The Next Step

Against my overarching intent for this blog, I have decided to use this post as a life update. Perhaps this is a brief form of the classic Christmas letter for Janel & me. I promise that it will be brief.

I have now finished my fifth semester at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and have been wrestling about what the next step needs to be for my family. After a lot of flopping back and forth, I have decided to......go to more school! That's right, Lord willing, I am attempting to enter a Master of Theology (Th.M.) program next year. The Th.M. is different than a Master of Divinity in that it is only a one-year program, and it is a formal academic degree with a thesis as opposed to the M.Div., which is a "professional" degree. I felt strongly that a year studying Reformed historical theology would be helpful in shoring up my theology. I am applying to three seminaries for this degree: Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Boston.

In order to graduate this spring, then, I must take a very heavy load and finish up my internship requirements with Eastern Carolina Presbytery and Christ Our Hope Church by the end of May. Needless to say, it will be a very busy next few months, but Janel and I feel that it is a good option for us and I am very excited about the possibility of studying next year. Janel continues to work as a social worker with the foster care system of Franklin County. She works very hard and often has long hours, but she still finds joy in assisting these children and their families navigate tumultous times in their lives. I hope you have safe travels for the holidays. Merry Christmas!