Going to Seminary

A frequent question we face is “How do we get done all that we want to do?” It’s a very important question, but if we think about this way, it’s the wrong question. A better question is “How do I do all that God has given me to do?” There is one person who has walked among us who has been able to do just that. John 17 is a well known chapter in which Jesus prays for His disciples. But right before he does that, note carefully what He says in verse 4: “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” (NIV)  That’s quite a shocking statement, especially given the fact that he says this before He has gone to the cross. Yet He has completed all that God has given Him to do. He has not done all he could do, and definitely has not done all that others wanted Him to do, but God simply doesn’t ask us to do more than we can. Ever.

I was thinking about this in reading Nancy Wilson’s recent post on GtS on “The Balancing Act.” She realized that she had placed too high an importance on her coursework, that “while I needed to attend to my studies, I didn’t have to give 110% every time.” How did this good advice go together with my post on “Maximize Your Learning Experience”?

When it came to getting things done, Jesus was a master of prioritizing at two different levels: strategic and operational. He got the big picture right – He knew why He was here, what His priorities were, and where He needed to invest most of His time. That meant for some very tough decisions. He focused on doing the will of the Father, on reaching the people of Israel, and on building deeply into the lives of only a handful of men. Everything He did reflected His top priorities. Equally importantly, he always seemed to get it right in-the-moment. He took time out for individuals, to heal people, to go to dinner parties with sinners. His sermons got to the point, His teaching time was focused, He never got bogged down arguing with His critics, and He balanced family and ministry perfectly.

Well, we don’t have perfect knowledge what God has called us to do in detail, nor do we know perfectly what is going on in the lives of those around us – so how do we do better at getting things done? We also need to think in terms of our time and priorities both at a high level and in the details, and tie the two together as best we can. It starts with making the most vital things top priorities in our lives (not just on paper) – time with God, with family, taking care of ourselves, serving others, and sharing Christ. Also at a high level, we need to spend time listening to God and exploring His call for our lives. We need to understand our gifts and strengths, as these shed much light on what He expects from us.

What’s the tie-in to moment-to-moment decisions? How does it impact letting a course slide versus maximizing learning? Return on investment of time. With our fixed budget of hours, where do we see the highest return in the light of our calling and priorities? If family is a top priority, block out time on your calendar for it. Figure out how much time you should be spending on studies (the balancing act), then make the absolute most you can the time with your study time (maximize your learning). For example, spending an extra 30-60 minutes writing notes and reflecting on application after I’ve read a book greatly increases the value of reading it. That’s a super return on investment. All courses are not equal in the light of your calling. ‘Get by’ with those that aren’t, and do so guilt-free knowing that you are focusing your time where God wants you to. Your seminary professor will choose what is required reading vs. what is supplemental, but that doesn’t mean you give all books equal attention (or ignore ‘optional’ ones). Skim some, read others, and devour the ones that can really impact your life and ministry. Go the extra mile when you see an opportunity to tie in studies with your current ministry, do the minimum when the benefit is minimal. Share what you learn with others who would benefit from it – that’s a triple win: you learn more by teaching others, they benefit from hearing, and you build relationships and build leaders in the process.

We can’t get done everything we would like to do, but when we tie-in what we’re doing and where we spend our time with what God has called us to do, we get a lot more of value done – without short-changing ourselves or those we love.

“There is a danger of doing too much as well as of doing too little. Life is not for work, but work for life, and when it is carried to the extent of undermining life or unduly absorbing it, work is not praiseworthy but blameworthy.”

Ralph Turnbull (1901-1985)

How good are you a tightrope walking?  How many items can you juggle at one time?  What are the most important balls to keep in the air?

These are among the many questions I was faced with during my first semester in seminary. I knew it wouldn’t be easy…not with a husband, two young children and two geriatric dogs in tow. I understood it would require a sizeable adjustment having moved our family (as well as my mother-in-law) to a new area, requiring us to find new dentists, doctors, libraries, schools, grocery stores and more. I sensed it would involve great sacrifice since my husband would be gone nearly five days of each week for his job…only leaving us a small window of time together on the weekends.

