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When Things Don’t Go As Planned

I haven’t written a personal post in a while, so I thought I’d give you a little update.

A Quick Recap

Jennifer and I have been in Orlando for 7 months now.  It has been just about a year since I quit my job as a campus minister in order to go to seminary.  I’m not going to lie, it has been a tough journey.  We almost didn’t come because our house wasn’t sold only weeks before we were planning to move.  That obsticle was removed and we went into high gear trying to get down to Florida asap. Once here, things were good but tough.

Though not an entirely smooth transition, seminary itself was everything I had hoped it would be.  I loved every minute of it (well… except the minutes spent writing papers… I don’t like papers).  The professors were amazing and I was growing in my understanding of God and scripture.  Not only that, but I could feel myself being transformed.  It was amazing.

The Summer Sets In

The summer has been really difficult.  For one, I have WAY too much free time.  I’m taking two classes this summer, so there has been some reading and writing, but generally speaking my academic schedule is pretty light.  Along with that, business has been really slow.  While this has allowed me to work on some other projects and catch up on some things I’ve wanted to tweak on goingtoseminary.com, it has been a constant source of stress… no work = no money.

I also think that the summer has been tough on my wife because I am home all day, every day.  Since I am self employed, I work out of an office in my house.  I think there is an added stress in the house when dad is home all day.  Not just for my wife and kids, but for me too… I’m not used to being in my house 24 hours a day… so, I think that is starting to wear us all down.

The Money Well Runs Dry

As you might guess, the whole no work = no money thing is a big deal.  When we decided to come to seminary we made a step of faith that was informed by us crunching some numbers and thinking that we could make it for a year before things got really hairy (financially).  Our hope was that, once down here God would either begin to prosper my web business or provide for us in some other way that he saw fit.

With the sale of our home we were able to put a nice chunk of money into savings.  This money was designed to pay our rent and cover any monthly shortages (should we have them).  Well, as you guessed, we’ve had more than a few shortages and every month the savings disappears quicker than we had planned.  So, last night as I sat looking at course offerings for next semester I had to ask myself, “what do you do when things don’t go as planned?”

The Options

Well, since things are not going entirely as planned, here are some of the options I’ve come up with:

1. Have faith, register for classes, keep walking forward.
2. Have faith, register for only 2 classes, loose your scholarship, get a part time job
3. Have faith, don’t register for any classes, get a job
4. Have faith, move back to Richmond, get a job
5. Have faith, change from M.Div to MA in Biblical Studies, take out a loan, try to knock out all my classes in under 8 months
6. Have faith, play the lottery

Crunch Time

All six options have some merit and on any given hour I fluctuate between which one makes the most sense.  I do my best to remember that all six options require that I have faith.  I also try to remind myself that the challenges that we are facing are just as much a part of the journey and what God is teaching us.  Though this is not a course for credit, this is part of my seminary education.  Through these difficult days I trust that God is working in me and my family to shape us more into the image of his son.

That said, decisions do need to be made.  I do need to register or not register.  I do need to look for a job or apply for a loan.  I can’t simply hang out in the valley of indecision forever. So, it is crunch time.

Table For Two

If you’re in seminary or considering seminary, odds are you’ll be joining me at this table.  Now, your situation will probably be different, but from what I’ve seen we all face adversity of one sort or another while we are here (can I get an “amen” Terry?).  It is highly likely that things will not go as you planned.  In it all, just remember that God has not abandoned you.  He loves you and is work in you and through you… that doesn’t mean it will always be easy and comfortable… but have faith friend, have faith.

Thrifty Thursday - Free Family Fun

Having kids can be expensive… especially when “fun” is involved. Being an Orlando resident affords us many fun activities, however many of them cost a LOT of money. A trip to Disney with the kids would cost almost $200. So, needless to say we haven’t visited the oversize mouse just yet.

