It's hard to believe that I'm potentially finished with 1/3 of my time in seminary. Here are some brief thoughts about this past semester and my first year of seminary.
1. Seminary is a special and unique time. I am constantly reminded by my professors and others who have already been through seminary that these years are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. (Some guys realize this and try to extend their seminary careers 6, 7, 8 and even 9 years -- which I don't intend on doing.) Nevertheless, it is an amazing blessing to be saturated in the Word and surrounded by other students and professors who are hungry for the things of God.
2. I love church history. Dr. Haykin (my prof for Church History 1 and Church History 2) graciously allowed Cami to sit in on all of my CH2 lectures this semester and Cami agrees -- Dr. Haykin is the man! As a scholar/historian, his lectures brought the details of history to life in vivid and powerful ways. As a pastor, his lectures applied the powerful and sometimes hard lessons of history to the church today. His lectures would not only shape our conversations on the way home from the seminary, but would often come up throughout the week as we were both amazed by the God of history and humbled by those He has used in His service.
3. The local church is very, very important. A simple reading of the New Testament will show that God has a passion for His Church and not merely the Church universal, but individual local churches. This theology is being translated to real life for Cami and I as God has brought us to a local church and is now teaching us countless and priceless lessons through it. It's different than any church we've been a part of and while the differences have sometimes been hard and difficult, we are being stretched, challenged, encouraged and sharpened in so many different ways by the members and ministries at Baxter Church.
4. Learning a language takes daily work (which means Christmas break and summer break are deadly!) 'Nuff said.
Similar to last semester, I want to make a quick plug for two of my favorite books from this past semester.
1. The first book is George Muller: Delighted in God by Roger Steer. While Steer's writing style is sometimes a bit annoying (yes, spoken like a true English major...), the story of George Muller is absolutely amazing. Read it and stand (or sit) in awe of the object of George Muller's granite-like faith.
2. The second book is Dominion and Dynasty: A Biblical Theology of the Hebrew Bible by Stephen Dempster. This is book is a bit heavier (and headier) than the biography of George Muller, but it will definitely stretch you in your understanding of the Old Testament. It seems that most Christians, myself included, have a hard time understanding the OT. Dempster does an excellent job of pointing out key themes, words, images and ideas in the OT and then in the last chapter, masterfully ties it to the NT.
Anyways, if you have time this summer, go online (or to the library) and grab one, two, three or all four of these books! Read them, think through them and be encouraged!
(Photo courtesy of Mr. Tranwei Yu)
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