I get so many questions about where we’re at with our journey to seminary, moving, academics, ministry, and so on, that I guess it’s time to write a bit about what’s been going on in our lives lately.  I guess I’ll upload some of the thoughts that occupy my mind lately.

• First, our house is now officially for sale.  We’re completing a few finishing touches on the house and the yard to prepare for an open house next weekend.  This is our greatest area of need for prayer.  We trust that God will finish his work of preparing us for a move to Charlotte.

• I’ve received a wonderful scholarship from the EPC that will effectively pay for a large chunk of our personal financial responsibility for seminary.  This is such a huge blessing, but we can only utilize it by being a full-time student in Charlotte (which requires a course load of 12 credit hours per semester).

• My church has graciously decided to show more financial support for seminary students in the future, which will also greatly assist in being able to afford seminary and supporting my family in the process.  Praise God for showing us how he plans to support us through this journey!

• I’ve signed up for my next seminary class, an online lecture class called Systematic Theology I.  The course requirements include two exams and a response paper.  I’ll have four months to complete the course, although I plan to work much faster than that this time.

• Ideally, our house will sell in time to move to Charlotte in late July or early August.  If that happens, I’ll be able to take Greek I for three weeks beginning August 2nd.  If our home hasn’t sold yet, we’re going to have to consider some contingency plans.

• If we don’t move by late August, we’ll have to consider what to do about my son and his education.  He’ll be in the first grade this upcoming school year, and our options are public school, private school (where he went for kindergarten), or homeschool (the current #1 contender).

• We’re on the hunt for churches in Charlotte.  Ideally, we’ll find a place where we can worship as a family and I can serve as a paid intern.

Your prayers would be appreciated for the above topics, and anything more that I ought to be considering.  May the Lord bless you and he’s blessed us!

I’m starting to get pretty excited.  In less than two weeks, I’ll be in Charlotte taking my first on-campus seminary class.  Yeah, I’ve already got one class under my belt and I’m half-way through another (both are history classes), but those are both online lecture classes.  This one will be in an actual classroom with an actual professor and other students present.  In other words, I don’t expect it to be anything like my online classes.  The class itself is a week-long intensive on Apologetics (defending the faith).  It’ll be lectures Monday through Friday, and then I go home to write a paper and take a final exam.  I can’t wait to get started!

I haven’t been in a college classroom in nearly 10 years, so that’s exciting.  I loved college, but this is different.  This is seminary.  I can’t wait to meet the other students and see what they’re like.  Some of them are probably seniors, which means that they may be pastors at this time next year.  That’s so cool.  It’s also intimidating… what will they think of me?  I know it’s silly to think that way, but it’s hard not to.  I can’t wait to participate in the class discussion, and I hope I don’t make an idiot of myself!  I can’t imagine I will, but do tend to open my mouth quickly and say things before I think them through completely.

I’m not really worried or nervous.  I guess I’m just full of anticipation for a situation that’s a complete mystery to me.  I’m thankful for my pastor who basically told me to go and enjoy myself and learn at the feet of Jesus.  That’s exactly what I’d like to do.  And soon!