An Update, an Interview, and a Museum

One of the things I mentally committed to before coming to Seminary was staying current with blog and email updates. I knew that a WSC seminary education was rigorous and demanding, but I also knew it was possible to put in a day’s work (even if that day should be a 12 or 14 hour stretch) and then say “enough,” regardless of whether or not it felt like it was enough.  I knew that I would have to say “enough” at certain times in order to spend time doing those “trivial” little things like washing cloths, buying groceries, and cleaning the bathroom, as well as those joyous activities such as keeping up with family, friends, and loved ones through calls, emails, and yes, blog updates. Before starting classes, I was determined to be good at saying “enough” and staying current with you all. Well, the fact that my last blog entry was over a month ago is a pretty good commentary on how good a job I’ve done of saying “enough.”

Much has happened in the past month. Summer, “Boot-Camp,” Greek ended, and all of us are, thanks to the grace of our God, better for it. I was pleasantly surprised to realize how much one can actually learn in such a class. I suppose I assumed that we would learn something, but I suppose I was skeptical about how well we would learn it or how well it would “stick” under such “extreme” circumstances. (In case I haven’t explained before, “Boot-Camp Greek” is an intensive introduction to Greek in which students have five weeks to learn an entire semester’s worth of material. A large part of the difficulty is in the sheer volume of what must be learned every day and every week). But I was very pleasantly surprised to find out that we actually did learn – we are far from having mastered the language, but we have entered Greek II, and we have all the tools we need to continue learning how to read and exegete God’s Word in its original language. That is a beautiful thing.

Another happening that was a blessing for me was being able to participate in a pod-cast interview through Westminster’s Office Hours program. Office Hours is a new podcast WSC is doing in order to let the public hear about the seminary in its own words. I was graciously invited to participate in an interview with two other current students so that prospective students could hear a bit about our experiences, how the Lord has brought us here, and how He is providing for us. If you would like to hear the interview, please click here and select “listen now” for the September 8th program. I also encourage you to listen to the other programs found on that page, and to sign up for the podcast.

Because time is limited, I will wrap up now, but for those of you who have been asking “How has your overall experience been so far?” let me offer you this analogy. Imagine that for as long as you can remember, you’ve lived in the shadow of the largest, most magnificent, and greatest museum ever known to man – a museum full of the world’s greatest treasures of art, history, scientific discovery, and knowledge. Now imagine that you’ve walked past this museum all these years, and oftentimes you’ve stopped outside its windows to gaze and marvel and contemplate the treasures you could see on the inside – but you’ve always been engaged in other activities, so you’ve never had the opportunity to actually go in and look around. Well, thanks to the grace of God, working through the generosity of His people, I’ve entered that museum through my studies here, and I find that even my first few steps through the doors have left me stunned and overwhelmed with the magnificence and beauty and wealth of treasure herein contained — and I have yet to walk any hallway or see any room or explore any exhibition.

Suffice to say, I am profoundly grateful to  be here, and I am profoundly grateful to have four years to spend here. To all of you who are making this possible through prayer and encouragement and financial support, I thank you as one who has been given the opportunity to discover and study and marvel at the greatest Treasure known to man.