Turn around, and I will sing for you a song
Hello, everyone!
First off, thank you amberfocus and sugangel7 for your supportive comments to my last post. I was a bit emotionally raw at the time and could barely string sentences together or put my thoughts in context, so thank you for reading through it and offering comfort to me. I may not have responded individually, but the words from you both really helped me get through the tough days of the Christmas season.
And what I have to say now will just show you how quickly things can turn around.
First, I will be graduating in May!!! I'll be losing my justice and peacebuilding concentration in my official diploma title (that would have been an extra six credits), but I will officially have my Masters of Divinity from Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. Thanks to the hard work of the Dean of Student Affairs at my now officially defunct seminary, I was able to cross-register at Eden Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri where I attend class via Zoom twice a week, and I'm doing an expedited Supervised Ministry placement (what would normally be done in Fall and Spring semesters is being done in Spring and May terms). I also did two whirlwind J-term classes with professors who were willing to make the time to teach me even while cleaning out their offices.
BTSR had, in my opinion, the most intelligent and caring of faculty. The way they have been treated by the Board of Trustees is nothing short of a crime. I attended the evening worship at a local church last Sunday because one of my professors was preaching, and he promised that he and the other four full time professors at BTSR would be attending my graduation, but as friends of the graduates and not as faculty. I am really excited because it would not feel like graduation without them, but I am also left wishing there was more I could do to repay my professors. They've been not only great mentors and teachers, but constant friends through this amazing and turbulent three years. The most I can think of to do for them now is to finish strong and work as hard as they would expect of me.
In other life news (though it is connected), I have a busy few weeks planned in my ministerial life. In addition to my 15 hours of supervised ministry (wherein I am helping to plan summer advocacy camps for early elementary school children), I am scheduled to preach at different churches over the next couple of weeks. I have my Scripture and general sermon outline planned for when I preach at Grace Baptist next week (it's on Jonah 4:1-11), but I am torn on what to preach before my father's congregation for Women's Sunday on the 24th. I have two previously written sermons I can rework -- one on Amos 5 entitled "God is Now Here" and one from John 2 entitled "Playing Gameboy Standing in the Middle of the Grand Canyon." Either one would work...or I could write something completely new. What do you guys think?
I also got a very exciting email on Friday inviting me to go with the BGAV to Lebanon to help figure out how to partner with refugee ministries there and in Vienna, Austria. I would be gone from March 15-26, and my parents are mostly concerned with me falling seriously behind on my course work right at the end of my seminary career. I understand their concerns, but at the same time, I REALLY want to do this. I mean, the whole point of going to seminary was to learn how to be a better missionary; I learned a lot about what kind of leader and missionary I want to be through my trip to El Salvador last January, but I always want to learn more. In addition, the refugee migration is a global issue that is very close to my heart. I want to help, and I want my Christianity to be an active, world community involved Christianity. So, prayers that God makes clear to me what God wants to me to do regarding Lebanon. I need to give them my answer soon (what with how quickly that trip is coming up.)
And in totally unrelated news (but news I am really excited about): I'll FINALLY get to see The Lightning Thief: A Percy Jackson Musical onstage next Saturday! Woohoo! I have been in love with that stage musical since summer of 2017 and never thought I'd get to see it live, much less with the majority of the original cast in tact. But the show is coming to DC, and it has the same Percy, Annabeth, Clarisse, and Luke from the OBCR. And I have a ticket for the 3pm showing next week. *does happy dance*
First off, thank you amberfocus and sugangel7 for your supportive comments to my last post. I was a bit emotionally raw at the time and could barely string sentences together or put my thoughts in context, so thank you for reading through it and offering comfort to me. I may not have responded individually, but the words from you both really helped me get through the tough days of the Christmas season.
And what I have to say now will just show you how quickly things can turn around.
First, I will be graduating in May!!! I'll be losing my justice and peacebuilding concentration in my official diploma title (that would have been an extra six credits), but I will officially have my Masters of Divinity from Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. Thanks to the hard work of the Dean of Student Affairs at my now officially defunct seminary, I was able to cross-register at Eden Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri where I attend class via Zoom twice a week, and I'm doing an expedited Supervised Ministry placement (what would normally be done in Fall and Spring semesters is being done in Spring and May terms). I also did two whirlwind J-term classes with professors who were willing to make the time to teach me even while cleaning out their offices.
BTSR had, in my opinion, the most intelligent and caring of faculty. The way they have been treated by the Board of Trustees is nothing short of a crime. I attended the evening worship at a local church last Sunday because one of my professors was preaching, and he promised that he and the other four full time professors at BTSR would be attending my graduation, but as friends of the graduates and not as faculty. I am really excited because it would not feel like graduation without them, but I am also left wishing there was more I could do to repay my professors. They've been not only great mentors and teachers, but constant friends through this amazing and turbulent three years. The most I can think of to do for them now is to finish strong and work as hard as they would expect of me.
In other life news (though it is connected), I have a busy few weeks planned in my ministerial life. In addition to my 15 hours of supervised ministry (wherein I am helping to plan summer advocacy camps for early elementary school children), I am scheduled to preach at different churches over the next couple of weeks. I have my Scripture and general sermon outline planned for when I preach at Grace Baptist next week (it's on Jonah 4:1-11), but I am torn on what to preach before my father's congregation for Women's Sunday on the 24th. I have two previously written sermons I can rework -- one on Amos 5 entitled "God is Now Here" and one from John 2 entitled "Playing Gameboy Standing in the Middle of the Grand Canyon." Either one would work...or I could write something completely new. What do you guys think?
I also got a very exciting email on Friday inviting me to go with the BGAV to Lebanon to help figure out how to partner with refugee ministries there and in Vienna, Austria. I would be gone from March 15-26, and my parents are mostly concerned with me falling seriously behind on my course work right at the end of my seminary career. I understand their concerns, but at the same time, I REALLY want to do this. I mean, the whole point of going to seminary was to learn how to be a better missionary; I learned a lot about what kind of leader and missionary I want to be through my trip to El Salvador last January, but I always want to learn more. In addition, the refugee migration is a global issue that is very close to my heart. I want to help, and I want my Christianity to be an active, world community involved Christianity. So, prayers that God makes clear to me what God wants to me to do regarding Lebanon. I need to give them my answer soon (what with how quickly that trip is coming up.)
And in totally unrelated news (but news I am really excited about): I'll FINALLY get to see The Lightning Thief: A Percy Jackson Musical onstage next Saturday! Woohoo! I have been in love with that stage musical since summer of 2017 and never thought I'd get to see it live, much less with the majority of the original cast in tact. But the show is coming to DC, and it has the same Percy, Annabeth, Clarisse, and Luke from the OBCR. And I have a ticket for the 3pm showing next week. *does happy dance*