So, what do we do on our tight budget for family fun? Well, here are a few things but feel free to add your own in the comment section:

• Public Library - With younger kids this is a real winner. Most libraries have a kids section and numerous events just for kids throughout the week. Currently my wife takes the kids to story time once a week and the kids love it. Even when there isn’t a story time the library offers lots of fun stuff for the kids.
• Barnes and Noble - Typically once a week we go to B&N after dinner. It is a good way to blow those couple hours between dinner and bed time when you want to get out of the house but the weather isn’t cooperating. The kids section is great and, of course, there is the Thomas the Train toys to play with.
• The Park - If you’re a parent then odds are you know where every playground is within 20 miles of your house. This is a great option because it affords the kids a chance to play with other kids their age. Also, it is a great way for you to meet new people. Now, if you’re like me, you live in Florida and you only go to the park in the winter when it is 78 degrees. The summer heat is typically a bit too much for the park on a regular basis.
• Mall Playground - Sadly, the malls in Orlando have crummy playgrounds. When we lived in Richmond the mall was a weekly destination for the play area.
• Family Walk - Again, with the heat, these have become less popular with the family, however, when the temprature was right we often took an evening stroll together.

Now, I’m sure there are lots of other ideas out there, so lets hear’em…

Thrifty Thursday - Saving on Diapers

If you are in seminary, then you realize money is tight (that is why we have a Thrifty Thursday). If you are married and in seminary, then you definitely realize that money is tight. My wife and I are always searching for ways in which we can cut our budget. One way we did this was to transition to cloth diapers.

Now that you are over the “eww” factor, let me explain a few things. First, cloth diapers are not like they used to be back in the day. There are no diaper pins and there is no proper folding of the diaper as such. The cloth diapers I am talking about are just like the disposable diapers from all the major name brands (or not so major brands). Second, depending on which brand you invest it, you may never have to buy diapers again.

Brands

For example, the bum genius brand of diapers are made to grow with your child. Basically, it is a one-diaper fits all model. They are designed to fit newborns up to toddlers (7-35 lbs.). They are about $19-$21 a piece depending on where you buy them.

The fuzzi bunz brand are one of the more popular brands of cloth diapers (along with bum genius) but do not offer the one-size-fits-all model. They have sizes small-medium-large for the child. These diapers have an insert that you need to stuff inside the diaper in order to absorb liquids and such. They run about $18-$20 a piece depending on where you buy them.

Finally, the model my wife and I use are the Kushies brand. These are an all-in-one diaper in that there are no inserts to be added. They do come in various sizes from newborn (up to 10 lbs.) to infant (10-22 lbs), and toddler (22-45 lbs). I know you can buy inserts to help with absorbency, but they are not necessary as each diaper comes with an insert as part of the diaper. They run from $9-$10 per diaper depending on where you buy them.

My wife has found that the best (and cheapest) place to buy cloth diapers is Wal-Mart.com. However, of the three I mentioned in this article, you can only by the Kushies through Wal-Mart. If you are able to do Site-to-Store, then you do not have to pay for shipping and handling. The other two can be found at most cloth diaper stores (I had no idea there were stores dedicated to just cloth diapers!) or online.

How Do I Clean Them

Now, I am sure most of you are balking at the thought of having to wash poop out of diaper. Did you know that on the box of every disposable diaper there is a little note that says, “Rinse or shake baby soil into the toilet”? Most people do not know that, but it is true. I will wait while you go and look on your package of diapers. See, I told you. We have a kitchen sized trash can with a lid on it in one of our bathrooms. We also add a little bit of baking soda to the can to fight odor though it is not as bad as you would think.

If you are going to get started with cloth diapers, I would recommend getting 20-25 diapers to begin with. That is about three days worth and then they need to be washed. Given all that has happened to my wife and I regarding income and such, cloth diapers have saved our…er…butts a time or two. We do have disposable on hand for when we go to church or just go out, but not having to buy diapers once or twice a week has helped with the budget immensely. It is also a great way to “go green” if you are into that. Personally, I just find that it is helping me to be a better steward of what we have.

In a later post, I will show how to attach a kitchen sprayer to your toilet. This helps to not only clean the diapers but also clean your tub and or sink. A by-product of the sprayer is it makes a good conversation piece as well. I have actually used it to witness to a few friends about stewardship and God’s faithfulness.

