A Return to Seminary!
Hello friends! It’s been yet another couple of years since I updated my blog. It’s a casualty of a busy life and simpler social media posting (such as on Facebook or Instagram). However, it’s also because there really is not any major news to report most of the time. However, I do have something new and important to mention now! After almost 14 years, I am finally returning to seminary at Liberty University to finish what I started!
If you have followed me for any period of time, you likely know about my first attempt at a seminary degree in 2009-10. I was quite full on myself with my plan to become a pastor to “pay God back” for all the work he had done in my life. I even thought that I could balance my full-time job in the private sector, going after my Master of Divinity online, raising my child, and serving as a bi-vocational minister at a small church. I created the perfect storm for spiritual warfare and I was utterly smashed by it.
Since that time, I have been quietly working in the private sector in technology, teaching computer security classes at Liberty, and working in my various ministry roles. I was quite content with the direction my life was going, even though God pushed me to make a major change and move to Kansas City with my family in 2018 (a decision that I have not regretted much at all). However, the fact that I started seminary and never finished it is something that bothered me a great deal as I never like to leave anything incomplete if I can avoid it.
Starting about this time last year, I started getting deeper into the study of the word as part of the lesson preparation for my Men’s Coffee small group, I would often remember the days in seminary when I was deeply involved in plumbing the depths of the Bible to allow me to answer the deep questions about life. I also had many people in the group telling me that I really had a gift for teaching the Word and addressing tough issues. During a break from teaching courses at Liberty, I went through a great Wondrium course on The History and Archaeology of the Bible and was reminded how much I enjoyed learning about the tangible underpinnings of the Bible and its historical place. This interest was further sparked when I went through the Wondrium course “The Dead Sea Scrolls” as it reminded me of a period of time when I studied the Essenes for seminary. Finally, I started seeing pop-ups on my Facebook timeline showing me in my cap and gown as I was preparing to walk across the stage at University of Maryland University College to receive my Master’s Degree in Cybersecurity. It became clear that my time to act was now.
I have now submitted most of the materials to be accepted into the Doctor of Ministry program at Liberty University’s John W. Rawlings School of Divinity. I will be focusing my studies around theology and apologetics as these were some of my favorite courses in seminary and I felt that it was an area where I had the ability and desire to use my skills for strengthening the faith. If all goes well, I will be accepted into the program soon and start my studies in the Fall of 2023. I will still work my primary job but plan on taking a break from teaching at Liberty so that I can focus on my degree program. Keep me in your prayers! I hope God is going to a mighty thing in this stage of my life!