Share the Seminary Love - Win $50 and a Book

Want to win a $50 amazon card?

At goingtoseminary.com I dream of the day when I’ll give away an actual scholarship (my goal is to have a $1000 scholarship available by this time next year). Until then, I have to start small… So, for our first competition the prize will be a $50 gift card to amazon.com and a new copy of A Reader’s Greek New Testament. While it is not a scholarship… you could consider this a small book stipend. (Thanks to Bible Geeks Gone Wild for the book donation.)

THE COMPETITION:
Between now (January 20th) and February 14 the site that refers the most visitors to goingtoseminary.com will win a $50 amazon gift card.

THE RULES:

1. Competition is open to anyone who has a blog or website (not just seminary students).
2. Visitors must come from your website to be tracked and credited to your tally.
3. Encouraging people to click a link multiple times is against the rules. So, no posts like this: “I’m trying to win $50 so click this link 10 times a day for me”
4. You may, personally, only use a link on your site ONCE per day.
5. Visitors from your site will be counted from the time of this post through 11:59 pm on February 13th, 2008. The winner will be announced on February 14th (get it? share the love… February 14… get it?).
6. This is the first competition I’ve ever run, so I reserve the right to add rules if I catch any shady activity.

IDEAS TO HELP YOU WIN:

• I created a bunch of link icons below. Feel free to copy the code and paste it into your sidebar on on your website. I have them for both white and colored backgrounds.
• Write a post about something you’ve read at goingtoseminary.com and link back to the article.
• Write a review of goingtosemianry.com and link to the site.
• If you use wordpress, add the goingtoseminary.com feed into the rss sidebar widget
• Be creative… we’re talking about $50 here… that’s like 2 or 3 books!

WHY A COMPETITION:

Well, the truth is that we’ll have more of these in the future… this is just the first one. I’m thinking that the next one might be the most creative non-web advertisement (as suggested by Shaun). Anyway, this is just a fun way to help get the word out about the site and all the resources I’m trying to make available here… That, and I like to give things away.

LINKS FOR YOUR SITE:

-For White Backgrounds -

<a href="http://www.goingtoseminary.com" onclick="javascript:urchinTracker('/file/');"><img src="http://goingtoseminary.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/gts-link-1.jpg" alt="Going to Seminary" border="0" /></a>

<a href="http://www.goingtoseminary.com" onclick="javascript:urchinTracker('/file/');"><img src="http://goingtoseminary.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/gts-text-link.jpg" alt="Going to Seminary" border="0" /></a>

<a href="http://www.goingtoseminary.com" onclick="javascript:urchinTracker('/file/');"><img src="http://goingtoseminary.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/gts-money-link.jpg" alt="Going to Seminary" border="0" /></a>

<a href="http://www.goingtoseminary.com" onclick="javascript:urchinTracker('/file/');"><img src="http://goingtoseminary.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/gts-question-link.jpg" alt="Going to Seminary" border="0" /></a>

<a href="http://www.goingtoseminary.com" onclick="javascript:urchinTracker('/file/');"><img src="http://goingtoseminary.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/gts-link-comp.jpg" alt="Going to Seminary" border="0" /></a>

-For Colored Backgrounds-

<a href="http://www.goingtoseminary.com" onclick="javascript:urchinTracker('/file/');"><img src="http://goingtoseminary.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/gts-link-1-boarder.jpg" alt="Going to Seminary" border="0" /></a>

<a href="http://www.goingtoseminary.com" onclick="javascript:urchinTracker('/file/');"><img src="http://goingtoseminary.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/gts-text-link-boarder.jpg" alt="Going to Seminary" border="0" /></a>

<a href="http://www.goingtoseminary.com" onclick="javascript:urchinTracker('/file/');"><img src="http://goingtoseminary.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/gts-money-link-boarder.jpg" alt="Going to Seminary" border="0" /></a>

<a href="http://www.goingtoseminary.com" onclick="javascript:urchinTracker('/file/');"><img src="http://goingtoseminary.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/gts-link-question-boarder.jpg" alt="Going to Seminary" border="0" /></a>

<a href="http://www.goingtoseminary.com" onclick="javascript:urchinTracker('/file/');"><img src="http://goingtoseminary.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/gts-link-comp-boarder.jpg" alt="Going to Seminary" border="0" /></a>

Vintage notes

I love technology. In particular, I love computers. In more particular, I love macs.

