Seminary - Semester One

I can’t believe my first semester of seminary has already come and gone! It seems like it wasn’t that long ago that I was packing up my car and heading to Waco to start my studies at Truett. But I’ve been in Waco for four months now, and my first round of classes is complete! So I thought this would be a good time to reflect on my experience with seminary so far and give you guys on update on how everything is going.

This semester, I took all of my introductory courses. I took Introduction to Christian History, Introduction to Christian Scriptures, Introduction to Christian Theology, and New Testament Greek I. These classes are pretty basic and are mostly meant to build a solid foundation for when I move on to the more advanced classes in the coming semesters. However, they kept me pretty busy, and I learned a lot of great stuff this semester.

I think the thing I was looking forward to most about seminary was the ability to focus my studies solely on topics that pertained to my vocation. I loved studying Religion and Psychology as an undergrad, and I think I learned a lot of helpful things, but I was really excited to dig deep into the Bible, Christianity, and theology at seminary. And my first semester did not disappoint. I learned a lot of information that I found interesting and meaningful in my ministry, and my classes made me even more excited about my studies by giving me a taste of what’s to come.

I’m always amazed at the end of a class by how much I’ve learned without even meaning to. I feel like classes are meant to saturate your mind with so much knowledge in a subject that you can’t help but pick up at least the basics. And that’s definitely the experience I’ve had with my classes this semester. I’ve learned so many new names, words, and concepts this semester, but it hasn’t felt overwhelming or burdensome. It’s been super-interesting and fun. I learned all this stuff on accident, and I think that’s the way it should be.

I’ve also been blown away by how kind and supportive my classmates have been this semester. Seminary is not a competition. We’re all in this together, and we’re each willing to do what it takes to help others succeed. It’s fun to talk with my classmates outside of the classroom about the things we learn in class. It helps me remember what the professors are teaching, and it’s also interesting to see how other people’s experiences affect how they view the subjects we’re discussing in class. I’m loving it.

One thing I realized this semester is just how short seminary is going to be. Three years sounds like a long time, but it’s really not. And I’m already one-sixth of the way into it. That’s crazy! I’m really trying to appreciate these times and recognize that they’re going to be gone before I know it.

All in all, I’d say my first semester of seminary has been a huge success. It’s better than I ever imagined it would be, and I couldn’t be more pleased. I’m excited to take a break and get ready for next semester. Thank you all for supporting me and keeping up with me on this journey. I couldn’t do it without yo. Here’s to a restful holiday and a successful semester in the spring!

The Calm Before the Storm

It’s that time of year again! And unfortunately, I’m not referring to the holidays. I’m talking about finals. The bane of every college student’s existence, and for many, the most stressful time of the semester. Soon, students at Baylor will be dragging themselves to their classrooms at odd times to take the long, comprehensive exams that they’ve been preparing for all semester. I may be exaggerating just a little bit, but finals are a stressful time for most students, and I’ve been known to get a little tense around this time myself.

But there are no finals today. Because today is one of the most precious days in the academic calendar: Dead Day. Every semester right before finals, the school gives students some time off to prepare for the tests. No classes, no meetings, nothing. Just time to relax and study at our leisure. It’s glorious, and I look forward to it every semester. But in a way, everyone knows this peaceful bliss is only temporary. Soon enough, the day will end, and it will be finals time. This truly is the calm before the storm.

In a way, Dead Days are a gift. They’re the school’s way of letting students know that they understand that what’s coming is hard, and they want to give students an opportunity to recuperate and prepare before the hard part comes. Unfortunately, life isn’t always as generous as colleges are in this respect, and we don’t always get a time of calm before the craziness ensues. But when you do, here are a few things to keep in mind. This is what I’m trying to remind of myself of on this Dead Day.

1. The storm is coming.

It’s easy to slip into the trap of denial. Often, when I’m dreading something that’s coming up in the future, I just act like it isn’t going to happen. If I don’t have to worry about it, it can’t hurt me, right? Wrong. Because eventually, the appointed time for whatever it is that I’m dreading is going to come, and if I don’t recognize that and plan for it, I won’t be prepared. Sure, thinking about finals and deadlines is uncomfortable. It may even be daunting. But pretending that things we don’t like aren’t going to come is just irresponsible, and that’s not what these times of rest are for.

2. You can handle it.

On the flipside of that, just because something’s coming that you’re not looking forward to, that doesn’t mean you can’t handle it. The whole point of these times of calm before the storm is to prepare for what’s to come. And the truth is that things like finals aren’t so bad if you just put a little bit of effort into them. Time management is key. Make a reasonable plan to prepare for what’s to come, and stick to it. Because you can handle whatever it is that’s coming your way. You are capable, and if you use the time you’ve been given wisely, you will succeed at whatever it is that’s coming. You just have to keep reminding yourself of that.

