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What I learned in my first semester of seminary

It’s been a while. A long while since my first post. And much has happened since then. Mainly, Aaron and I have successfully completed our first semester of seminary. I thought it would be fun to document all that I learned in this first semester now that I actually have time to think again. So here it is: the top 10 things I learned in my first semester of seminary.

10. It is possible to read and write every day of the week and still not finish all of my homework.

9. Whether MLA or SBL format, footnotes and bibliographies are a pain in the you know what.

8. I’m not a huge fan of research papers. I feel like I’m just regurgitating information other people have already written down. My profs have books, can’t they read for themselves?

7. It is possible for me to write a paper in as little as an hour and a half.

6. Church history is fascinating, especially the stories of the martyrs during the times of persecution by the Romans. It’s truly by the hand of God that we have any semblance of the Church today.

5. Theology is frustrating but necessary.

4. It’s ok not to get 100s on everything, especially when it’s a theology class. At least that’s what Aaron keeps telling me. I haven’t decided if I believe him yet. 🙂

3. I can actually make it an entire month without washing clothes as long as I wash one load of underwear.

2. Everyone asks the question, “Why am I going to seminary?” at least once a week or so and even more often during times of stress like the night before a 15-page research paper is due. This is just a natural part of going to seminary.

1. I love Greek! There I said it.  I actually enjoy the challenge of learning a new alphabet and grammar. It’s like a puzzle. Aaron says this makes me a nerd, but I don’t care. (He also says aforementioned desire for perfection is a nerd symptom as well.)

There you have it. The top 10 things I have learned this semester. Despite the numerous ups and downs of my first semester of seminary, at the end of the day, I have really enjoyed being back in the classroom as a student, and I have been challenged in countless ways spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually. Now that finals are in the past, I am actually getting excited about next semester. Maybe I am a nerd at heart. 🙂

My Machaceh

A few weeks ago Aaron and I had the privilege of spending a few days in Santa Fe, NM. After a summer full of camp, moving, and preparing to go back to school we just needed a break. So we headed to the mountains.

When we started Camp Machaceh over four years ago, we set out to create a refuge for campers. A safe haven from the rest of the world where they could just be kids and have an opportunity to meet with God. But Camp Refuge just didn’t seem quite right. So we started looking for other words that mean refuge. We ran across the Hebrew word machaceh in Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Machaceh here is translated refuge, but it can also mean hope and trust. Machaceh. That’s what we try to provide to our campers. A place where they can learn to hope and to trust anew. A refuge from the cruel world in which so many of them live. Machaceh.

Which brings me to the reason we went to the mountains. You see, over the past four years or so, the mountains have become for me a machaceh. It was when we lived in the mountains that God laid the vision for Camp Machaceh on our hearts. It was to the mountains that we ran after that first incredibly difficult summer. So it only makes since that we would head to the mountains at this crossroads in our life. What is it about the mountains that draws me? I am reminded of the grandeur and majesty of God in the mountains. I am reminded of His provision and His sovereignty. I feel closer to Him. I go to the mountains to reinvigorate my relationship with God. And after almost three weeks of seminary, I understand why God drew me to His mountains once more. To prepare me for the journey before me. Seminary is going to challenge and stretch me. But He is still there, and He is the reason I am going back to school.

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Matthew 9:37-38

All that to say, what is your machaceh? Where do you go to be rejuvenated in your relationship with God?

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