End of the Road ... For Now

Tough Decisions

Well, if you've been reading you know it's been a struggle for me on many fronts the past few years in pursuit of an MBTS degree.  Despite having a great Spring semester, the financial means to continue in the program remain just beyond my reach.  Tough decisions needed to be made and I simply could not sacrifice my family's needs at the expense of my education.  So it is with a bit of sadness that I share that at this moment, I've reached the end of the road ... for now.

I'll have more to say soon as I reflect on my studies and share more about what I've learned as a result.

Greek Is Really Cool - But Not My Forte

Thankful For Many Things

Well, my audit in Greek is finished and I'm thankful for a lot of things.  I'm thankful for what I've learned, and I'm thankful that it's over ... for now.  Studying Greek was really cool, but it definitely is not my forte.  Had I actually taken the class for credit, I would have received a B in the course which is OK, but well below the goal that I set for myself.  So I had to make a difficult decision

Going into the class I was perhaps a little skeptical of the benefit of learning the language.  Of course, there is the joy of being able to begin reading the Bible in one of the original languages, but would it really make that big of a difference?  A friend of mine had this to say about learning Greek, "The difference between studying the Bible in English versus Greek is like the difference between watching television in black and white versus high definition color."  I think my friend hit the proverbial nail on the head with that analogy.  I can see now how much clearer the pages of Scripture shine with the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ when translating from the Greek.  Mind you, I'm under no illusion that I've only begun to scratch the surface of my understanding of the language, but I've seen enough to appreciate the value.

So I have nothing but wonderful things to say about my experience with learning Greek and I'm looking forward to continuing my study of the language, but just not right now.  The time commitment to studying a language is immense.  Even though this was just an audit course for me, I spent far more time on this course than any other course that I've taken at DTS.  This is to be expected, however, I just don't see that I'll have the kind of time necessary this Spring to get the most out of the class.  So I'm going to basically try to keep reviewing what I've already learned and keep my skills sharp so I can develop a solid platform to continue in the near future.  All in all, I have no regrets for stepping up and taking this course.

So, if you're planning on studying Greek at a seminary and you don't have any previous experience with the language or struggle like me with foreign languages, I'd recommend a slightly lower course load during the semester to offset the amount of time you'll need to dedicate to learning Greek.  It's totally worth it, but it's a grind and takes a lot of time, commitment, and discipline.

Progress: Well Enough to Register

Getting Ready for Fall 17

Despite a few minor setbacks, I continue to heal well and I'm getting much stronger.  In fact, I'm well enough that I decided to go ahead and end my leave of absence early and register for classes again starting this fall.  This is great progress and I give God all the praise and glory for bringing me this far in such a short amount of time.

So where am I with my recovery and what is the plan for the fall?  Read on to find out!

The Search for a Seminary

Planning My Search for Seminaries. 

With all the possibilities, how should I go about researching and finding a good seminary?  I know that once I find a school, I can use the framework I developed to make an informed decision.  But how to go about actually get started in research was an interesting challenge.

Since I really didn't have a particular school in mind when I decided to go to seminary, I needed to come up with a plan to begin searching for schools that might meet my requirements.  After giving it some thought, I came up with a few ideas to at least get me started.  Within a few short days, I had all the information I needed to begin evaluating a good list of seminaries.  Here's how I decided to do it...

Forty-Something and Back to School

It's Deja Vu All Over Again

I’ve been a registered student for over half my life and I believe I’ve more than done my time.  After two engineering degrees, I feel like I earned my leave from the academic world. Never again would I be shackled to the unceasing grind of classes, lab work, projects, homework, presentations, essays, quizzes, exams, and all-nighters.  I’d been dreaming of that day since the third grade.  And there I stood, finally free.

So imagine my predicament to finding myself on the threshold of returning to school.  My leave from the academic world amounted to little more than a furlough.  I must be nuts.  Not just nuts, certifiably nuts.  I’m a full-time husband to a wonderful wife, full-time father to four rowdy little boys, and a full-time professional in the corporate world.  Add in my participation in a local church plant and I’m a pretty busy guy.  So what gives?

My Journey in Online Seminary

Plans are Starting to Come Together

I've decided after careful consideration and thoughtful prayer to pursue an online degree program at Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS).  Making a decision to pursue any degree is fraught with uncertainty and I think that is only compounded when deciding to study entirely online.

I've decided to create this blog to document my exploits in the hopes that I might provide you with some insights which might help you in your own considerations for study.