Author Archive

  • 7
    Rushing through Seminary
    I know of a student (through a friend at a different seminary than mine) that is finishing his M.div in 5 semesters.  This means that in two and a half years, he finished a 90+ hour masters level degree.  While it had to be cheaper, and quicker, I really have to think about how much he learned. Terry wrote a great post just a few days ago about the different venues...
    by Chad Brooks at February 6th, 2009 at 07:02 am
  • 1
    Leading Worship in the Seminary Context
    One of the opportunities that I have while in seminary is working as an Intern in the Chapel office here at Asbury.  This year, I am leading the student team that designs and coordinates three services a week as well as many special events.  I came to the seminary with experience both leading and designing worship and I have been excited about continuing my interests...
    by Chad Brooks at January 17th, 2009 at 07:01 am
  • 0
    Reading scripture in seasons-extraction vs. immersion
    The greatest task of the seminarian is to somehow separate the devotional life from the academic life.  It is the failure to do this that causes many ministers to speak ill of their time in seminary.  The fact is, as ministers we have to read scripture and know how to study it.  The other side of that is we have to constantly throw ourselves into a relationship...
    by Chad Brooks at September 8th, 2008 at 10:09 am
  • 2
    Writing in your Bible
    I remember my grandmother thought it was a disastrous thing to write in a Bible.  I also remember seeing other kids write in hymnals and thinking they were going to Hell.  Between a rabid fascination with the Bible and classical music training I have gotten both of these ideas out of my system. Last night I opened up an old study Bible that I carried for a few years. ...
    by Chad Brooks at August 31st, 2008 at 01:08 am
  • 1
    Top 5 "secret" tips for your first semester.
    There are plenty of resources on the net about how to write good papers, take the right classes…you know that sort of thing.  Here are is my Top 5 “secret” tips (in no particular order) that will help you out in your first semester. 1.  Get a job on campus. If you live on campus, you may be trying to do this already because it means you don’t...
    by Chad Brooks at August 13th, 2008 at 01:08 am
  • 1
    Top 5 “secret” tips for your first semester.
    There are plenty of resources on the net about how to write good papers, take the right classes…you know that sort of thing.  Here are is my Top 5 “secret” tips (in no particular order) that will help you out in your first semester. 1.  Get a job on campus. If you live on campus, you may be trying to do this already because it means you don’t...
    by Chad Brooks at August 13th, 2008 at 01:08 am
  • 7
    What should I bring with me to Seminary?
    I remember when I was anxiously awaiting my first day of classes at Asbury.  I had bought all of my books beforehand and had even started reading.  I was really hoping that I would be able to find a Seminary 101 list of a few things that would come in handy but I never did.  I am starting my third year this fall and I want to offer up a few suggestions to things...
    by Chad Brooks at August 4th, 2008 at 07:08 am
  • 9
    Thrifty Thursday – Building a Cheap Library
    In an earlier post, I talked about why it was important for the seminarian to start building a good library (you can read the post here).  In this post, I want to talk about how to build up a library when you don’t have much cash. The first tip I can give you is to know your favorite scholars and writers.  When you know that you like commentaries by writer...
    by Chad Brooks at July 24th, 2008 at 01:07 pm
  • 0
    How I got to Seminary
    I am sure that there are many unique stories about how people end up getting to seminary. On our forums there is a topic describing peoples top choices in regard to different schools. I didn’t chime in because the only school that I applied to was Asbury. Here is a quick version of how I ended up here. I grew up a preachers kid so the usual entanglement with...
    by Chad Brooks at July 7th, 2008 at 11:07 am
  • 4
    Keeping a home library
    Many Seminary students like books. Some of us, I being one, are book geeks. This means that we drive our spouses or housemates crazy with the amount of books that we seem to go through. So why is it important for the seminarian (and minister) to maintain a good library? 1. It allows you to have access to your thought process. Hopefully, you are reading things you...
    by Chad Brooks at June 20th, 2008 at 01:06 am