That said, I think it might be time to unplug the drug and start taking notes the old fashioned way… with pen and paper.

“Crazy” you say. “Next you’ll suggest we use a quill and ink… or maybe we should go back to stone tablets!”

Well, before you get out the pitchforks and torches, hear me out. Here are my top 6 reasons to leave the computer at home and just bring a pen:

1. Your Professor isn’t on facebook - That’s right… I know you’re looking at facebook, or myspace, or checking your email, or reading articles on goingtoseminary.com… I know it and so does the professor. The fact is, if the computer is there then the odds of you getting distracted are good. Come on everyone, confession time, who has surfed the net during a lecture?
2. You can record the lecture if you want a transcript - When you have the computer you can get A LOT more information down then with pen and paper… but more isn’t always synonymous with better. When all you have is your pen and paper then you are forced to write wisely. Not every word is going to make it on your paper. You are now thinking about what is being said and evaluating its worth. No more mindless typing, rather thoughtful writing is now occurring.
3. Do you even know what your professor looks like - If you’ve ever preached you know that eye contact is worth its weight in gold… is anyone actually listening? Give your professor some nonverbal feedback. Look him in the eyes. With the computer gone there is no longer this 15″ screen between you and the professor. The air is clear… now he is talking to you and not the back of your screen.
4. You type too loud - It might not be you, but someone does… It’s like small arms fire in that room. click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click… How annoying. Lets have some quiet in here, I’m trying to listen to the lecture.
5. You can’t draw - No, this isn’t about your artistic ability… rather, some things are just better captured in a chart or diagram with arrows, lines, and smiley faces… ok, not that last one… but you get the gist. Yeah, you can do all that on the computer, but by the time you open the other program, make you chart or whatever, import it into your notes… sheesh, the class is over. Taking notes on paper make it easy for you to switch from the right to left side of your brain while listening to the lecture.
6. Your hero used a pen - Your theological heroes all used pens. Whether it is Calvin, Lewis, Wesley, Augustine, Paul… they were pen and paper guys. Join with all the great men and women of old and take note taking back to its roots. Leave the computer at home and start taking vintage notes.

Seminary Rap

Thanks to the folks at Said at Southern I stumbled across this video today. Nothing quite like watching a middle aged, white, Ph.D. rap about philosophy. While “technically” not a seminary related post, Dr. Jim Orrick is a professor at Boyce College which is on the campus of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary… so I figured it was releveant enough to make it on the blog.

With that said, enjoy:

4 Steps to saving money while buying books for seminary

The other day we got a comment from Eric in our 6 ways to save money in seminary post about a book meta search site called addall and I was reminded that it is almost time to go book shopping. One of the great joys of being a seminary student is the opportunity to build your library… it is also a great challenge since books aren’t cheap. So, I’m going to share with you how and where I shop for books and hopefully you’ll share your tricks and tips as well.

Step one for me when shopping for my seminary books is to make a master list of all the books I need for the semester. Much like Santa, I make a list and check it twice… but mostly to make sure that I haven’t missed any as I shop. I typically do all my buying online, so having the list ensures that I don’t miss a book. The list is also helpful since it is rare that one site will have all the books I need. So, as I purchase a book I can check it off the list.

Step two is an easy one for me. I go to www.wtsbooks.com. Over the years I have found that WTS has some of the best prices online (95% of the time beating amazon). The kicker with WTS is in the shipping… $5 FLAT RATE (UPS Ground) no matter how many books you buy! See, shipping is going to typically be the kicker on many sites… you always need to keep in mind that a) shipping will be expensive or b) shipping will be slow. I don’t like either of those, so WTS gets bonus points in my book.

