I turned in my last final exam at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School a few days ago. It feels terrific to be finished! After six and a half years, I will finally be receiving my master's degree (M.Div.). The ceremony is this Friday night and I will be thrilled and honored to have as my guests, my wife and kids, my dad and sister, and some of my fellow pastors at Crossroads Church.
The journey toward getting my M.Div. could not have happened without some very special people. My wife, Keri, in particular sacrificed an enormous amount. She managed the home-front with amazing skill and effort. She put up with kids crying for their daddy on several occasions as I would have to leave home to go to class or to go study. By God's grace, Keri and I committed to this endeavor, and by God's grace we continued until this endeavor was completed. As one, we celebrate this accomplishment. [Sweets, thanks so much for your amazing support and encouragement through it all! Thanks, too, Sofia, Selah and Isaiah! Along with your mommy, I look forward to spending more time with all of you.]
I thank my pastor, Steve Farish, for his encouragement, prayers and help along this journey toward my degree. Steve met with me for all of my field education experiences and for my internship. Steve and I read through several books together the last five years, and we were both encouraged and edified through those experiences. [ Pastor Steve, thanks for everything!]
I greatly appreciate my church family also for their support in all of my studies.
I also appreciate Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. TEDS is a great institution of learning and I greatly appreciate the professors, adminstrators, and support staff.
As I look back, here are some of my highlights at TEDS.
Favorite classes and why:
1. Biblical Theology and Interpretation with Dr. Carson because he put the Bible together for me and taught me the importance of heilsgeschichte.
2. Elementary Greek I and II with Tim Swinson (now Dr. Swinson), because not only did I learn the fundamentals of Biblical Greek, but I really learned a significant amount about the English language. [I daydreamed through those classes in middle school and high school.]
3. Theology and Methodology of Biblical Preaching with Dr. Scharf, because of his definition of proposition (as used in a sermon). It still guides me when I proclaim the word and when I hear the word proclaimed.
4. Poetic and Prophetic Books with Dr. Monson, because Dr. Monson is, as one of my fellow classmates put it, the Christian version of Robin Williams. The man knows the Old Testament brilliantly, and challenged us in our studies as well, but beyond that he is seriously one of the most creative and fun professors on planet Earth.
Most poignant moments:
1. The first day of class for Biblical Theology and Interpretation. Before class began there were well over 75 of us students in the class chattering up a storm, but when Dr. Carson opened the door of the class and began walking down the steps the place went absolutely silent. Due, of course, to the enormous respect for the man. He arrived at the podium, quickly looked over the class, and said, in effect: "Let us begin in prayer..." Beginning with that moment the class rocked all semester long.
2. I had Dr.John Feinberg for two classes while he was undergoing enormous challenges in his life, primarly due to his wife's debilitating health at the time. Considering the emotional pain that he was enduring, one could hardly tell, the man was genuinely caring and gracious to us. One semester he gave us all an enormous gift for our final exam because he felt that he had shortchanged us that semester. He definitely won my admiration.
3. Dr. McCall and Dr. Plueddemann both won my respect by being genuine and transparent in class, particulary by weepng with those who weep and for weeping for lost souls.
4. Dr. Wayne Johnson, in his introductory remarks to those of us entering the Master's of Divinity program, quoted the following words: "Theology should always lead to doxology." That statement has helped me to pursue theology unashamedly, and, in my humble opinion, would clear up a lot of messes in people's lives and in churches if it was more passionately embraced.
I am glad to have written down these things. With all of those great memories it makes me want to think about pursuing a D.Min. Okay, I better stop for now.
No comments:
Post a Comment