So, how did I juggle all of these responsibilities? And, how well did I do in meeting them?  To answer this question, I called upon Stephen Covey’s time management grid where Covey* identifies four areas (quadrants) signaling how we should spend our time:  (1) urgent and important, (2) not urgent but important, (3) urgent but not important, and (4) not urgent and not important.

One area in which I think I succeeded (in some small measure) was that my family remained in quadrants (1) and (2). Obviously, I had to make judgment calls as to when the needs were urgent or not and I had stress maintaining those levels but I sacrificed to make sure they were honored.

Where I fell short was in how I treated my seminary work, my devotions and myself.  Regarding seminary, more often than not, I had placed my coursework in the urgent/important grid. I did that knowing that my family sacrificed a lot to allow me to follow my calling so I thought I was doing them a favor by pursuing my seminary coursework “all out” such that their support would not be in vain. What I realized later was that they had already given enough and, while I needed to attend to my studies, I didn’t have to give 110% every time. Regarding my devotions, I often found myself empty and exhausted from the reading and the writing of seminary work and it ate away at the time I had set aside for personal study and prayer. I think this is what troubled me most because I knew how monumentally important it was. And, concerning myself, I neglected good eating and exercise regimens and I did not get the level of sleep that my body most desperately needed. Frankly, I’m still feeling and seeing the effects of this personal neglect.

As I look toward the fall term and the balance of my seminary journey, I realize I need to make some adjustments or I’ll be paying a price I am no longer willing to pay. Regarding coursework, I’ll give it a good effort and be willing to consider completed assignments to be “good enough”. Regarding my devotional time, I simply need to observe the Sabbath day as it was intended. In so doing, I can spend more time with my family, be more caring toward myself and be able to reconnect more fully and deeply with God. To remind me of these commitments, I plan to keep a copy of Covey’s grid posted on my wall along with Jesus’ commandments to love the Lord with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength and to love my neighbors as myself (Mark 12:30-31).

Perhaps Galileo said it best when he noted ”I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forego their use.”  I, for one, need to heed God’s words of wisdom when it comes to understanding what is truly important and how best to balance that to which I have been called.
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*Stephen Covey is the author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

I wonder if you have a growing list of things you are going to do “when you get time.” For most people there seems to be at least a few things that are on a project list that are waiting for the right time or resources to be implemented. Some of these have more to do with the way we structure our priorities, and others are just waiting for the right pieces to fall in place. Either way, I bet that list (for most of us) is getting longer – not shorter.

My wife and I have experienced this at a couple of times in our marriage. We tried to get the timing right for me to step into fulltime ministry from a parttime role. We tried to wait for the right time to have a child. Once our boy came on the scene we wanted to wait for the right time for her to become a stay-at-home-mom.

In these few cases and SO many more, if we had truly waited for the “perfect” time – we would still be waiting. We have found it easy to find multiple reasons for delaying some life-changing decision; everyone does. But we have also learned that once we acted on those things – God provided. In fact, it became difficult to understand why we had not acted sooner rather than later.

I have had a similar experience with seminary and it became even more evident to me as I completed my journey at Rockbridge Seminary last month. For several weeks I had been longing for (and dreading a bit) the day when I had a week with no assigned reading, with no papers due at midnight, or some other seminary-related action to complete.
I just knew that once I graduated I would have tons of time to jump into the ever-growing pile of books I want to read. I would have more quality time to spend with my family. I was looking so forward to my well-deserved break of doing whatever I wanted to do whenever I wanted to do it.

My realization, however, was found on the opposite end of my assumption of all the free time I had coming. What I found is that I have absoutley no idea how I ever completed seminary! When I look at my schedule, there is no room for classes, homework, or papers. There is no time for me to engage professors or fellow students. And defintely no time to read page after page of something that I’m certain would make even God yawn two pages into it.

My point is that if you are waiting for the perfect time to jump in to furthering your education – that time might be right now. If you are thinking that you just can’t add one more thing or that your schedule is too cluttered – just ask yourself if that situation will be better, worse, or the same a year from now. My bet is that you will be just as busy or busier later as you are right now.

