Thrifty Thursday - Free 2 Day Shipping at Amazon

Yeah, I know it is Saturday, but it has been a busy week. If you haven’t heard, Amazon is offering a free trial of their Amazon Prime service. Sign up and you can get free 2 day shipping on most products offered on Amazon (or pay only $3.99 for NEXT DAY service). I’ve used Prime before on a free trial and was really happy with it.

To make the deal even sweeter, if you order $100 worth of books, you get the amazon Prime membership free for THREE MONTHS! Imagine not having to pay shipping for three months AND getting 2 day service… now that is a great deal for Thrifty Thursday… even if it is Saturday.

To get the free three months, you’ll need to:

• Add $100 worth of eligible textbooks and other items to your cart and proceed to checkout.
• Click on “Free Two-Day Shipping” to complete your Amazon Prime sign up.
• Get Free Two-Day Shipping for three months, starting with the current order.

Also, there are rumors on the internet that you don’t actually have to complete the order to sign up for the three free months.  Just add books to your cart, got to checkout and sign up for Prime.  Then remove the items from your cart.  I haven’t tried it, so it might just be a rumor… but no matter what, three months of Amazon Prime is a sweet and thrifty deal!

A Proverb a Day Helps Keep the Devil Away

Many ministers-to-be decide to attend seminary because they feel they need the education, experience and wisdom that comes with a degree from seminary.  While these are not necessarily bad reasons to attend seminary, they cannot replace the education and wisdom that comes from God’s Word.  Yes, experiences must be lived, but even those can be found in the Holy Scriptures.

James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”  I know many who simply ask for wisdom “in faith” (vs. 6), and never actually seek wisdom.  God, through the Holy Spirit, gave us the Bible, and found in the Bible is a wonderful book of wisdom (actually, a few books) called Proverbs.

A Schedule

It turns out that there are 31 Proverbs and no more than 31 days in a month.  Coincidence maybe, but I believe at the very least it offers a schedule of sorts to drink in God’s wisdom.  No matter what day of the month it is, you can have a place to turn in your Bible already selected for you based on what day it is.  For example, I am writing this post on the 5^th and therefore turned to Proverbs 5 before I started my day.

Benefits

The first benefit is that, like the “Psalms of the Day,” you do not waste your time seeking a passage to read and meditate upon.  All you have to do is know what day it is and where the book of Proverbs is located in your Bible (just right of the middle) and you are ready to meditate on God’s wisdom.

A second benefit I have found to reading a Proverb a day is that the devil has a much harder time getting at me.  Personally, the first 23 years of my life were extremely worldly and Satan knows this and uses it against me.  However, since I starting reading a Proverb each day before I get going, I have discovered that my “sword” (Eph. 6) is more able to deflect any blows.  Also, the hedge of protection that I pray for seems to be getting stronger and stronger.

Proverbs and the Seminary

While I do believe a seminary education is of importance and is extremely beneficial to those who are able to attend, I do not think it alone will suffice in the daily spiritual war in which we are engaged.  The Word of God is the best education we can ever receive.  The best part is that it can be absolutely free depending on how you go about acquiring a Bible.

Never think that you are supplementing the Bible with your seminary education.  Rather, we should view our Bible being supplemented with the education you are receiving in seminary.  It is one thing to read about the Bible.  It is something completely different to read, and wrestle, with the Bible-especially, in the context of this article, the book of Proverbs.  In viewing your education in this manner, you will soon discover that the wisdom you crave has been at your finger tips all this time.  May God bless you as you drink from His well.

What else to bring to seminary?

In his last post Chad gave some good pointers on what to bring to seminary, and then concluded on the note: “Navigating seminary is different from college, it is an immersive experience that should be taken full advantage of.”

I totally agree. There were times a decade ago when I would (ahem) doze off during my civil engineering classes as an undergrad. But now? No chance of dozing off. In fact, when a prof lets us out early I usually get a little ticked. (I’m paying for this … for another decade on student loans!)

Chad’s list is good (a system for notes, a good bag, an organizational method, and a Bible) - see the comments too. To add, let me offer three others, two abstract and one practical.

A mind to work

Seminary is flat out hard work. Many never finish, and hardly anyone is there to just skate by. (Besides, in church history it seems God doesn’t use lazy people. It doesn’t all depend upon us, by we get to participate fully, carried along by grace.)

