Expect life to change.

You cannot do graduate school and keep on with life as you know it.  Many things will have to be sacrificed.  After I got my acceptance letter, I began to adjust my schedule immediately so that I would be better prepared for the real shift six months later when the program began.  Some things I did right away to prepare:

I started going to bed and getting up earlier. My best thinking time is in the morning (more on this below), so I wanted to set my schedule to maximize morning time.  Besides, after 9pm, there’s nothing much to do.

I cancelled Netflix.  I figured that TV and movies were an easy way to reclaim a little money and a lot of time, so I went ahead and bit the bullet.

I started studying German.  Since I have to pass reading comprehension in German, anyway, I decided to get a head start.  But more than that, I wanted to begin to establish a morning study habit.  I started out with just an hour or so and built from there, so that when the semester started and I needed to study for much longer stretches, the adjustment would be easier.

Think about how you can adjust now to how life will have to be once you start your program.

Map your time.

I am blessed to have the kind of job that allows me to adapt my working hours. If you are going to do graduate study, whether a Th.M or a Ph.D, it will not fit in the cracks of your life.  You need to designate a set time for study every day.  This is important.  Getting a degree is just like eating an elephant: you do it one bite at a time.  The key question: when will you sit down to “eat”?  If you expect to squeeze it in around everything else, you’re setting yourself up for failure.  Block off uninterrupted block for study time, every day if possible, and limit your interruptions during that time.

Give your best thinking time to study

Graduate school takes a ton of mental energy.  If you can, make your study time when you’re most mentally sharp.  For me, that’s in the morning.  I rise early, eat, shower, walk the dog, and then hit the books by 7:30 or 8:00.  I work steadily until mid to late morning, and then go in to work in the afternoon.  If you try to do most of your study during your least intellectually productive time, you’ll wind up re-reading a paragraph four times, or trying in vain to write one paragraph for 45 minutes, just because you’re not on your game.

Also: try to schedule your time to provide for the best work flow.  I do my most productive work when I am uninterrupted, and can drop into the zone in reading and writing. Usually, that means 1-2 hours, followed by a short break, followed by another hour or hour and a half.

Some people work best late at night.  There’s no shame in that.  Put the family to bed and stay up another three hours cranking it out.  Sleeping in or an afternoon nap can compensate for the lost sleep.  Your solution will have to be crafted to the particular needs of your work and your family life, but as much as you can, give your best mental energy to school.

Utilize Every Second

I can’t emphasize this one enough: have something to read with you at all times.  The amount of reading required for many programs borders on excessive.  If you have any down time or waiting time, you can knock out some reading time while you wait.   For instance, I walk my dog every day, so I got in the habit of taking a book and a pencil with me on the walk.  I found I could walk and read with reasonable success, so I did, and it helped me keep up with reading.  Others can read while they run on a treadmill, wait for doctor’s appointments, ride the bus, or whatever.  Keep your reading with you at all times, and redeem those moments to make progress.

Read Intelligently

I have written before on how to read books with maximum efficiency, and I recommend that you give it a look.  The method is not original to me, but I have used it with great success.  My program has me reading roughly two books a week, so it pays to find ways to devour books quickly.  This strategy won’t work for every book—some will require much slower and more careful reading—but it will work with many of them.  You will save time and increase comprehension.

Each semester, start as early as you can

If you have breaks between semesters, utilize them to get a jumpstart on your work for the next term.  Professors often have their syllabuses ready before the prior semester ends; and even if not, they can probably give you a list of required books if you ask.  This is important, because you never know when something will happen to set you back.  The difficulty with doing school and work at the same time is that you have far less margin.  If you get sick, for instance, you’ll likely fall behind in work and school.  It’s wise to prepare for occasions when things come up at work that require more time and attention than usual.  If you have a head-start on the semester’s work, you’ll be in better shape if something arises to set you back.

Get the support of your employer

Make sure your boss knows what you’re doing, and why you’re doing it.  Things will go much, much easier for you if you have his or her support.  I’d recommend approaching your employer before you apply and talking about what you want to do and how it could affect your work. As a matter of fact, just to apply to my program, I had to turn in a form signed by my employer which stated they understood what I was getting into. I am fortunate to have a pastor and a church who believe in me and my program of study, and are completely supportive.  So the last two weeks before final due dates, when I’m buried in finishing papers, they understand.  Without that understanding, things would be harder.

