{"id":283,"date":"2008-05-12T20:07:51","date_gmt":"2008-05-13T01:07:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/?p=283"},"modified":"2014-12-06T14:35:55","modified_gmt":"2014-12-06T22:35:55","slug":"upon-entering-seminary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/upon-entering-seminary\/","title":{"rendered":"Upon Entering Seminary (What I Want to Say When I Come Out)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you in Seminary or thinking of going to Seminary?<\/p>\n

When I began Seminary,\u00a0I wrote a short post about what I wanted to\u00a0be able to say when I came out. Then I put it aside and didn’t look at it again for three years.<\/p>\n

\"going
This is how I often felt in seminary…. That’s me on the left.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When I wrote it,\u00a0I was a pastor in a church in Montana. I loved the people, I loved the church, I loved the area, I loved what I was doing. Nevertheless, I felt God leading me to seminary. I was terrified to go, but I went anyway.<\/p>\n

After I graduated, I pulled it out to see what it said. \u00a0Here is what I wrote:<\/p>\n

\n

On Entering Seminary (What I want to say when I come out)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I am thankful for my seminary degree, but I am not glad I have it. It shows a compromise with worldly standards that are not necessarily God’s. It is what man wants of a pastor. God doesn’t really care. Letters and degrees and accolades mean nothing to Him. The Lord looks at the heart.<\/p>\n

I will never put letters before or after my name, unless they are I.C. – in Christ. I will never stand upon the work I have done, but upon His work alone. I will never believe that I have earned my position of authority, or a certain level of respect because of the schooling I have received.<\/p>\n

I was a pastor before I went in, and I am a pastor coming out. Any church I serve, fame I acquire, or recognition I receive is due to the grace of God upon me, and nothing else. I am worthy of nothing.<\/p>\n

I will not become an academic. I will not talk about Greek and Hebrew unless it is absolutely necessary to explain the text. I will never say the words, “When I was in Seminary\u2026” unless it is to humble myself.<\/p>\n

The training I have received is but rubbish if it causes my heart to grow cold and my love for Jesus to wane.<\/p>\n

Dear Lord Jesus, draw me ever closer to you. Let the education I have received not be a stumbling block to what You want for me.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I am making this public because I want to be held accountable to it. It really is amazing the work that God has done in my heart and mind while in seminary, not because <\/em>of seminary, but in spite <\/em>of seminary, and because of other things that have happened in my life while I have been here.<\/p>\n

As I look over what I wrote before going to seminary, I am shocked at how God brought about\u00a0exactly\u00a0<\/em>what I had written. I spent the time and money to go to Seminary, but when I came out, felt like it was all a waste. My degree meant nothing to me. I didn’t even attend the graduation ceremony.<\/p>\n

I have often wondered why God brought me to seminary.<\/p>\n

The truth\u00a0I have learned is that\u00a0seminary was simply a\u00a0cover (an expensive one!) for something greater that He actually wanted to perform in my life.<\/strong><\/p>\n

God had truths to teach me, and things to show me about various idols in my life which I may never have seen had I stayed in Montana. I had to learn things and see things that I never would have learned or seen as a Pastor in Montana.<\/p>\n

Seminary didn’t teach me these things, but I did learn them while I was in Seminary.<\/p>\n

Have you gone to Seminary? What was your experience? What did you learn? Are you thinking of going to Seminary? If so, what do you hope to gain from it?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Are you in Seminary or thinking of going to Seminary?<\/p>\n

When I began Seminary, I wrote a short post about what I wanted to be able to say when I came out. Then I put it aside and didn’t look at it again for three years. <\/p>\n

This post contains what I wrote.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37578,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[1580,19,1579],"class_list":{"0":"post-283","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"tag-bible-college","8":"tag-discipleship","9":"tag-seminary","10":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nUpon Entering Seminary (What I Want to Say When I Come Out)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Are you in Seminary or thinking of going to Seminary? 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