Be ready to be challenged and stretched, and to love every moment of it (even worshiping late into the night pining away on a research paper).

A heart to grow

We’ve all heard the classic stereotype … seminary = cemetary. With all my heart I can truly say the exact opposite has been our experience at Multnomah. The more I know about God, the more I love Him. The mind and heart are so interconnected that Jesus said He was here to usher in the new area of “worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24) — the heart and the mind fully engaged with God. We cannot genuinely love God with our hearts and not think of Him rightly in our minds, and vice versa.

Still, somehow there are students who go through the motions and get the “A” and miss the whole point of knowing, loving and enjoying God above all else, especially in our studies. As a side note, immersing one’s self in the local church is key as well. Making ourselves ‘at home’ is essential to allowing God to form our character.

A budget to follow

(Here’s the practical one.) Your budget will ebb and flow, and often simply dry up. (Things won’t go as planned.) If you are married the tensions on your soul to be the provider will grate on your soul. You will learn faith and dependence. (That is good for us!) This is the ‘class’ that’s not in the syllabus.

But by all means be intentional about being frugal. You probably don’t need a bunch of tricked out technology, and developing a contented heart is a sign of treasuring Christ (Phil. 4:8-13).

Does anyone remember little league baseball (or youth soccer) and the kids who had all the super expensive gear? You know the one with matching batting gloves and flip sunglasses and a neat-o bat bag and cool warmup? Yeah, that kid was almost always the worst in the actual game. Not saying you should show up with no ‘gear,’ but the name of the game is more than having the toys to play.

You will be looking around and seeing everyone else’s ‘gear’ and be tempted to grab the same for yourself. (That’s called coveting (Colossians 3:5), and I wrestle with it every day.)A good tip for considering a large purchase is to wait one day for every $100 of the price. That will help lessen impulse buying, and effectively stretch your budget.

What’s missing?

Some might add a laptop to this list. Good point. But there are students on campus who don’t have a laptop. A computer at home, and access in the lab can often suffice thanks to USB thumb drives. There are a few reasons to need a laptop in class (see comments from Chad’s post), but I dare say there are far fewer distractions sticking to the “vintage” style of note taking. At least some of your classes should be old school, no computer, and I’ll leave it up to you to sort out which ones. (Okay, full disclosure: I sometimes use mine in class, and soon into this adventure Kari and I realized that one computer at home was not enough for two students, so we have two, um, laptops.)

Anyone else have anything to add?

Two Cent Tuesday - Blogs We Love

I recently trimmed down my google reader account from 100+ blogs to 70 blogs.  It is amazing how much great (and less than great) information is out there.  At times I wonder what our church fathers and mothers would think about blogs… Think about Gutenberg. You think he’d be a blogger?  And I wonder if Luther would have used a hammer and nail to post the 95 thesis or if he would have just gone out and bought www.hammer-and-nail.com or www.95thesis.com, installed wordpress, and gone to writing.

Whatever the case may be, blogging and the internet have (understatement) changed the way we communicate with the world.  So, in those lines I wanted to find out who your favorite bloggers are.  So, today’s Two Cent Tuesday question is “what is your favorite blog?”  Feel free to vote for one that is on the list or add your own.  No bonus points if you vote for GTS, though it will warm my heart.  Also, no narcissism here and voting for yourself.

Also, feel free to talk about this one in the comments… are blogs good/bad, what are some of your runner up’s for the vote, what church father/mother do yu wish had a blog?  Have fun with it.

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 that will help the new student (or the continuing).

System for Notes

Find a good way to take notes.  Learning to use a certain piece of software or going ‘Vintage” notes are two options.  Whatever you do, stick with it because it is a pain to switch mid-semester.  I did that in one of the most intensive classes I have ever had and it was painful.

A Good Bag

Get a good bag.  Unlike college, where just making it to class was an accomplishment, in seminary I find myself having to juggle three different roles every day.  The student side of me has to have the course materials needed for the day.  This could be as simple as a notebook/laptop or it could mean several books.  For one of my jobs, I have to keep several up with paperwork and my “idea” notebook, so there is two more items.  Lastly, I am always working on a few side-projects so I have a few extra books and materials with me.  This means that I sometime carry a full load.  Since I try to go into school in the morning and leave around 5 or 6, I have to have a step up from the Hannah Montana backpack I could have bought at Wal-mart for 10 dollars.  You will be using this bag for several years, find a good one and invest the money.

