credit hours. That should help alot.
But I'm also going to be far more intentional about establishing and protecting some non-academic time with God. Gotta have it. Missed that this semester.
So now, a break. I get to go home. I get to spend time with my amazingly wonderful fiancee, Alison, who has been absolutely terrific this semester. Yes, I am about to brag about the woman I love. If you think that's gross, just skip down a bit. Alison made so many sacrifices this semester. We live 500 miles apart. We skype every night. On multiple occasions she's left after work to drive 7 hours to Colorado, arriving at midnight or later, just to see me for the weekend. She's put up with me being locked away paper writing during our brief visits. She's trying to plan a wedding with minimal help from me, because there's little I can do from out here. She's met total strangers with a smile on her face and the gracious, loving attitude that makes me love her all the more. She's edited papers. She's let me rant about all the new theology I'm learning, which is fascinating to me, but usually pretty boring to those outside of seminary (pastor's are notorious for assuming everyone wants to know this stuff). She's been nothing short of wonderful. Thanks, my love.
(If you skipped all that, this is where you can come in again)
I'll be headed back to Kansas soon. If you live there, be sure and track me down, we can hang out. And I'll make an effort to get back into blogging. I've had a few people tell me they enjoy keeping up with my life (crazy, huh?), and I want to share what I'm learning with everyone!
Love you all,
-Sam
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