3. This time is precious. Don’t waste it.

Finally, the time of calm before the storm is very valuable. You should cherish it. You won’t always be so lucky as to get this special time, so use it to its fullest capacity. Get plenty of rest, prepare for what’s to come, and do something that makes you feel alive and fulfilled. Those are the best uses of your time of calm before the storm. If you’ll take that time seriously and use it wisely, you’ll be ready to handle whatever it is that comes afterwards. And once you conquer that, you’ll be ready to move on to something bigger and better.

For those of you who are college students, enjoy what’s left of your Dead Days, and best of luck with finals. If you’re not in college but this blog post still applies to you, I’m very thankful that you took the time to read it. And if you’ve read this far despite the fact that this subject has nothing to do with your life, thank you. I don’t know why you’re reading this right now, but thank you. This is the calm before the storm, and it’s just as important what you do now as when the storm itself comes. So use your time wisely to rest and prepare, and you’ll be just fine. Have a great week, friends, and I’ll see you next Tuesday!

Love Alone Is Worth the Fight

Last week, I sat down with my family for movie night, and we watched The Giver. I had already seen the movie in theaters (and even written a review about it for Stuff Devon Likes), but while I was watching it for a second time, something struck me. I used to think the story of The Giver was about freedom and choice. But now I think that I was mistaken. I think the story is ultimately about love.

For those of you who haven’t seen The Giver or read the book that it’s based on, basically it’s a story about a post-apocalyptic dystopian community where all forms of inequality and all sources of conflict have been eradicated. Race, social class, the ability to choose one’s own career, weather, pain, and even color have been removed from the community. Citizens take injections each morning to suppress their emotions. The people pretty much become dull cogs that keep the machine of the community going. Jonas, the main character in the story, discovers what’s happened and has to face the fact that there is more to life than he has experienced within the community. The ultimate question for Jonas becomes whether or not love is worth all of the terrible things that come along with the ability and freedom to love, such as heartbreak, pain, and even war and death.

Obviously The Giver is an exaggeration. We do not live in a world where we are encouraged to give up everything that makes us unique in order to keep the system going. I hope it never comes to that. But there are some aspects of reality within the story. Because the truth is that we all face the dilemma that Jonas did at some point or another.

Each of us is constantly faced with the choice between love and apathy. We can choose to invest in people, things, and ideas that we care about but may potentially let us down. Or we can choose to not care about anything in order to protect ourselves from pain and loss. I’m afraid that too many people have chosen the latter. They walk through life like the people in The Giver, with no attachments to anything, simply trying to get by. And that’s no way to live. Love is what makes life worthwhile. It’s what makes life exciting and fun and ultimately meaningful. Love is the most important thing. How could we possibly choose to live without it?

If you’ve read this blog for very long, you probably know that I’m a pacifist. I don’t like fighting or the use of violent imagery to make a point. But one of my favorite songs ever is by Switchfoot, and it’s called Love Alone is Worth the Fight. Because as much as I hate fighting, if there’s one thing in this world that’s worth fighting for, it’s love. I have no problem standing behind that.

Today, you’re faced with a choice. You can choose apathy, or you can choose love. I would encourage you to choose love, in whatever form that may take. Maybe it’s showing a stranger on the street some kindness. Or sending care and money to a child overseas who is struggling to survive. Or choosing to forgive someone in your life who has wronged you. Yes, all of these things involve risk. They may even involve pain at some point. But they’re worth it. Love is worth it. So choose love today.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part One

This is the third November in a row that we’ve gotten to see a new Hunger Games movie, and I’m not looking forward to the day that they stop making them. The Hunger Games gained a huge following as a young adult book series, and when the first movie came out, people went crazy for it. It rocketed Jennifer Lawrence to stardom and got that little mockingjay jingle stuck in the heads of millions of moviegoers. And now here we are with the third film in the series, Mockingjay Part One. In case you’re wondering, yes, it does live up to the hype.

Let me just start by saying how much I hate the title of this movie. It’s entirely too long and an unnecessary by-product of America’s obsession with branding. How many people wouldn’t know that a movie called “Mockingjay Part One” is a part of the Hunger Games series? I feel like that’s pretty common knowledge. But for some reason, creators of these movie series can’t let the titles stand on their own, so they have to bump the main title down to a subtitle and add the series title at the beginning. I understand that everyone is doing this, but it just seems unnecessary to me. Oh well. Rant over.