Organization Method

If you are lucky enough to only have the responsibility of going to school you are a           lucky person.  Most students juggle at least one side job, if not multiple.  At any given moment, I am working 4 jobs and maybe some freelance stuff.  I would die if I didn’t have a good method of organization.  Wess Daniels is a Phd student at Fuller and has a great post about his method here, it is pretty much the same thing that I use.

Bible

Get a good, simple Bible and stick with it.  When I came to school I had a bible I had been using for several years and it was already marked up.  I found it to be distracting when I was in class and my thoughts went to the notes I had made in previous study.  Having a “class” bible allows me to keep things a little better organized.  Find out what translation your school recommends the most and grab a simple one, with no study notes and wide margins if you can find one.  In a future post I will show you how I made my “tricked out” class bible.

Navigating seminary is different from college, it is an immersive experience that should be taken full advantage of.  I know others have some great tips and tricks out there, so please post them in the comments.

When an “A” Might Be Sin

I’m back!  I’m sure no one has noticed, but since the last Love & Marriage post 6 weeks ago I’ve been missing in combat.  Jeff and I have discovered that — surprise! — baby #2 is on the way.  Consequently sleeping, throwing up, and consuming an embarrassing quantity of cheesy bean burritos has taken precedent over blogging of any sort.  But I’ve missed goingtoseminary, and I thought I’d share these details because as a mom in seminary, there have been a few more lessons than just those on the final exams.

I entered seminary three years ago a childless overachiever.  A 4.0gpa in high school and 3.97 in college, graduating in three years…I wasn’t sure how to slack off.  At graduation I spoke to the college students about Colossians 3:23, working at everything with all of our hearts, as unto the Lord.  And with conviction!  When seminary was coupled with working full-time and managing our home, it just meant a little less sleep–no big deal.  But then during Spring term of our first year, pregnancy hit and I was throwing up during class breaks, warding off migraines during finals, and eating saltines to stay awake during our late night classes.  It was then that one of our professors shared this with our class:  He said, “For some of you an “A” might be sin.  If you are working full time and have a family and are getting all A’s, then it’s highly likely that something or someone else is suffering.”   I don’t remember a whole lot about the parable structures in the synoptic gospels, but I sure remember that.

I entered seminary childless. I will graduate this year with two in diapers.  Jeff has sacrificed as well–giving his evenings to spend time with our son, then staying up until all hours of the night finishing papers and teaching outlines.  He always puts our family first, even when it means he can’t do as well as he’d probably like to on a particular assignment (why do overachievers marry overachievers? :-).  But I guess you’d say we’ve both realized along the way that not everything in our life can be given 100%.  Sometimes, “just enough” is all you’ve got.  They say that it’s not worth doing something unless you can do it well.  Three years ago I’d have hung that quote on my wall.  Today I say perhaps there are times when a little mediocrity is really excellence in disguise.  Today I’d say that “working with all your heart, as unto the Lord” can even mean skipping that last paper revision so you can skip rocks with your son.  It might mean (the horror!) missing an assignment so you don’t miss her recital. Perhaps there is a time when an “A” might be sin.

Taking Systematic Theology via Twitter

Ever wanted to sit in on a Systematic Theology class?  Not able to attend seminary right now? Too lazy to go to iTunes U and listen to hours and hours of lectures? Well, here’s your solution, follow me through the wonders of a one week intensive of Systematic Theology via Twitter.

That’s right, I’ll be twittering my way through my Systematic Theology III summer intensive at RTS-O this week.  Feel free to follow me throughout the day and study along as we study the doctrine of redemption (here’s the course syllabus).

I plan to post snippets from the course notes, great quotes from Dr. Scott Swain (who is both a brilliant and engaging professor), and other observations from the class…  For those who’ve ever wondered what a seminary summer intensive is like, this will give you a feel for it.