Step three is to consult the list and see how many books I have left. Now, I typically go to amazon on my second round of shopping for three reasons. First, amazon has a huge selection of books and, remember, when you buy across less sites you cut down on shipping costs… so knowing that I can get most all the remaining books I need in one spot is nice. Second, amazon typically has really great prices… not the cheapest all the time, but they are usually competitive with other sites (WTS excluded) within a couple dollars. Third, if you have amazon prime then 2 day shipping is free (free shipping is NICE! Also, if you don’t have amazon prime, just ask around and find a friend that does… or you can wait the 10 days for “super saver” free shipping). The fourth and final reason I use amazon is that I am an amazon associate which means I get a percentage of all sales generated off anyone who clicks one one of these amazon links… however, more so, if I use the link and then go buy something, then I get a percentage (I think up to 6%) back on my purchase. So, in all, amazon is just a good second stop.

Step four is for the books that WTS and amazon don’t carry. Typically, there is some obscure book that a professor wants you to get that neither of these places carry. In this case, the biggest time saver is to go to your seminary’s store. If it is on a professor’s syllabus, you can usually be confident that it is on the shelf at your seminary’s store.

Using the above plan, this is how my upcoming semester turned out:

WTS: 8 books = $135.20 (w/ $5 shipping incl.)
Amazon: 5 books = $90.06 (w/ free shipping incl.)
Seminary: 3books = $56.57 (w/ $11.45 shipping incl.)

Note: Yes I had my seminary ship my books… I live 20 minutes from campus, so it is a time/gas saver… and I might be a little lazy…

My son is going to seminary

At dinner I was explaining to Little Man that I was learning Hebrew and that Hebrew has a alphabet (he has learned the English alphabet so I was trying to bridge that connection).

So, I got out my Hebrew alphabet sheet and we went through the letter with him repeating after me. After we went through one time Just a Gal grabbed the sheet and asked Little Man what each letter was… he really enjoyed it and each time would look to me for the answer. However, about half way through Just a Gal asked, “and what is this letter?” to which Little Man answered, “Lamma.” Sure enough it was “Lamed.” He gets mad points for being that close on the second time through with no help. I’m such a proud papa!

Seminary Bathroom

Ok, this is just too funny not to post. Apparently the Student Ministry at Western Seminary has stumbled upon Going to Seminary and has posted some flyers on campus… including above the urinals and in bathroom stalls! Thanks to Eric for letting us know:

BTW, I found out about your site at my own seminary (Western, Portland, OR). The Student Ministries team has little posting frames throughout the campus (including above the urinals and in the stalls!) and featured both GoingToSemianry.com and SeminarySurvivalGuide.com. Thought you’d want to know how I found you.

Well, to whoever took the time to make the flyer and share the love… thanks…

For putting it in the john… uh… thanks?

6 Great things about online seminary distance education

For those who have read about my experience with taking distance education seminary classes you might think that I am not a fan of them… Quite the contrary. I think they are great. In fact, here are 6 things I think are great about online and distance education programs for seminary:

1. Time - Are you a morning learner? A night owl who like to read at 2 a.m.? Well, the beauty of online and distance education programs is that you can take the class whenever works best for you. No longer are you bound to the school’s schedule. 8 a.m. class… Be gone! You now have the ability to chose when would be the best time for you to learn.
2. Pace - Taking seminary classes online or through distance education allows you to set your own pace. Most programs allow you up to 7 years to finish your degree… so, you set your own schedule. This is especially great if you are trying to save some money as you can put off the next class until you have the funds to pay for it… but be careful… 7 years will fly by before you know it. However, it is nice to know you have some time.
3. Money - Now, tuition and books will cost the same, but taking online an distance education classes for seminary will allow you the ability to study around your work. On a traditional campus the schedule is set by the school and your work must be set around that… not always good when you need a job to support your family. Taking distance classes allows you to work the hours your job gives and take classes when the time works for you… thus, you’re ultimately saving/making more money. Along with this is the fact that you are taking less classes at a time, so when tuition is due it is a much easier pill to swallow.
4. Context - If you’re like me there isn’/wasn’t a good seminary in your current town. This, most likely means that you are going to have to move… and that means leaving your church. The beauty of online or distance education is that you can continue to be involved and minister in your local church context. In fact, your classes will often open many new and exciting ministry opportunities in your church and community.
5. Focus - Unlike on a traditional class, most distance programs are done one class at a time. This allows you to focus all your energy on the information you are learning in the one class… theoretically leading to a greater retention of the material.
6. Relationships - Most distance programs (as best I understand) require that you have a mentor through your seminary experience. It is truly amazing to have a person (or couple people) who have been down this road and are seasoned in the ministry to help you along the journey. I cherish all the coffees and lunches I had with my mentors as I discussed the challenges and triumphs I experienced in my classes. If you’re program doesn’t require it, I highly recommend you get one on your own initiative… trust me, it will make the classes that much more rich!