Now, admittedly, there are significant reasons to delay the timing of such an important decision, and the contributing factors are much broader than the scope of this post. But waiting for life to cease its incredible demand on you physcially, emotionally, and spiritually will be a long, long wait. Why not jump in and give it a go for a semester? See if you are able to do with seminary the same thing you do with every other hurdle life throws at you – face it head-on and conquer it through Him!

This guest post was written by Terry Delaney.  You can read more from Terry at Diary of a Seminary Student and Said at Southern.

The Semester is Over!  Now what?

I don’t know about you, but it seems like I spend each semester thinking about how I need to get ahead in my classes so I do not have work piled on at the end of the semester.  And every semester I find myself piled with work at the end.  My wife once said that semesters just end whether you are ready or not.  Well, now that the semester is over, what are you going to do with yourself?

What can you do with your down time; that is, if you have any down time.  I know more than a few people who are taking summer classes.  I am not one of them.  I need the time to let my brain relax and finally digest all that I learned over the school year.  If you are one of those taking summer courses, my hat is off to you.

For those who are not taking summer courses, allow me to offer up some ideas to use your time wisely:

Honor Your Family’s Sacrifice 

First, if you are married, take your spouse out for a date night—s/he has earned it!  Your spouse has probably done much more than you realize in allowing you to focus on your schoolwork.  If you have children, take them out for a day at the park or the zoo.  Your kids miss you even if you spend a lot of time with them throughout the semester.  Spending quality time with your family ought to be priority—how much more when you actually have the time to spend?

Meditate on God’s Word 

Second, read your Bible.  If there is anything more important than spending quality time with your family, it is spending quality time with your God.  He saved your soul and He commissioned you to preach the Word.  For many seminary students, Bible reading goes out the window once the semester workload gets heavy.  It takes about an hour a day to read through the whole Bible in two-three months.  You could easily read the Bible during the summer.

Fellowship With Your Redeemer 

Third, take a day where you actually get away by yourself and get with God.  Leave your cell phone and MP3 player at home or in the car and go sit in the woods for an afternoon for a time of silence and solitude with God.  Allow the eternal spring of life to recharge your spirit.  We can all testify to how rough each semester is, why not refresh your soul with God?

Enjoy Your Mind
Fourth, read that book you have wanted to read since last summer.  Not everything needs to be deep theology or related to your field of study (for you music majors).  Personally, I plan to read a couple biographies this summer in a kind of devotional format.  Drink in the lives of those who have gone before you.  They will teach you so much more than you can imagine.

Nap to the Glory of God 

Finally, take some time off to do absolutely nothing.  Obviously you are going to be doing something, but there is nothing stopping you from taking a nap to the glory of God!  Spend a day your pajamas if you are able or just read all day.  I have found it liberating to get rid of my watch for a day (I am a slave to that thing!) and not be governed by time.

Now, I realize most of us will be working at  jobs or ministries or going on missions trips, but that does not mean you can’t do one or all of these things I have listed.  You create your own list.  The bottom line is do not waste your “time off” by doing nothing the whole time.  Be sure to fill it with what I like to call “quality down time.”  Keep everything in perspective and make sure your priorities are right and enjoy your summer break from seminary…if you have one.  God bless.

This post was written by Jake of cafe de soiree. Jake attends Reformed Theological Seminary and, among other claims to fame, made this Going to Seminary commercial!

I took a year off after college before I started seminary, and so I thought I was ready for it. Within two weeks, I was wondering what I had gotten myself in to. Seminary consisted of the same sorts of assignments as college—papers tests, reading—but I was not at all prepared for just how much of it there would be.

I soon realized that I needed a system or a routine to make it all work. It takes a careful juggling act to get it all right. A friend of mine shared his system with me, which I implemented with good results. Here’s what I do. I try to get up between 5-5:30am each morning, and first spend some time reading my Bible and beginning the day with prayer (this is essential). My earliest class is at 8am, and so I know I can get in about a solid hour of reading or studying before I need to get ready to go. My wife usually sleeps until 7:30 or 8 anyway, and so I get some very quiet, undisturbed, and productive time.