It all began yesterday, so for those who haven’t been following let me catch you up to speed:

• Systematic Theology III all week long… 8-5, M-F… I get tired just thinking about it. #
• Class is packed… roll call taking quite a while… #
• …an entire week talking about Jesus and redemption… this is going to be great! #
• the redemption of creation, from the curse, through death, for covenant fellowship with God in a new creation—all by the hand of a Mediator #
• 1 peter 3:18 - For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God #
• http://twitpic.com/5pau - Union and communion with God. #
• Using metaphor of music - Our present agenda: to trace and describe the movement of redemption. #
• For the record, I’m taking vintage notes - http://tinyurl.com/5demz2 #
• Five minute break. #
• B. God promises redemption to Abraham: the Covenant of Grace #
• God covenants to be Abraham’s God AND Father. Father? Hebrews 11:8 – Inheritance comes from a father. #
• God fulfills his redemptive promise through Moses (et al) in three stages: #
• (1) inauguration (redemption accomplished/covenant union secured), #
• (2) continuation (redemption sustained/covenant communion enjoyed), and #
• (3) consummation (redemption consummated/covenant communion consummated). #
• A mediator is one appointed and anointed by God from among God’s people to represent God to his people and to represent God’s people to God. #
• Hour and a half lunch break. #
• Lunch over… on to redemption inaugurated #
• http://twitpic.com/5pyy - Vintage notes for first half of day one. #
• What are the two reasons God chose Israel? Deuteronomy 7:7-8 - Because of his love and a promise made to their fathers. #
• Worship is the goal of redemption. #
• http://twitpic.com/5q4k - Time to take another break. #
• Atonement is the precondition of forgiveness * Forgiveness is always costly. #
• Interestingly, “redemption” in Israel (on various non-spiritual levels) is procured by a family member. #
• 3:26 - Officially feeling sleepy. #
• God promises in the Law to do what the Law could not do (cf. Rom 3:21) #
• 10 minute break #
• God continues to fulfill his redemptive promise through David-Solomon: mediation through King and Temple #
• He just said “Rad” #
• Calling it a day. Packing up and heading home. Looking forward to a relaxing evening. #

Thinking About Postgraduate Studies

When I began seminary, I thought I was one of the more unique students.  I was Canadian, of Dutch heritage, and wanting to pursue and academic career instead of pastoral ministry.  It turns out that I am the only Canadian, one of two people of Dutch heritage, but only one of a significant number of people wanting to pursue an academic career or postgraduate studies.  Since I found out how many people are actually interested in doing doctoral work, I thought this would be the perfect venue to share some of the information I have received that will offer some pointers if you are interested in going that route.

These pointers will help you get a feel of what you might need to be thinking about if you want to do a doctorate, but I encourage you to talk with professors at your seminary to get their advice as well.  Different fields of study might require different steps to be taken.  With that, here are some things you need to think through.

Are you ready for this?

First, you need to be serious about this.  The academic environment is very challenging and demanding, and if you are not willing to work very hard, this is not the path you should follow.  At this point, you need to be working hard to make sure your grades are excellent.  You need to be sure that you are writing top-level research papers, and that you are beginning to work on getting your name out there and making contacts in the field you would like to work in.

Know what you want to know.

Second, you should have a field of study already.  That is not something you can wait to figure out.  You need to have that in place now, and you have to be reading and writing on that subject.  Find any opportunity you can to be reading about it, and if you are given the opportunity in any of your classes to do a paper based on that subject, take it.  Also, if your seminary has opportunities for doing independent or directed studies, take advantage of them as much as possible.  This will give you the opportunity to learn what it is like to do independent research and will also give you the chance to write papers that could be used later on to help you gain admission to a Ph.D. program or even help your research further on down the line.  You cannot do enough of this.  If you have free time, take advantage of it.  You will only be helping yourself.

Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

Third, learning your languages is key, and the earlier you can get started on this, the better.  If you are planning on studying Old Testament, know your Hebrew.  If you want to do New Testament, know Greek.  If you’re like me, and are thinking about historical theology, Latin is going to be the language you need to learn.  Also, most doctoral programs require a second reading language, and while there will be opportunities to learn French and German while you are working on your Ph.D., the sooner you can get started on it, the better.  The best scholars are the ones who can work with primary sources in their original languages.

Get Connected

Fourth, find people with similar interests and talk with them.  Discuss your ideas, discuss things you’ve read.  Find people who are in doctoral programs right now and what they did to get where they are.  Establish whatever links you can that might help you out.  Explore your options.  I also recently found a website which can help you connect with people who are of similar interests.  Graduate Junction was started some time ago by some students from the UK with, I would presume, similar ambitions to what Ryan had in mind when he started this site–to connect with other people going down the same road and offer advice and other resources to fellow students.  It is small at this point (if you search for students with an interest in the Reformation, you only get a couple of profiles), but is growing quickly.  Also, become a member of different societies, such as ETS, SBL, or the 16th-Century Society.  Their conferences are the places to make friends and establish roots.  They usually offer good student discounts for memberships.