Calling All Seminary Bloggers

Ok, I might have been a little ambitious to require 5 comment posts in order to be added to the Seminary Bloggers Blogroll. The fact is that there are a lot of really great seminary bloggers out there and there are a lot of people visiting this site that can benefit from reading your blogs… so, that said, I’ve revised the criteria to be added to the Going to Seminary blogroll.

Simply post one “useful” comment on a post and then contact me with your blog and link text to be included on the blogroll and you’ll get the add. Also, if you notice, there is a top 10 blogs based on comments… so, if you comment a lot with helpful advice and insight then you’re blog will be featured as a top 10.

Just say no - Seminary triage

While taking some time reading through some posts on Seminary Survival Guide I was struck Mark’s obvious, yet often overlooked, observation that we must learn triage.

There’s no way for you to work all the hours to get all the money you need, AND make straight “A”s in school, AND maintain an intimate walk with God, AND pour yourself out in fruitful ministry, AND develop an impressive resume, AND see to the needs of your spouse and family, AND develop a network of friendships to support you AND get the rest, exercise and proper nutrition you need.

It’s just not possible. The time and energy demands for each of these endeavors is much too great for one person. So please give up on this now. It is a pipe dream.

Mark is right… we can’t do it and be good at all of it. We must take the time to prioritize our lives and learn to say “no” and “wait” to some of the items fighting for attention in our lives. And, as hard as this is to say, that probably means missing an assignment or failing a test every now and then… I know, it is counter intuitive… fail a test!?!?! Is this guy crazy? Well, maybe… but the point is that there are times in your life when passing an exam is not worth the sacrifice of other things… like your family or your love for God.

Now, I hope it goes without saying that this in not a plug for being lazy. If you fail your test or miss an assignment because you are lazy… well, you deserve it. But, the point is that you need to perform triage. You need to know what is important and when it is important. Don’t be lazy… be wise… I think that is in the Bible somewhere

Taking Virtual Hebrew

So, I’m five days deep into taking Hebrew 1. To make the class harder the seminary has it as a winter session class (2 weeks) and it is done online! That’s right… online Hebrew.

Here is how it works:

The class has a CD that essentially contains a ‘web’ based class. Meaning the CD runs off your internet browser showing the pages that have been hard coded onto the CD. The CD has 2 sections. One section is the language section and the other is the software section. This class utilizes Logos Bible Software, so the software section has lessons dealing with how to use the program to study the original language… however the first couple lessons were more like, “this is a computer… to open the program double-click the…” which was a little annoying.

The language section is divided into 10 lessons. Each lesson covers different aspects of the language… from the alphabet, to grammar, to pronunciation. In the lesson you basically read about how the language works and then work to apply it. So, yesterday was personal pronouns (weeeee). So, I read all about how personal pronouns work in Hebrew and then did a lot of practice problems applying the lesson.

While the pages aren’t much to look at, they are very functional. Every time you see a word there is a button to click so that you can hear the proper pronunciation and make sure you are reading it correctly. The practice questions all have mouse-over effects that allow you to immediately check to see if you have the right answer.

Along with the class CD we are using Blackboard. This site is pretty common for distance education classes and it is pretty good… I feel like it could be a lot better, but it gets the job done. Specifically, this area acts as the actual classroom. In there are announcements from the professor and a classroom forum. In the forum the students and professor interact by asking questions and discussing class material. Even though part of your grade is class interaction, the forums are surprisingly well utilized (you can tell people aren’t just posting for the grade). I find myself checking the forum more than my email (and I check email a lot).

Finally, in Blackboard we have daily quizzes on the day’s material. We’ll also have a midterm and final.

In all, I was VERY skeptical to begin with… I had no idea if this was going to work… especially based on my previous record with online seminary classes… but I am actually enjoying the class format and feel like I am really starting to grasp the basics of the language.

I’ll try to post again towards the end of the class to let you know how it wrapped up and my final thoughts on taking a seminary Hebrew class online.

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