Orientation and your first day, all over again
The school year is over. For those of us starting a new school in the fall, just a few months stand between now and a new beginning. The first day back in school can make you feel like you’re a kid...
View ArticleI want to go to school, but where?
When I started seminary, I applied to exactly one school. I’m part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which has eight seminaries (soon to be seven) throughout the United States. I picked...
View ArticleTheology, the cerebral pastor, and me
I’m an impatient person. When I was in high school, I tried my hardest to earn college credit before I even picked out my university. I already knew what I wanted to study and what I’d like to do when...
View ArticleThe introverted leader
Doing ministry can be hard. Even preparing to do it is tough. That’s why I’m part of a couple groups on Facebook intended for seminary students and young clergy-people. I love these groups because they...
View ArticleHappy Reformation Day!
During my first year at my seminary in Chicago, the students got together for a celebration on October 31. But we weren’t celebrating Halloween, like the University of Chicago students in our...
View Article“I’m sorry, but I’m dropping this class.”
Flashback time. It’s 2009 and I’m in my spring semester at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. I was studying, among other subjects, Italian renaissance art. (It was an elective and inexplicably...
View ArticleThe New Year brings new adventures
In a couple of weeks, I’m going to be ordained. It’s a big deal because it’s the culmination of four years of study and work. At the same time, it’s the start of something new. I’ve been up for...
View ArticleThe pastor life: two and a half weeks
Recently, I attended a social gathering of Lutheran pastors in my area. We went around in a circle and shared where we served and for how long. When it was my turn, I counted on my fingers. “Hello, my...
View ArticleLeaving seminary—and still learning daily
I’m a little over a month into my first position as an ordained pastor. Before I started, I knew I would be learning a lot. But let’s just say that expecting information overload and experiencing it...
View ArticleWhat I miss about seminary (and what I don’t)
Next month, I’ll hit my one-year graduation anniversary. (Well, technically, this time last year I still had three months of field work to complete, but I walked in graduation all the same.) It’s hard...
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