In each seminar, understand what merits your best attention.

Not everything in each seminar is as important.  You will be required to complete assignments that professors won’t even give a second glance.   In one of my seminars this term, we were required to produce several five-page book summaries based on our reading.  The purpose of that assignment is to ensure that we interact with and absorb the material in the book.  Writing those summaries is a good way to do it.  However, there is no way my professor is going to sit and read 16 different summaries of the same book.  Most likely, he’ll glance at each one to see that our approach was adequate.  So should I spend thirty minutes agonizing over how exactly to phrase that one concept?  Absolutely not.  Write it, get it done, turn it in.

Our big term paper, however, was another matter.  In many seminars, you’ll produce one lengthy paper that is the lion’s share of the grade and the expectation for that class.  It will be closely scrutinized by both your professor and your classmates. That’s where you should devote your best efforts.

Expect your first semester to be hard

The first semester in your program, you’ll have the steep learning curve of a newcomer.  I was uneasy about what the standards would be, and how my thinking and writing would compare to others in the program.  As it turned out, I was comfortably in the middle of the pack, but I didn’t really know that until the end of the semester.  There are also skills to learn or relearn.  How, for instance, do you do library research?  I started my program after having been out of school for ten years.  To understate it: library research changed a little bit while I was gone.  The digital revolution made things easier in many ways, but I still had to learn how to navigate it.  It’s also been ten years since I had to properly format a paper (margins, footnotes, etc.). After spending six hours properly formatting my first paper, however, I’ve learned the style, and future papers will be much easier. You’ll also be learning your own study habits: how long does it take to read a book?  What are the really difficult parts of writing?  For me, it’s formulating my topic.  Once I have that, the rest comes more easily.  Others struggle with drafting or editing.  You’ll need to (re)discover your own strengths and weaknesses, and the first semester will be filled with these kinds of challenges.

Make Friends

Sit down in your seminars, and look around.  Seated around you are some of the best and brightest people in your field.  Many of them will be your colleagues for the rest of your life.  Be friendly.  Get to know them now.  They can be an invaluable resource.  Their reading and intelligence can make up for weaknesses in yours, and they can help you shape and refine your own ideas. Most importantly, they will understand the value of what you are doing in a way that many people in your life will not.  Most people in my church have no idea why someone would get a Ph.D in Christian Philosophy, but fellow students do.  They get it. You’ll need the support of friends like that when you’re enduring sleepless nights studying for comps, or wrestling your way through your dissertation.

These are just a few thoughts.  What would you add?

On first read, it seems to me that his perspective, and that of those avoiding seminary is (1) essentially pragmatic, and maybe too pragmatic; and (2) true of some seminaries, surely, but definitely not all.

Read and see what you think.

One excerpt:

4. Give yourself time. Many smart people tell themselves pathetic lies like, “I do my best work at the last minute.” Look: It’s not true. No one works better under pressure. Sure, you are a smart person. But if you are writing about a profound problem, why would you think that you can make an important contribution off the top of your head in the middle of the night just before the conference?

Writers sit at their desks for hours, wrestling with ideas. They ask questions, talk with other smart people over drinks or dinner, go on long walks. And then write a whole bunch more. Don’t worry that what you write is not very good and isn’t immediately usable. You get ideas when you write; you don’t just write down ideas.

Full article.

In the face of all the multiple demands at seminary, the temptation to laziness can be acute.  I’ve spoken with a number of students who succumb to laziness, to their own hurt.  They have much to get done, but cannot get themselves to do it.

Often laziness will show up as procrastination; or choosing to do distracting or escapist activities instead of the work at hand.  (For instance: Playstation, TV, movies, escapist reading, laying inactive on the couch, etc.)

Some factors that contribute to laziness:

• Physical exhaustion. Often people with high demand jobs or hours get to the point where they are so physically tired they cannot muster the energy to do something else.
• Lack of endurance. When you begin seminary it usually involves greater time demands than you’ve faced before. Adjusting to the amount of work to be done can be difficult when you’re not accustomed to it.
• Mental Paralysis. I am one who can get mentally paralyzed in the face of too many demands. I’ll get overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin, so I’ll do nothing.
• Depression. Indolence and chronic un-motivation can be a symptom of depression.