What I do throughout each day varies depending on when classes are, but the key is to not waste time. In college I majored in wasting time, and I always had to cram for things at the last minute, which meant 4am nights fueled by the strongest coffee I could get my hands on. Unfortunately I’ve had to fall back on those methods once or twice here in seminary, but I try hard to avoid them. There is plenty of time for me to get things done during the day. My wife works a steady day job, so I am home alone. I turn on some quiet classical music, and set out a pile of books in front of me. If I need a change of scenery, I opt for going to Panera Bread (free coffee refills!) or the seminary library.

Properly using your time should allow you to free up your evenings, for the most part. If you are married, this is key. You need time with your spouse. If I make full use of the schedule I have developed, I am able to quit working at dinner time, and keep the evening free for spending time with my wife. We are usually in bed by 10, and as a result, getting up at 5 or 5:30 is not an issue. That gives me plenty of sleep.

Full time seminary studies require discipline. It is not just something you can coast through. The demands are much higher. But a working schedule can help you keep it all in check. Prioritizing and developing a solid routine are important. Make sure you buy yourself a day planner of some sort, and map things out. There will be a learning curve, but you will start to figure out how long it takes to read certain things, how much time you should allot for papers, and when you should schedule the most intense things.

And I put it in parentheses above, but here I mention it explicitly: rooting your day in prayer is essential. No schedule will work properly or be effective unless it is hemmed in by prayer.

This post was written by Chad of Outside is Better. Chad attends Asbury Theological Seminary and works 3 jobs… that’s right… THREE!

Ever since I have entered into ministry I have been a Sabbath geek. Some accuse me of just making sure I “get a day off”, but to me the idea of Sabbath is so much more than that. Spend some time in Hebrews 4 reading about rest and think about how that may affect our view of heaven. Sabbath isn’t just a time of laying around, and not doing anything. But it is the kind of rest that rejuvenates our being. Last week I spent a rainy Friday sloughing around the Abbey of Gethsemani (home to Thomas Merton), and while I am sure I lost weight, I know that my soul rested in God that day.

Sabbath is our time to put ourselves back into God’s time and rhythm. That’s why we should treat it as holy.

If you are a seminary student, you will also know how important your time is. I work three jobs and keep a full load in school (and unlike college, I do good). Sabbath rest is something we need to learn to fight for. If you are feeling burned out in school, let that serve as a warning that you can get burned out in ministry.

Time management is also something I geek about. I work in media, doing freelance and working for the seminary I attend. I also serve on a team that plans all of our chapel services at Asbury Theological. Besides those two jobs, I work as a youth minister at a small church. I can’t afford to forget things, so I had to get organized. The biggest thing was time management, because I am so good at doing nothing I could win contests. One day I added up everything I need to do each week and to my surprise found out that I still had almost 35 “surplus” hours each week. This was after adding work, school, homework, and a full 24 hours off for Sabbath.

So I got good at time management. What this allowed me to do was to set time aside each day for “mini” Sabbath, and full day each week, and some extra time to just spend with the wife. I try to get away for longer that a day every 6 weeks or so, and I am planning to start taking a week-long retreat each year as well. This time alone allows us to get ourselves back into this idea of rest as a deep, personal time with God. I don’t just go through a devotion in this time, but I try to really stop and “be still and know”.

So when I need to go for broke I do it. The thing about Sabbath is, you need to work as hard as possible for six days a week in order to full appreciate this time. I have learned by sticking to my own personal method of organization (a modified version of David Allen’s “Getting Things Done”) I can be responsible with my time in order to do the best job at everything I do and to also devote time to Sabbath and not worry about things hanging over my head.

So, after sprinting full speed since mid December it is time for a little vacation. Starting Friday the family and I are heading off for some MUCH needed rest and relaxation. I’ve already cleared my work schedule and plan on only taking a couple of my school books. I have decided that I am simply going to go and relax… no pressure to get things done or obligations to fulfill. Now is time to rest.

