Tag - goingtoseminary

Some Thoughts on Rhythm and Life

Do you have any rituals? My roommate gets up most every morning at around the same time, goes for a run, makes a French press of coffee and sits out our kitchen table and reads his giant red-leather Study Bible and journals for a long time after. I...

Study Tips for Seminary

The seminary study tips that are important for doing well in seminary. They are taking advantage of the writing center, staying on top of reading assignments, and knowing the library well. It is important that to succeed in seminary that you stay on...

Interim Terms: To Do or Not To Do?

Though most of you are familiar with Summer term classes, many of you may not be aware that most seminaries offer what is called an “Interim Term” between the Fall and Spring semester and/or one between the Spring and Summer semester...

You can’t do it all

When juggling ministry and full-time education, there are times when one will need to make decisions that lead to compromising one for the sake of the other. At times, it is easy to feel as if there are never enough hours in a day to finish all of...

Discouragement

Avoiding discouragement is part of the battle. When the world looks at only using the scientific method and tangible evidence as the sole means of valid decision making, it becomes difficult to convince even believers that what God has designed you...

Finding a Church During Seminary

If you’re like me, you had to make the difficult decision of uprooting and leaving a wonderful church to attend seminary. Others of you have chosen to stay local, have been commissioned by your denomination, or aren’t terribly particular...

Facing Insecurities in Seminary

During my seminary career I encountered some very different and unfamiliar dynamics both in the classroom and outside the classroom. If you are struggling with feeling insecure at seminary for one reason or another, then perhaps you know what I mean...

Making friends outside of seminary

Although I don’t believe very strongly in the distinction between “Christians bubbles” and “the real world”–the corrupting power of sin is everywhere and so is Jesus’ work of redemption–my peers and I...

Time-management in seminary

Seminary is a whole new animal. Most of the people I know in seminary fall into one of two categories. Either they’re single, moved states for school, and literally everything they’re doing is brand new: church, work, friends, school...

Forming relationships with professors

One of the most valuable things I’ve done in my first few weeks at seminary is set up office hours with three of my five professors. Why? One of them bought me a burger! So it’s at least worth $8.25. All joking aside, I’d like to...

How to make friends in seminary

If you’re like me, you left good friendships to move away for seminary. Or maybe you’re about to and this blog post could offer you some more concrete hope for making friends once you do move. I’d like to offer you five very...

How to Read in Seminary

This semester, I’m reading about 5,000 pages. If you’re in seminary, or considering it, so will you! From what I’ve learned so far–both in my intensive reading program and undergrad and in my seminary classes–here are...

Finding Community at Seminary

There are a variety of ways to find community on a seminary campus. I certainly don’t mean to offer this writing as the only way. Every day I’ve found people gathered in the community room watching football, or a great show. I watch other seminary...

God at Work in Your Classes

There is that old time “joke” of calling seminary, “cemeteries.” What is the cause of this notorious designation you ask? I can personally testify to experiencing some of this so called “deadening” as the Bible becomes a piece of literature to...

Compline: Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

Confession: I’m a night owl. I can’t do mornings. And yet, there is a long tradition in the Church of beginning your day with devotional meditation with God. I’m working on it. But in the meantime, one of the great ironies is that few things can put...

Sometimes, Seminary Can Be Fun!

In one of the first episodes of the U.S. version of The Office (about a paper company), one of the employees is asked why, though he hates his job, he doesn’t quit. He says something like, “Because what would I do with all these useless facts about...

Being Married in Seminary

I cannot help but laugh at the timing of my writing of this post. I am sitting here fiddling through a basket of fries from an order of food my husband and I picked up after an exhausting day of arguing and bickering. It reminded me why a need for a...

Brotherhood in Semianry

What is brotherhood? One definition I came across is, “the feeling of kinship with and closeness to a group of people or all people.” I would like to venture to say that brotherhood is necessary in seminary and generally, in life. As a second year...

Organizing Seminary: Making an agenda

I am notoriously disorganized and undisciplined. I tend to move from thing to thing only as I am inspired to do so. I am not good at putting limits and structure on myself. And yet, Graduate School is something that demands this. It’s...

Time Management & Eternity

I’m writing this article so I don’t have to do Greek homework. The worst part is I know I’m procrastinating. Actually, that’s not the worst part… I have put my Greek homework off for the whole week. Now that I have that confessions off my chest, we...

Seminary Study Tips

If you’re a seminary student, then chances are you are always looking for ways to increase the effectiveness of your study times. This effectiveness can be played out in multiple ways: through better organization practices, memorization tips, useful...

Developing a Prayer Life in Seminary

How often do we need to pray? What does prayer look like? How can I know I’m doing it right? Often, the interesting aspect of beginning seminary life is not the amount of security you find, but the lack of depth you uncover. It was during my first...

Writing for Self-Growth

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about integrity. While many definitions exist, for me it means simply that your private self is somehow integrated with your public self. Sure, there are things you keep private, but it’s not an entirely...

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