Failing Seminary for the Glory of God
Written by W. Ryan Burns · April 30, 2008
Towards the beginning of the semester a professor gave out an article written by Mike Yaconelli titled, “Getting fired for the Glory of God.” As one who has worked in a local church for over 9 years, I found his article challenging in some points and reaffirming in others. Regardless of if you agree with Mike or not, the article should make you think.
As I approach the end of the semester I’ve given much thought to my experience in various classes and have decided to modify Mike’s article for the seminarian. So, without further ado:
Failing Seminary for the Glory of God
After spending time in seminary, there is no doubt in my mind that the institution can not fully prepare a man or woman for the calling to vocational ministry.
I’m beginning to believe that if those who are in seminary follow the lead of the One who called them, bad grades are highly possiable.
Why? Because, in general, seminary is incomplete. The seminary has become a place of information and not transformation. The focus has been shifted from who you are to what you know. Spiritual formation has changed from a life lived before the cross to a 2 hour class on Thursdays. Prayer is not the air we breath but a formality to start a lecture.
You disagree? Why don’t you try these seven suggestions, and see how long you keep straight A’s.
Transformation, not information
Focus your energy on not merely getting information, but rather focus on how that information transforms you more into the image of Christ. Whether Greek, hermeneutics, Old Testament, New Testament, history, homiletics… above seeking facts, seek in that class to be transformed more into the image of Jesus.
Give the wrong answer
Don’t simply give the answer you know your professor wants to hear. Humbly give your answers out of your conviction… even on a test.
Read the important stuff
Read your bible as much as, if not more than, you read books about the bible.
Stop listening
Don’t just sit in class listening to things about God. As his splendor, glory, and goodness is revealed to you, respond to him in prayer… right then and there. Repent, give thanks, worship, praise, petition… Do not forget the King you are hearing about in class is right there in your midst. Again, do this in all your classes; from history to homiletics to Hebrew to hermeneutics.
Put your family first
Don’t let your reading list, papers, and exams rob you from your family. Say yes to your family first.
Ignore your GPA
Evaluate your seminay success by love for God, passion for the gospel, and heart for your neighbor… not numbers and letters on a piece of paper.
Love the Church
Live out your seminary experience in a local church. Find a pastor who will invest in your life and mentor you in ministry. Then, in turn, invest yourself into the lives of the church and community.
……
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?)
Two Cent Tuesday - GoingtoSeminary.com v2.0
Written by W. Ryan Burns · April 29, 2008
The semester is almost over and one of my big summer projects is going to be working on the launch of goingtoseminary.com version 2.0. I have a bunch of ideas I’m wanting to put into place, but before I rush in and commit all this time and energy into it, I wanted to check and see what you all thought. So, sound off… What do you like about the site? What do you dislike? Any ideas for things we should put into 2.0?
Some of the things I’ve been thinking about:
- Minor design tweek (nothing major, just a little change)
- Adding an online forum
- Hiring (yes, as in paying) some other seminarians to help write
Feel free to let me know what you think about those ideas, but more so, feel free to let me know what you think would be a great addition to the site! Vod or Pod casting? Book reviews? More contests? Less Contest? Social networking? … You name it, I’ll consider it. Now is your chance… share your two cents!
Do you think adding an online forum to goingtoseminary is a good idea?
Thrity Thursday - Great Commentary
Written by W. Ryan Burns · April 24, 2008
Ok, we’re seminarians and we love books. I don’t often recommend books here as I’m sure you already have a backlog of books on your “to be purchased” list. However, I came across this amazing resource that is at an amazing price and thought it was worth sharing.
Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament is edited by D.A. Carson and G.K. Beale and is a comprehensive commentary of EVERY old testament reference in the new testament. For every reference there is a detailed explanation of the context from which the verse appears in the Old Testament, as well as its use and implication on the New Testament text. It is a truly amazing resource.
Now, the really sweet deal is that I found it at BUY.com for $31 (List is $54)… but wait, it gets better… if you use google check-out and it is the first time you’ve ever used it then you save another $10! That means you can get this amazing resource for $21. Worth every penny and then some if you ask me.