Most of the time, however, laziness is a sin. The choice to be lazy is a choice, no matter what your circumstances are.  It is a decision of will. The sin of laziness or sloth is about taking more joy in ease than in doing the will of God, or of executing the responsibilities reasonably expected of us.

Factors we’ve mentioned above can worsen the temptation, in the same way a married man’s temptation to lust is more problematic when his wife is out of town or he’s traveling.  But the circumstance is not the problem.

A few theological reminders:

We were created to work. ”The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it (Genesis 2:15)

We are commanded to work. It’s easy to forget the Sabbath commandment (which we routinely break) begins with a command to work for six days.

“Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work….

(Exodus 20:9-10a, emphasis added)

We do need rest. Laziness, however, is not about rest.  It’s about avoiding exertion.

We were saved to do good works. ”For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  Ephesians 2:10

Remember also the Bible is clear about the results of laziness:

• Fruitlessness (Proverbs 20:4)
• Poor reputation (Proverbs 10:26)
• Lying (Proverbs 22:13)
• Poverty (Proverbs 24:30-34)
• Procrastination (Proverbs 6:9)
• Hindrances (Proverbs 15:19)
• Conceit (Proverbs 26:16)
• Dissatisfaction (Proverbs 13:4)
• Death (Proverbs 21:25)

If you are succumbing to laziness, here are a few suggestions:

Take responsibility. No one is making you lazy; that decision is entirely your own.  Don’t blame it on anyone or anything but yourself.

Be done with excuses.  Your life is not that exceptional.  Quit whining.

Take initiative. Laziness will only go by the exertion of effort on your part.

Look at the big picture of your life. What is it that you want to do?  What’s your purpose in being at seminary?

Try keeping an activity log for a few days. What exactly ARE you doing?  Write everything you do and how long it takes you.  Just being aware of what you’re doing can help.

Break things down. If you find yourself overwhelmed, break down your work into hour long chunks, and assign them to your calendar.  Then you can focus on just one thing at a time.

Simply your schedule. If you have too much to do, look for things you can eliminate or delegate.

Get counseling. Laziness can be a symptom of depression.  Are you depressed?  People in ministry are not immune!  Most seminaries have free counseling-make an appointment.

Go to sleep. If you’re tired, sleep.  Most Americans, in fact, are acutely sleep deprived.  Beware of staying up late watching TV, vegging on the couch.  It is not helping you.  Go to bed.

Exercise. Done right, exercise is energizing, not tiring.  I’m not asking you to run marathons, but a brisk walk will help improve your metabolism, and it will get you moving.

Watch your diet. Eating fresh and healthy choices will help feel more energized.  Fast food can make you lethargic.

Be with people. I find it much easier to be lazy when other people aren’t around.  There is a motivation in community.  Studying in the library might be a good alternative to doing it at home.

Get perspective. You’re at seminary.  Do you know what a gift that is?  Do you know how many third world pastors are pouring themselves out for their people and will never have the opportunity for formal theological education? Be grateful, and work hard.

Repent. Jesus Christ did not die on the cross for your sins so you could avoid work.  Live worthy of the calling you have received.

“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God…” Colossians 1:10

Finally, a few quotes:

There is no fatigue so wearisome as that which comes from lack of work. - Charles Spurgeon

Nobody can think straight who does not work. Idleness warps the mind. - Henry Ford

Determine never to be idle… It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing.

- Thomas Jefferson

A lazy person, whatever the talents with which he set out, will have condemned himself to second-hand thoughts and to second-rate friends. - Cyril Connolly

(From the archives.)

Related:

Procrastination: Seminary Time Waster #1

Eliminate Time Wasters

In an interview with the dean of students at a leading evangelical seminary, I asked about the most common reasons people did not complete seminary.  One of his answers was a shock to me: students get caught cheating.

Seminary students have ample opportunity to cheat.

• You can plagiarize—representing the academic work of others as your own.  You can rip off fellow students, sometimes with their cooperation.  You can rip off published scholars through failure to provide necessary citations in your written work.
• You can use forbidden resources on exams.  Conjugations written on the palm of your hand?  Ever have a take-home, closed-book exam?  (Only at seminary!)
• You can dishonestly answer those dratted blanket questions on your final, like:
  • Did you read all of your required readings?
  • Did you complete the special assignment?

