Journal Entry 1
September 2, 2007
It’s good to be back in the Shenandoah Valley! I know the residents here have high opinions of their home, but even for me, an outsider, it truly is one of the most beautiful places I’ve been. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to study at EMS.
Studies began with an orientation day on Monday. An older, wiser student told me that, despite information overload, first-year orientation at the Seminary is a great day, and she was right. The incoming class has such a diversity of backgrounds; we come to study from various denominations, different ages, and many perspectives. I look forward to hearing more from each one. I strongly feel that I can learn from my fellow students just as much as a textbook or research paper. The faculty is down to earth, extending an easy welcome to all of us. I keep getting the sense that help is available at any moment; that it is not a game of survival of the fittest. Academics are important, but so is a sense of community. And the food was excellent.
The caring atmosphere has encouraged me to sign up for 14 credits this semester; I’m diving in! Actually, others have done more while working full time. I should be fine. (Note to myself: Remember your first thoughts during later trials!) The first meeting of every one of my classes was inspiring and I was so glad to be there. It seemed like I caught a glimpse of the larger picture. Each class has its niche; in the end I will have gained generous amounts of interconnected knowledge and wisdom, not just a list of facts. Yes!
My hope and prayer is that this time of study be much more than knowledge acquisition. I am here because I love reading and studying the Scriptures. I believe they are applicable to all of us today; that God speaks to us through them. I want to learn how to read them, what the context of the verse, psalm, or story is; I want to know how to share this with others. Over the past year I found out that I love teaching, but I cannot teach anything I am not passionate about. My passion is the Bible, so here I am.