So, if you’re interested, check it out:
Two Cent Tuesday - Term Papers (again)
Written by W. Ryan Burns · April 22, 2008
So, I have another paper to write this week. Honestly, I hate writing papers. It just doesn’t come naturally to me. I fell like I might overthink them too much or something. Anyway, I spent 7 hours in the library today working on this paper and have, basically, nothing to show for it. I’d say it takes me at least 10 to 15 hours to write an average paper. Is that normal? How long does a typical paper take you?
How long does it take you to write a paper?
It is Friday
Written by W. Ryan Burns · April 18, 2008
I’ve survived!
This week I had one paper due, two test to take, one group presentation to give, and one quiz (which I failed). However, despite the huge amount of work, I managed to survive. The biggest help in it all is that Just a Gal and the kids were away for the week visiting family. While I missed them a bunch, it is amazing how much less pressure there was on me this week. While I wouldn’t trade my wife and kids for the world, I’ll admit that when I realized how amazingly easy all you unmarried seminarians have it I was a little jealous. Again, I in no way would want to have things differently… but seminary was a completely different experience this week.
Welcome Home
So, I picked the wife and kids up from the airport last night. It really amazes me how much kids seem to change in just a week. Sweet Pea looks like she’s grown so much… but it has only been 7 days (how can that be?). The funniest part about picking up the family was, as I was waiting, I bought some Nutter Butters to munch on. When the fam finally came through the security area the kids ran over to me. As Little Man was running I stooped down and opened my arms. He was smiling and heading right for me and then his eyes caught the cookies. I could see what was happening in his mind… dad or cookies… which shall I choose?
Thankfully, he only stuttered for a moment and then regained his focus on giving me a hug. He gave me a longer than usual hug, which was nice. We let go of our embrace and I asked him how he was doing to which he replied, “Good… hey dad, what’s that?” pointing, of course, to the cookies.
Back to Work
With the week being so full of school I haven’t worked in about a week and a half. This, of course, is bad for the wallet. So, today I am cranking away at projects I put on the shelf. Of course, that includes Going to Seminary. I can’t believe I had a week with no “two cent Tuesday” or “thrifty Thursday.” How, oh how, did you all survive?!?
Well, no need to worry… I’m back to blogging and will have some content up and going this coming week. Along with that, having the week off from the site gave me some time to think about changes that need to be made to make Going to Seminary a better site. While I’m not going to make any changes immediately, I think Going to Seminary 2.0 will be a project a work on this summer. That said, feel free to let me know anything you think we could add/change to make the site more useful/better.
Seminary Meme
Finally, the Seminary meme is spreading around the world. I’m pretty sad that the trackbacks are working as planned. I’m doing my best to keep up with everyone who has entered by tracking them down through a couple different methods. If you’ve filled out the meme on your site, be sure to leave a comment on the post and that’ll ensure that you are 100% entered. Remember, the prize is a $100 gift certificate to Eisenbrauns.
I’m alive… I think…
Written by W. Ryan Burns · April 14, 2008
Just a quick line to let you know I haven’t fallen off a cliff or anything.
This week I have 2 papers to write, 2 tests to take, 1 Hebrew quiz, 1 Hebrew workbook, and 1 class presentation… so, yeah…
If anyone else has less on their plate and wants to write a guest post, shoot me an email… if not, it might be a quiet week on goingtoseminary.com
Cheers!
Seminary Student Tax Deductions
Written by W. Ryan Burns · April 11, 2008
I did my taxes online last night using TurboTax. Honestly, it wasn’t too bad. In the past I’ve always gone to a CPA since I had my own business, was a minister, and other crazy tax issues… however, this year with the move I decided to just do it myself since I didn’t have a CPA in our new town. The decision worked out quite well. TurboTax had a great interface and guided me step by step… best news of all… REFUND!!! I really didn’t see that one coming.
If you haven’t filed yet, remember you only have 4 more days!!!
So, one thing that all seminarians should know is that you have some GREAT tax breaks available to you. Here is the IRS publication (always fun to read) on how you can get a deduction from your education expenses. Essentially, you can deduct up to $4000 of “Tuition and fees required for enrollment or attendance at an eligible postsecondary educational institution, but not including personal, living, or family expenses, such as room and board.”