Seminaries tend to be more trusting with academic honor codes than their secular counterparts.  They put great stock in the work of the Holy Spirit to convict students of sin, and rest confidently in that as a bulwark.  But students still cheat.  No one knows how much, but I suspect if we did, we would be embarrassed.

The spiritual roots of cheating

My systematic theology professor taught us that all sins boiled down to either pride or sloth.  Cheating is no different.  Let’s think deeply about this: why would you cheat?

Pride

• You’re afraid you cannot pass seminary on your own, and would be ashamed to be found out as academically incapable.
• You believe that the grade you make in class is an evaluation of you, not just your performance, and feel the need to inflate it.
• Making a poor grade is unthinkable, so since you’re busy, you take a few shortcuts.
• Since you’re capable of making an “A” anyway, why should you be forced to work to prove it?
• Who will know?  It doesn’t matter anyway.

The common factor in these is pride.

To derail pride:

• The antidote to pride is humility.
• Humility is always chosen.  It is never accidental.
• Humility is a choice only you can make.  God won’t make you humble.  His word clearly teaches that we are to humble ourselves. “Humble yourselves in the sight of he Lord, and he will lift you up.”
• “God opposes the proud.”  If you’ve rationalized your cheating out of pride, consider this: Almighty God stands in eternal opposition to your inflated thoughts of yourself.
• “…but gives grace to the humble.”  There is an unending cascade of grace for those who choose humility.  Trust in that future grace.

If you make a “D” in Biblical backgrounds, that doesn’t mean you’re not called of God.

If you fail a test, it doesn’t mean you are a failure.

If your professor thinks poorly of you, that doesn’t mean that God does.

Humility, as I understand it, means taking God’s view of us as the true and correct view.  This encompasses both the horror of our capacity for sin, and the splendor of the gifts and nobility God has put within us.

We need to have the courage to face the truth about ourselves.  We can only do that by being secure in the love and favor of God in Christ.  If I know I am deeply loved and approved by God in Christ, then I can handle making a “C”.

Sloth

The other major root of cheating is laziness—raw unwillingness to exert effort.  You don’t want to do the work, so cheating is a shortcut.  You cheat not to protect your image of reputation, but simply out of indolence.

Much like pride, sloth is characterized by rationalizations.  We are never so creative as when we’re trying to come up with reasons to avoid work.  A lazy person will say or believe anything to justify avoidance of exertion.

The effort we’re willing to expend in service to God reflects our view of His greatness.  If Almighty God in all his glory, power and love can’t motivate you to a bit of work and self-denial, then something is seriously wrong.  You may need to check your conversion.

If you’ve cheated:

Repent. In the most literal sense, you need to change your mind about it.  Your dishonesty is an offense against the God of truth.  Be done with your rationalizations, and acknowledge your sin.

Come Clean. Do this first with a pastor or trusted spiritual advisor; the more mature, the better.  Confession is never fun but is cleansing to the soul.  Second, come clean with your professor, even if the class is already over.  Go to him or her, tell exactly what you did, and submit to whatever instructions you’re given.

Find the root. What motivated you to cheat in the first place?  Find out.  Don’t assume that the first answer you come up with off the top of your head is correct, either. This kind of issue is best talked through with a counselor or perceptive spiritual director.  Most seminaries have free counseling for students.  Go sign up.

Walk in the light. Don’t do it anymore.  Study hard, do your best, and accept whatever grade you get with grace.  Write your own papers.  Cite all borrowed material, even if you have to lug back to the library to get the page number.  Enjoy the sweet fruit of a clean conscience.

Final Warning

If you’re willing to cheat in seminary, you’ll cheat when you’re ministering in a church.  You’ll eventually be found out, and it will damage the church and the cause of Christ.  When it makes the papers, you will drive lost people away from the gospel.  The choices you make in the privacy of your head have eternal repercussions that you cannot fathom.  Resolve now to live with integrity, no matter what it costs you.

It’s pretty simple:

• Reserve study blocks beginning about a week before the exam.
• Plan for multiple, short study times rather than longer blocks. Four blocks of 20 minutes each will probably make for better retention than a single two-hour marathon review.
• Reserve this time now, and plan around it.

