The Last Day of School

Well, it’s officially over. Today was the last day of the School of Ministry and I’m kind of in shock. I’m not sure I’ve ever spent time doing anything more fulfilling, rewarding, and meaningful than I have for these last 9 months of my life. I thought I’d be sad but excited. Tonight I’m just sad. I had the incredibly unique opportunity to spend four hours every day in focused study of God’s word, followed by three to four hours a day of additional reading, study and service. There will likely never be a time in my life again that will allow that kind of experience, and that’s hard to come to terms with.

School of Ministry Comes To An End

Wow. I can’t believe it. School of Ministry is over tomorrow. In some ways it feels like just a few short months have gone by and yet, in other ways, like it’s been years. I can’t even begin to express what this year in school has meant to me. It has been the most fulfilling year of my life, hands down. It’s something I wish everybody could experience at least once in their lives.

If I could sum up the two greatest lessons I’ve learned this year, it would be these:

Nearing the End of School

No, I haven’t fallen of the edge of the earth! I know I’ve been very quiet on this blog for some time now. As I get nearer and nearer the end of my schooling, life seems to just get busier and busier. This last term is shaping up to be the most intensive, as far as reading and writing projects go. All of our classes this term are Bible classes, which I am REALLY excited about. The Bible has absolutely come alive to me this year. It’s been awesome. There is so much more depth there than I ever expected there to be. As skeptical as I was of the Bible when I initially left Mormonism, I have come to find that it is truly the word of God and has been faithfully preserved by Him through the ages to speak to our lives today.

Taste and See…

Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

During this time of going to the school of ministry, my family and I have been blessed with the opportunity to really “taste and see” of the Lord’s goodness. He continues to amaze us in unexpected ways. He continues to confirm for us that we are where He wants us to be… nearly on a daily basis.

What does it mean to “taste” of the Lord?

The Bible is a Comedy

This was a small writing project for the School of Ministry program that I am currently enrolled in. This concept has turned out to be very helpful to me understanding scripture, so I figured I’d share it here…

Ahhh… back at school

I’m back at the School of Ministry after a long Christmas break. It is so good to be back again. I am really excited about what we’ll be studying this term… lots and lots of scripture; all four gospels, the pastoral epistles, and Isaiah, in addition to other classes not directly focused on the Bible. The commentary text we’ll be using for Isaiah is HUGE. I’m a little intimidated by it, but am really looking forward to learning how to unlock that scripture in my life.

Not a Moment Too Soon

School starts again for me tomorrow, and it hasn’t come a moment too soon. It’s been four weeks, and it honestly ranks among the longest four weeks of my life. I have had a job every day of my life since I was 14 years old. You would think that four weeks of not having to work after that long would be a welcome break. And I hoped that it would be. Apparently I’m not wired that way. I found that I am susceptible to depression if I am not working. What should have been a time of relaxation, study, and regeneration was instead a time of stress, worry, and waste.

Has It Been Three Months Already?

I can’t believe I’m 1/3 through the School of Ministry already. We are just starting our Christmas break after completing the first of three terms. I was amazed at how much material we covered as we prepared for our finals this term. And I was pleasantly surprised at how much I seem to have retained. I’m a little afraid of a long break from school. I am enjoying it far more than I ever expected to, and will really miss being there.

Another day of prayer and a tree

Okay, today’s post will be a little abstract. We had our day of prayer in Garden Valley today. It was beautiful up there. About a foot of snow, sunlight streaming through the clouds, and lots of wildlife running about. I spent part of my time after prayer just taking a walk, taking in all in, and listening for the Lord to speak to me about some of the things I am praying about in my life right now.

Everything is harder than I think it is…

I’m firmly convinced that everything is harder than it looks. I’ve learned this from experience over the years.