Evaluate Your Current Studies

Fifth, determine whether or not your degree is sufficient for propelling you into doctoral work.  One of the harsh realities is that most schools do not give much credit to seminary degrees.  While they are Masters’ degrees, they are usually not very academic and almost never have a significant research portion to it.  This is where the independent/directed studies are so crucial.  If you do some outstanding work there, you might be able to transfer from seminary to a Ph.D. program.  If not, you will likely need to be looking at getting a “credible” Masters’ degree from a big-name school like Duke or Princeton, for example.  The good news here, though, is that a lot of the work you do can easily transfer over to your doctoral work.

Let The Hunt Begin

Sixth, start setting your sights on schools and/or supervisors you would like to work under.  What school you look at will depend on how serious you are about pursuing a doctorate.  If you want to be taken seriously, and have any opportunity at getting a position in such an oversaturated market as North America, you have a very select list of schools you must pick from.  We’re talking Cambridge, Oxford, Edinburgh, Notre Dame, Yale, Harvard, Toronto–the big names.  For what it’s worth, here is a link to the top 100 humanities departments around the world in 2007.  If you’re not as concerned about a position and want to do a doctorate more for interest’s sake, there are a lot more schools that you can comfortably include on your radar.  But another positive factor for going to a bigger school is the funding that will be available to you.

I haven’t done a lot of research on distance learning, though I have heard some positive things about it.  Some of the big UK schools offer that option, and it might be something worth considering if it is far too impractical for you to relocate somewhere for a number of years.

…Then What?

Seventh, consider where you want to teach.  No matter what you do, obtaining a teaching position is not going to be a walk in the park, as I said, due to the oversaturation of the North American market.  In addition , it is difficult for a confessing Christian to get a position in a public or state-run school.  On the other hand, if you have a faith commitment and a degree from a top-level school, your opportunities for getting a position at a Christian college are much greater.  With that, I also encourage you to think about theological education in a more international setting.  Mission teams all over the world require theological educators as they seek to train lay leaders to lead churches.  An academic calling is not just a job, it is ministry as well.  Even if your gifts are not so desired in North America, know that they are coveted in many areas around the world.  Consider your options and how you can serve the Lord.

Take a Break if You Need it

Finally, do not be afraid to take a year off in between the end of your seminary studies and whatever your next step will be.  If could be a very productive year for you if you need to get your proposals in order, do some reading and writing, fine-tune your language skills, and what not.  Taking a breather is always helpful, as well.

Some More Help

This, of course, is not an exhaustive list of suggestions, and if you are looking for more information still, I encourage you to read a recent blog entry by John Stackhouse, professor at Regent College in Vancouver, BC.  His article also offers an extensive list of suggestions if you are considering the doctoral route.  Also, if you have any other tips of advice or suggestions that you’ve received, please share them here!  I may have left out some important things that should be considered.  In any case, I hope this is helpful for those of you who are thinking about postgraduate studies.

GoingtoSeminary.com Vodcast Added to iTunes

Just a quick note to say that the Dr. Frame interview and all future interviews are going to be available via the GoingtoSeminary.com Vodcast in iTunes.  Feel free to check it out and subscribe.  There is also a new subscribe button at the top of all pages on GoingtoSeminary.com.

We’ve Got Video

So, video killed the radio star… but what about the blogger?  I guess time will tell.

For all you who wondered what our teaser the other day was all about, well here it is.  We’ve added a new section called “interviews” to the website where we are going to begin (slowly) to add some video content on the site.  We are hoping to sit down and talk with pastors, professors, admissions officers, and many more in order to bring you insight and advice from various perspective of the seminary world.

Our first interview is with Dr. John Frame, Professor of Systematic Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary - Orlando.  In the interview he discusses several seminary related  articles he’s written over the years. After you watch the interview (it is really great) feel free to grab the full interview or the smaller trailer version and embed them on your site or blog.

Also, if there is anyone you want us to interview… let us know… and buy us a plane ticket…

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