Besides that deduction there is also a Lifetime Learning Credit available. Now, I’m not a CPA so I don’t really understand the relationship between the two options you have, however, I know that you can’t take both of them… That is why it is really great to use a CPA or a program like TurboTax. You simply plug in the information and it determines what is best for your situation.
So, if you haven’t done your taxes, get on it! And remember to take advantage of the tax breaks your education provides you.
Thrifty Thursday - Coupons
Written by W. Ryan Burns · April 10, 2008
It might just be me, but while attending seminary I’ve noticed that money is tight. For this reason I’ve decided that I’m going to try and start a new weekly section for goingtoseminary.com called Thrifty Thursday. Every Thursday I’ll try and post links and items that will (in theory) help us save a buck or two.
Today’s Thrifty Thursday item is coupons! I read somewhere that a common trait among millionaires is that they use coupons. Now, most of us seminarians aren’t millionaires but I think we can take a cue here and apply this easy lesson. One resource for tons of coupons is the Entertainment book. Now, while yes, it does cost $15 it is really worth the investment. You literally get hundreds of great deals from restaurants and businesses in your local area. Typically, if you use just 1 or 2 coupons then the book pays for itself.
If you are interested in checking this out, the website even has a place where you can plug in your zip code and find out what type of coupons are available for you. With the price being $15 and FREE SHIPPING, this is a Thrifty deal worth looking into.
Along with the Entertainment book there are numerous online coupon sites. Here are just a few to check out:
*Disclaimer - Yes, if you buy an entertainment book I get a few bucks from them as an affiliate. Not only will you be helping yourself, but helping me too… isn’t that nice!
Two Cent Tuesday - Term Papers
Written by W. Ryan Burns · April 8, 2008
Well, it is about that time in the semester where I’m beginning to realize that I don’t have a lot of time left to get these term papers written. This semester I have two to write: one for Exposition of Hebrews class and one for Hermeneutics class. Thankfully (bitter-sweet) Just a Gal and the kids will be heading out this Thursday for a week with her parents. I plan to move into the Library for those 7 days and crank it out. Both papers are due in about two weeks.
So, what about you? Are you one of those good students who works on his or her paper from day one or are you one who waits till the very last minute?
Also, if there is anyone who thinks they have a really good system for approaching term papers, feel free to shoot me a message with the gist of your system. I think I might take everyone’s advice and write a post that shows different approaches you all use to writing term papers.
When do you begin working on your paper?
Seminary Meme Competition
Written by W. Ryan Burns · April 4, 2008
Update: For some reason Technorati and Wordpress are not picking up all the links from everyone’s site who is participating in the meme. For this reason, please drop a comment on this post after you’ve filled out the meme so we can ensure that you are entered into the comp.
This month’s competition at Going to Seminary is a good (and easy) one. The best part though is that one of our site sponsors, Eisenbrauns, has offered to supply this month’s prize… a $100 gift certificate to their online bookstore!
So, how can you win the $100 gift certificate? Easy:
This Seminary Meme is part of a competition sponsored by Going to Seminary and Eisenbrauns. If you’d like to be entered, simply answer the 7 questions below and tag 5 other people. You’ll also need to post this paragraph (links included) with your answers as the links will be tracked back to your blog and will count as your “entry” into the competition. On April 30th, 2008, one blogger will be selected at random to win a $100 gift certificate to the Eisenbrauns online bookstore.
Please feel free to modify the question so as to make it appropriate to your situation as a pre-seminarian, seminarian, or seminary graduate (example given on first question).
- Where do (will/did) you attend seminary?
- What class do you think has most impacted your spiritual life?
- What seminary professor has been the most influential while in seminary?
- What is the greatest challenge you’ve faced in seminary?
- What has been the greatest reward you’ve experienced in seminary?
- What are your plans after seminary?
- How many times have you been asked question #6?
Tagged (almost everyone who has ever left a comment on Going to Seminary): Jeff, Tyler, Shaun, Chad, Jon, tlange, Sovann, Julie, Chris, Jake, Paul, Jason, Terry, Anthony, Mark, Ryan, Jeremiah, Chris, Ben, Nick, Paul, Eric, RC, Raymond, Deb, Shari, and Andy
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