Now, I know what is going through your mind right now… “Just a Guy, how am I supposed to make it through my week without the sage-like wisdom, insight, and life changing articles that you write every day?”

Well, fear not my friends, I leave you in good hands. Last week I contacted some of the seminary bloggers who frequent goingtoseminary.com and asked them if they would cover the shop while I was out. Not only did they say yes, but they’ve written some really great stuff. So, starting this Friday and going through next Wednesday we’ll be running articles written by our guest bloggers.

Be sure to show them the goingtoseminary.com love and comment on their posts and I’ll see you next week!

So, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to this semester and trying to determine how I will know if the semester is a success. Is it a successful semester if I get straight A’s? Is the number of pages I read this semester a measure of success? Is going to class every day an indicator of a good semester?

Well, I’m still working on this list. However, I think this is a really good idea… to sit down and determine what “success” looks like for you this semester. Then, when the semester is over, you can pull out the list and have a good evaluation tool. Also, I think it would be good to review the list from time to time during the semester… to remind you of what is really important and what you are really trying to acomplish.

So, with that said I’ll share some of the items that I’m thinking of putting on my list. PLEASE, feel free to share the items that make your list. (Is there anyone who already does something like this? If so, is it helpful?)

Oh, and I decided to add some general categories for the evaluation questions to fall within.

Questions to determine if this semester in seminary was a success(rough draft):

FAMILY:

• Does Just a Gal feel loved, appreciated, and that you devoted enough time and energy to her and the kids?
• Were you home for dinner most nights?
• Did you pray and read scripture with the family?
• Did you consistently pray for your family?
• Are you paying the bills?

SCHOOL

• Are you more in love with Jesus because of your studies?
• Did you read, with reasonable care, most of your assigned reading?
• Did you maintain a “C” or better in all your classes?
• Do you better understand Genesis – Joshua, its storyline, and its implications on the rest of scripture?
• Do you have a functional grasp of the Hebrew language?
• Do you better understand the book of Hebrews, with specific emphasis on texts that previously confused you?
• Have you been able to transfer what you’ve learned in Hermeneutics into something that is more than mere head knowledge?
• Have you been able to think more clearly about educational ministry within the church?

WORK

• Have you given excellent service to all your clients by providing clear and timely communication?
• Have you met all your promised completion dates?
• Have you found at least 4 sponsors for Going to Seminary?
• Have you wisely spent your open work hours developing and creating your affiliate marketing sites?

CHURCH

• Are you serving the local church?
• Are you involved in a small group and developing meaningful relationships with people?
• Are you praying for those who don’t know Jesus?

HEALTH

• Does Just a Gal still find you sexy?
• Do you eat 3 meals on most days?
• Have you increased your fruit consumption?
• Do you get adequate sleep every night?
• Are you dealing with your stress in a healthy way (or building it up until you blow up)?

SPIRITUAL

• Do love Jesus more and more?
• Are you consistent in your devotions (or are you skipping them to write blog posts like this one)?
• Are you consistently praying?
• Is your walk with Jesus a treasure and delight?

OK, so there is my rough draft. Please feel free to let me know what you think and/or what is (would be) on your list. I really think something like this is good to help remind you of what you value and what is important. Without it I might just end up trying to get straight “A’s” at the expense of all the other items. However, it is the entire list that defines a successful seminary semester.

Lots of Christians have a “devotional time” or something like that… a time that is set aside daily to study God’s word, pray, and worship. Me, I try to do it first thing in the morning. Starting my day focusing on God and his word helps me to get going in the right direction from the get-go.

While at orientation the other day, one of the speakers said something that was really interesting. He said that he recommended that you use your studies as the content of your devotions. I’ve thought about that for a couple days and recently began to apply it. I really think it is a great idea.

The greatest benefit of using your class studies as the content of your devotions is that it helps bridge the gap between “class” and “real life.” As seminary student we have the very real threat of taking our class work and separating it from our worship and devotion of God. Integrating your studies into your devotional time helps take down this mental dividing wall. Now, learning and worshiping are no longer at odds (a trap we must avoid at all costs).