If you have multiple exams in a single week, like around mid-terms or finals:

• Start a bit earlier.
• Schedule breaks in your study time. You can schedule shorter blocks of study time around other activities, or simply build a ten minute break into each hour of studying.

The point? Be proactive. (This is Habit #1 in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.) If you anticipate your needs ahead of time and provide for them, you won’t have to be reactive and frustrated at exam time.

Also consider these study ideas:

• Swap class notes with someone and read over your friend’s notes. This will help refresh your memory of lectures and pick up things you might have missed.
• If you’ve underlined and/or highlighted your class reading well, it should be relatively easy to review what you’ve read.
• Get a friend to quiz you on points you’ll be tested on. Iron sharpens iron, and it’s a good excuse to get coffee.

Writing papers on the scale that seminary requires can be daunting if you haven’t done it before. Ten page and fifteen page papers are pretty common; even twenty-five page papers aren’t unheard of. Most undergraduate work doesn’t require the level of writing that seminary requires.

I highly recommend creating a writing plan for each major paper you’ll write this semester. Here’s how.

First, Break It Down.

To create a writing plan, begin by breaking down the project into manageable tasks. Make a list of everything you’ll need to do:

• Assess topic choices
• Choose a topic
• Get topic approved by your professor
• Find sources
• Research your sources and take notes on them
• Formulate a thesis
• Create an outline
• Write first draft
• Revise, and write final draft
• Format and print the paper
• Proofread
• Reprint if necessary and submit

The level of detail you choose is partly a function of how you think about the project, and how big the assignment is.

Second, Estimate the Time

Second, estimate how much actual clock time will be needed for each task in the breakdown, and write it down. For instance,

• Assess topic choices (15 minutes)
• Choose a topic (5 minutes)
• Get topic approved by your professor (5 minutes)
• Find sources (3 hours)
• Research your sources and take notes on them. (6 hours)
• Formulate a thesis (20 minutes)
• Create an outline (20 minutes)
• Write first draft (4 hours)
• Revise, and write final draft. (3 hours)
• Proofread. (30 minutes)

Your time estimates will vary depending on the size of each project and the pace at which you work. Watch yourself as you make your first estimates about how long each task will take. Very often, our estimates prove to be way off, in either direction. As you make note of how long these tasks actually take, you’ll be able to make more precise plans for future writing projects.

Third, Reserve the Time Now

Finally-this is important-reserve a block of time in your calendar for each task of the paper. You’ll want to begin anywhere from one to four weeks before the due date. I’d suggest that you plan to finish at least a couple of days before the due date. This will give some leeway if you fall behind schedule.

If possible, start the paper early. In some classes, you have to cover a certain amount of material before you’re prepared to write some papers, but not always.

There may be some classes you can read ahead in more easily.

Look over your assigned reading, and decide which reading will be more challenging and which is more accessible. You may want to wade through the difficult stuff early, or breeze through the easy stuff first. Either way. Just get a jump on it.

Use this reading method for faster comprehension, if you’re not asked to account for your eyes touching every word of your reading.

Even if you can only get an extra six hours or so of reading in during the first few weeks, that will give you six hours you can use later when it’s crunch time.

Extra:

Have trouble with procrastination? Try this.

This is awesome. It’s a time management bonanza. If you take a few moments to plan well, it can make the semester much easier for you. Carpe Diem!

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Get your calendar. You should have only one calendar, because you have only one life. (Be sure you coordinate well with your spouse and kids.)

2. Note all the dates of your papers and exams.

3. To the best of your ability keep your schedule clear in the week before each exam, and two weeks before each paper due date

4. Schedule recovery time. Be sure to schedule some down time right after mid-terms, and after big assignments are due. Plan to relax a bit. If you schedule a day trip, a date, or some fun activity just after the crunch, it will give you something to look forward to after the big project.

5. Make a note of when the worst crunch times are. Then, if your job allows for any scheduling leeway, let your boss know early. If you’re a valuable employee, she just might work with you.

Following these suggestions should only take an hour or two, and should save you time and frustration all semester long.

In an interview with the dean of students at a leading evangelical seminary, I asked about the most common reasons people did not complete seminary.  One of his answers was a shock to me: students get caught cheating.

Seminary students have ample opportunity to cheat.