Thrifty Thursday - Savings in Seminary

Several months before we sold our house in Richmond our savings account balance dropped below our bank’s minimum requirement. The consequence was that we had to either deposit some more money into the account (not really an option at the time) or we needed to close the account. As I mentioned, adding money wasn’t really an option, and at the same time I didn’t like the idea of having no savings account. For me, I’ve found that having a savings account, even if it only has a couple hundred dollars in it, is a good idea. The main reason I like it is that I am much less likely to touch that money unless I really need it. So, I began to see what other options were available to me.

Enter, The Orange Savings Account. Great rates, no fees, no minimums. When I found ING I was pretty psyched because not only did they have a great interest rate, but there were NO FEES and NO MINIMUM BALANCE. So, I closed our other savings account and moved our money over to ING. It was all online and really easy to do. The bonus was that when we sold our house, we deposited our equity into the account and now, since the interest rate is so good, we’re getting a nice little return each month (nothing earth shattering, but every $30, $40, is a nice addition).

Now, some might wonder why we put our equity in this savings account and not something else (like a CD or as a down payment on a new house). Well, for us, we decided to sacrifice our equity in order to decrease our monthly expenses for one year (with the hopes that something would change financially after that one year). So, for now, we have a monthly draw set up in ING that transfers our rent into our checking account each month.

In all, I’ve been extremely pleased with ING and wholeheartedly recommend it as a great Thrifty Thursday idea. Not only do I like the savings account, I’ve been so happy that I am considering changing over to their checking account -> Electric Orange from ING DIRECT: 1.75% APY or more. Free ATMs. FDIC. Open online now.. With the checking, the free ATMs is pretty sweet since my current bank doesn’t have an ATM near by and I usually pay about $10 a month in ATM fees… So, I think we’re gonna change over soon.

Oh, and yes, if you sign up for an account Going to Seminary gets some money…

Thrifty Thursday - Help With Your Money

For a lot of seminary students, financial considerations are something that is always on the mind. Getting an advanced degree is not particularly cheap, and especially as a lot of us enter our studies married and possibly with children, this becomes an even greater undertaking.

I am blessed to be married to an accountant. My wife and I complement each other well because she is good with budgeting and working with numbers, while I am not. Left to my own devices, I’d probably find myself in quite a financial mess once I was done seminary. In high school, my wife was introduced to Dave Ramsey, a well-known radio personality and author who is also the founder of Financial Peace University. She decided that we should enroll in the 13-week program, and although I have a proclivity to steer away from anything numbers-related, I agreed.

It has been simply amazing. If you have not heard of Dave Ramsey, you need to stop what you are doing right now (well, finish reading this first) and go find out who he is and what he does.

The content of the course is a simple step-by-step guide to learn how to budget and plan financially for emergencies and the future. There are a lot of churches that host FPU, and a typical night has an hour-long video presentation by Ramsey guiding you through the process followed by a group discussion led by the person who organized FPU at the church. Lessons include creating your budget, getting out of debt, how to buy insurance, and suggestions for investing and retirement. Ramsey has an infectious personality which will really fire you up to get your finances in order. And because Ramsey is a Christian, his lessons and his methods are influenced by principles of stewardship and biblical wisdom on how to deal with money.

The people who organized the FPU we’ve been attending told us that churches have ministries for everything imaginable, except for finances and handling money. There is so much potential here not only for students, but for everyone in the church. This is a simple and practical way to get involved and serve in your church. Christians in the West control such a large amount of the money in the world, yet our churches have the lowest rates of tithing anywhere, our missionaries are grossly under-funded, and we ourselves are plagued with debt and financial problems. Here is an opportunity to really grab hold of.

You can visit Dave Ramsey’s site for more information on Financial Peace University and other services that his company offers. Also, there is a search feature where you can find an FPU program in your area. The cost is around $100, but what you will benefit from it is worth so much more than that.