Now, by way of clarification, I do mean that the bulk of your devotions should be focused on scripture… So, I don’t mean to imply that you should read your textbooks during this time. However, in your classes you, no doubt, have various portions of scripture to read in a given week (and likely some commentaries on those scriptures). THIS is the content I am suggesting you integrate into your devotions.

Now, don’t take this to be a hard and fast rule… sure, there are certainly times when you are lead or desire to study other parts of Scripture in your devotional time. Go for it. However, I think the point is that you don’t have to separate your studies and devotions. You aren’t more spiritual if your devotions are “on top of all your other studies” and you aren’t “lazy” if you use your devotions to read class assigned scripture readings.

Like I said, I’ve been doing it this week focusing on Hebrews (I’m taking a class on Hebrews this semester). So, in the mornings I read a portion of the text, pray through it, and then read some commentaries. It has been refreshing as I feel that I am both learning the content for class and truly worship as I do it.

Anyone else got some thoughts on this?

When I was in High School I occasionally got lunch detention (aka. Study Hall). Looking back, I couldn’t tell you what I did… but I’m sure I deserved it. That said, I will admit that it wasn’t really punishment. I mean, I got 30 minutes of peace and quiet to finish all my homework… then when I got out, there was no waiting in the lunch line… PERFECT!

Seminary requires a lot of reading, studying, and thinking. Without giving adequate consideration to these three areas, you’re going to be in a lot of trouble. So, here are 5 lessons I learned from study hall that I think will help us be more productive in our seminary studies:

1. No talking – If there was ever a rule that you remember in study hall it was “NO TALKING.” … total silence … With no one to talk to you had three options, read, study or think (I know… you think there is a fourth option, but sleep was the second sin after talking).

   When approaching your studies try and find a place that you will be able to devote yourself wholly to your task. This means avoiding the front of the library where you see all your classmates coming and going and avoiding the coffee shop where everyone knows your name. It also means you might need to leave your house (unless you live alone or with roommates that hate you).

   Do your best to find a place where you can sit and truly engage in your work without distraction… One thing I know for sure, I was never more productive with my home work than in study hall.

2. Lunch is long – Since my study hall lasted for half the lunch period, it felt like I was being robbed of eating time… Everyone else got the entire period to eat… but not me. Surely I’ll have to run out of here and scarf down the mystery meat with barely time to get to my next class. Wrong! The reality is that I was never rushed for lunch. I always had time to get my food, eat it, and even hang out with my friends.

   When studying, you might feel like you’re missing out on a whole lot or that the rest of your life will be a mad rush when you get finished with your assignment. The reality is that you aren’t going to miss as much as you think… in fact, it might make things better (see #3)

3. No lines after study hall – I don’t know how your school did it, but I remember a mad rush to get to the cafeteria. There was alway a line and if you were one of the last people to get in the cafeteria then you could easily wait 10 or 15 minutes in line. However, when study hall let out I always walked calmly up to the line and got my food… no waiting at all!

   The lesson here is that you don’t always have to rush with the crowd. Evaluate your time and realize that sometimes it is just better to sit and study while other “stand in line.”

4. The tie that binds – Study Hall always seemed to bond people… remember The Breakfast Club. This should be especially true for seminary students.

   As we sit and study our creator and his work in the earth it should transform us. After a good study session we should be, I would hope, changed and transformed more into the image of Jesus. Our relationship with and passion for our King should be stronger than when we first sat down.

5. You don’t ask for extra study hall – I never walked out of study hall thinking, “No, I don’t want to hang out with my friends and eat lunch… I’d rather go sit in that quite, uncomfortable room with the teacher constantly saying ‘shh’ and staring at me.” No, when it was over, I was ready to get out and live my life.

   When studying in seminary, set aside your time and place for study and then leave it there. As you give yourself fully to study, so to give yourself fully to other people in your life. When your “study hall” is over, invest in your friends and family. You’re family doesn’t want to hear, “not now, I’m studying.”Having a place to focus and study without distraction will allow you to focus on other things once you’re on “the outside.”

All this talk of high school cafeterias has me craving tater tots… mmmmm… tater tots…