• You can plagiarize-representing the academic work of others as your own.  You can rip off fellow students, sometimes with their cooperation.  You can rip off published scholars through failure to provide necessary citations in your written work.
• You can use forbidden resources on exams.  Conjugations written on the palm of your hand?  Ever have a take-home, closed-book exam?  (Only at seminary!)
• You can dishonestly answer those dratted blanket questions on your final, like:
  • Did you read all of your required readings?
  • Did you complete the special assignment?

Seminaries tend to be more trusting with academic honor codes than their secular counterparts.  They put great stock in the work of the Holy Spirit to convict students of sin, and rest confidently in that as a bulwark.  But students still cheat.  No one knows how much, but I suspect if we did, we would be embarrassed.

The spiritual roots of cheating

My systematic theology professor taught us that all sins boiled down to either pride or sloth.  Cheating is no different.  Let’s think deeply about this: why would you cheat?

Pride

• You’re afraid you cannot pass seminary on your own, and would be ashamed to be found out as academically incapable.
• You believe that the grade you make in class is an evaluation of you, not just your performance, and feel the need to inflate it.
• Making a poor grade is unthinkable, so since you’re busy, you take a few shortcuts.
• Since you’re capable of making an “A” anyway, why should you be forced to work to prove it?
• Who will know?  It doesn’t matter anyway.

The common factor in these is pride.

To derail pride:

• The antidote to pride is humility.
• Humility is always chosen.  It is never accidental.
• Humility is a choice only you can make.  God won’t make you humble.  His word clearly teaches that we are to humble ourselves. “Humble yourselves in the sight of he Lord, and he will lift you up.”
• “God opposes the proud.”  If you’ve rationalized your cheating out of pride, consider this: Almighty God stands in eternal opposition to your inflated thoughts of yourself.
• “…but gives grace to the humble.”  There is an unending cascade of grace for those who choose humility.  Trust in that future grace.

If you make a “D” in Biblical backgrounds, that doesn’t mean you’re not called of God.

If you fail a test, it doesn’t mean you are a failure

If your professor thinks poorly of you, that doesn’t mean that God does.

Humility, as I understand it, means taking God’s view of us as the true and correct view.  This encompasses both the horror of our capacity for sin, and the splendor of the gifts and nobility God has put within us.

We need to have the courage to face the truth about ourselves.  We can only do that by being secure in the love and favor of God in Christ.  If I know I am deeply loved and approved by God in Christ, then I can handle making a “C”.

Sloth

The other major root of cheating is laziness-raw unwillingness to exert effort.  You don’t want to do the work, so cheating is a shortcut.  You cheat not to protect your image of reputation, but simply out of indolence.

Much like pride, sloth is characterized by rationalizations.  We are never so creative as when we’re trying to come up with reasons to avoid work.  A lazy person will say or believe anything to justify avoidance of exertion.

The effort we’re willing to expend in service to God reflects our view of His greatness.  If Almighty God in all his glory, power and love can’t motivate you to a bit of work and self-denial, then something is seriously wrong.  You may need to check your conversion.

If you’ve cheated:

Repent. In the most literal sense, you need to change your mind about it.  Your dishonesty is an offense against the God of truth.  Be done with your rationalizations, and acknowledge your sin.

Come Clean. Do this first with a pastor or trusted spiritual advisor; the more mature, the better.  Confession is never fun but is cleansing to the soul.  Second, come clean with your professor, even if the class is already over.  Go to him or her, tell exactly what you did, and submit to whatever instructions you’re given.

Find the root. What motivated you to cheat in the first place?  Find out.  Don’t assume that the first answer you come up with off the top of your head is correct, either. This kind of issue is best talked through with a counselor or perceptive spiritual director.  Most seminaries have free counseling for students.  Go sign up.

Walk in the light. Don’t do it anymore.  Study hard, do your best, and accept whatever grade you get with grace.  Write your own papers.  Cite all borrowed material, even if you have to lug back to the library to get the page number.  Enjoy the sweet fruit of a clean conscience.

Final warning

If you’re willing to cheat in seminary, you’ll cheat when you’re ministering in a church.  You’ll eventually be found out, and it will damage the church and the cause of Christ.  When it makes the papers, you will drive lost people away from the gospel.  The choices you make in the privacy of your head have eternal repercussions that you cannot fathom.  Resolve now to live with integrity, no matter what it costs you.