Now on the actual movie. I really enjoyed Mockingjay Part One. My biggest fear with two-part movies is that the first one is just going to be setup for the second. That was not the case with Mockingjay at all. Of course, there are elements of the movie that were not completely resolved, as with any movie with a planned sequel, but it told a whole story in a compelling way, and that’s something that can be difficult with a “part one of two” type film.

I’ll try to tell you a little bit about what the movie is about without spoiling anything for you. Basically, the movie picks up a little while after the end of Catching Fire, with Katniss caught in the middle of a rebel plot that she isn’t sure she even wants to be a part of. To make matters more complicated, the rebels want Katniss to be the face of their rebellion, their Mockingjay. While adjusting to her new underground life and spending most of her waking hours worrying about the fate of Peeta, Katniss must decide if she’s ready to put it all on the line for a rebellion she never meant to start.

Jennifer Lawrence nailed the Katniss role as usual. This time, we’re seeing Katniss on her own, without Peeta, and it reveals a whole new side of her. We see Katniss on the brink of a breaking point a couple of times, and Jennifer Lawrence did a great job portraying those sides of Katniss without losing sight of who the character was. And of course Katniss had some brilliant scenes where she’s the bold leader as well, and they were played magnificently. The movie shows us probably the broadest range of emotions we’ve seen in Katniss so far, and I think it was handled well.

The rest of the cast did a great job as well. There weren’t as many characters in this film as in the first two because the plot was much more contained to one area. But we see familiar faces like Gale, Prim, Katniss’s mother, Haymitch, Plutarch, Finnick, President Snow, and (surprisingly) Effie. The biggest new character is President Coin, the leader of the rebellion. I feel like all of the actors did a great job, but Jennifer Lawrence was obviously the standout actress.

One of the biggest things I wondered about going into this film was where they would cut it off. Like I said before, they needed to tell a whole story, but they needed to leave enough of the plot to justify a second film as well. I won’t tell you exactly where they cut the film off, but I will say that I think they picked the perfect point in the story to do so. The film didn’t seem too long or too short, and it ultimately did what it was meant to do: create hype for next year’s Mockingjay Part Two.

If you saw the first two Hunger Games movies and enjoyed them, you won’t be disappointed by Mockingjay Part One. If you haven’t seen The Hunger Games, now would be a good time to get caught up on the films before the final one comes out next year. It’s a very compelling story played by talented actors, and really, it’s just a good time. If you’ve seen Mockingjay Part One, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it! And if you haven’t, check it out in theaters this weekend. Thanks for reading, friends, and I hope you have a great weekend. I’ll see you next week!

Going Home

The semester is beginning to wind down, and finals are just around the corner. I seriously cannot believe that my first semester of seminary is already nearly over. It’s crazy. But since Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks are coming up soon, I’m going to be spending a lot of time back in my hometown. I’m really excited to get away from school for a bit and spend time with my family and friends, whom I have not seen very much since I moved to Waco.

Since I’m going to be spending so much time back home in the near future, I decided to sit down and think through what going home means to me and how I want to approach it. I came up with this list of a few things I’m going to try to do while I’m home for the holidays.

1. Be present.

This is probably my biggest goal when I go home. When I’m with my family and loved ones, I want to be completely there. I don’t want to be worrying about papers and exams and readings. I want to focused on the people I’m with and the precious little time I get to spend with them. I’m not going to fail out of school if I take a few days off of school, and if I get a week behind on some TV shows, oh well. All of those things will be waiting for me when I get back to school. But while I’m home, I want to give my time, attention, and energy to those around me.

2. Reconnect.

They say that in order to maintain a friendship with someone, you should be in contact with them every 14 days. If that’s the case, I’m a really bad friend. This time at home is a good opportunity to reconnect with people I haven’t spent time with since I moved away, people I care about deeply but haven’t been able to connect with much between school and work and everything else. With all of those distractions out of the way, I’lll have opportunities to spend time with people I haven’t seen in a while, and I’m really excited about that.

3. Relax.

Finally, this is a break. That means it’s a time to recuperate and change pace a bit. I’m going to get some extra sleep and let myself be lazy for a while. I might even loosen up on my dietary restrictions for a day or two. Crazy, right? But that’s what breaks are for. They’re for letting loose and giving your body and mind time to heal from the ridiculous amount of work we put them through. If we don’t give ourselves breaks when we have the opportunity, we’re setting ourselves out for burnout. So I’m making it a goal to set aside some “me time” over the break on top of the other things I’ll be doing.

There you have it. That’s what I’m doing over the break. I’m pretty happy with my plans, and I think they’re going to be really good for me. I’m sure a lot of you have similar plans for the break, but if you have something different in mind, I’d love hear about it. Whatever you’re doing over the break, be safe, have fun, and make it meaningful! I’ll talk to you guys next week.