Slacker Saturday

Talk about being a slacker… One measly post this week and it was merely a job ad. Hopefully I can get my act together this week, but I guess only time will tell if I can do that… Until then, since I was a slacker this week, I’ll try to make up for it in one post.

Two Cent Tuesday - Saturday Edition

Saturday is always strange for me because I never know what to expect. On any given Saturday I am as likely to have a project for work, as I am to have school work to do, as I am to have a list of honey-do’s around the house. While I always have something on my plate, I do typically try to spend at least half the day with my wife and kids. I also attempt to get a 30 minute nap in there somewhere. In the end, Saturday is like a half day off for me. Mix that with, typically, a whole day off on Sunday and I am usually ready to go come Monday. So, what’s your Saturday like?

Thrifty Thursday - Saturday Savings

Well, tomorrow is Mother’s Day and my mom happens to be in town tonight. So, in true best-mom-in-the-world fashion, she has offered to watch the kids and give Just a Gal and I a date night. As I was looking online to decide where we should go for dinner, I was reminded of a really great date resource: Restaurant.com

Restaurant.com is a great site that offers you some instant savings on dinner. The gist of the site is that you can buy a gift certificate to a restaurant at a very discounted price. Typically you can get a $10 gift certificate for $3 or a $25 gift certificate for $10. Now, you can only use one per visit, but that is a pretty nice little savings on dinner. Also, if you sign up for an account, they typically send out discount codes towards the end of the month and you can get an even greater discount. Major score on those nights.

One final note… when you buy your gift certifiate and print it out, don’t forget to take it with you! Sad to say I’ve done that more than one! Sheesh.

A link for all you would-be-Ph.D’s

Here is a great post by Sean Michale Lucas on Ministrial Students, Calling, and PhD Studies. It is incredibly insightful and is worth reading for all seminarians. Along with the original post, there is a LENGTHY comment section that I suspect will only get longer once you visit the post. Enjoy.

Seminary Meme Winner - Chuck

Note:  Chuck, please use the contact form so I can get you your prize.   

Congrats go out to Chuck (aka, Chuckles, Chucklebunny, Chork, Chubbs, Charlie Bucket, Bucket, Bucket-Boy) who was the winner of our April Seminary Meme Competition. For answering 6 simple questions, tagging 5 other people, and being the name Just a Gal drew out of my Windies hat, Chuck gets to go on a $100 spending frenzy at Eisenbrauns.

For the inquiring minds in the group… here are Chuck’s answers (oh, and if you wanted to know, he attends Asbury Seminary):

What class do you think has most impacted your spiritual life?

Wow…so far, probably OT720 Biblical Archaeology. Getting to dive into the physical remains of the Old Testament world has been amazing for helping me digest the biblical text.

What seminary professor has been the most influential while in seminary?

Gah…I think this is really a tie between Dr. Richter and Dr. Dongell, though I’m tempted to lean toward Dongell.

What is the greatest challenge you’ve faced in seminary?

Adjusting to being back in school full-time while my wife works full-time to support us. There have definitely been moments of tension there.

What has been the greatest reward you’ve experienced in seminary?

Primarily, being connected with an amazing local congregation in which to worship. This has been a huge time of refreshment and spiritual renewal for me.

What are your plans after seminary?

I’m hoping to go on to PhD studies somewhere (right now looking at Notre Dame) for Early Church studies/Patristics.

How many times have you been asked question #6?

5,636,220,184 times. Exactly.

Again, congrats to Chuck and, of course, MANY thanks to our generous sponsor Eisenbrauns!

Thrifty Thursday - Coupons

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:

• Cool Savings
• Valpack
• Special Offers
• Coupon Cabin
• Coupons.com
• Wow-coupons

*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!

Seminary Meme Competition

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).

1. Where do (will/did) you attend seminary?
2. What class do you think has most impacted your spiritual life?
3. What seminary professor has been the most influential while in seminary?
4. What is the greatest challenge you’ve faced in seminary?
5. What has been the greatest reward you’ve experienced in seminary?
6. What are your plans after seminary?
7. 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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