practical wisdom to help seminary students avoid burnout and finish well
Today is Friday, August 29th, 2008
I worked four years in a church staff position during and after college before deciding I needed to further my education by going to seminary. Those years were invaluable to my development, because I experienced ministry and discovered what I didn’t know and needed to learn before starting my studies. I wish [...]
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May 5th, 2008 | Daryl Eldridge | 0 comments | Continued
Having a learning coach or ministry mentor is a great way to leverage your seminary experience.
Our research on theological education as well as surveys with people in the field led us to make mentoring a significant part of our learning model. Many seminaries will involve mentoring during the last two semesters of their study [...]
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April 28th, 2008 | Daryl Eldridge | 2 comments | Continued
Five years ago, I left a residential seminary campus to start a fully online seminary from scratch, known today as Rockbridge. In my travels and discussions with ministers around the world, I discovered many ministers that wanted seminary training but didn’t feel called to leave their ministry fields in order to get it.
Technology [...]
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April 21st, 2008 | Daryl Eldridge | 1 comment | Continued
A common frustration about seminary is all the balls you have to keep in the air at once. Seminary coursework alone can have you managing several multi-step projects with their own timelines and deadlines. Add to that your job, family commitments, and whatever ministry you’re serving in. It’s a lot to keep [...]
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April 14th, 2008 | Mark | 2 comments | Continued
Learn to exercise while you’re in seminary. I’m serious.
The first time I was embarrassed of my Baptist (SBC) heritage was when we were identified by Jay Leno as the fattest denomination in the world. It was sad, but I believed it. It’s not just Baptists, either. Ever been to a pastor’s conference? Look around. Full [...]
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April 8th, 2008 | Mark | 2 comments | Continued
The average American watches 4 hours, 35 minutes of television every day. (Center for Screen-Time Awareness, 2007 Fact Sheet)
Annually, that’s 1,673 hours. Can you believe it? Almost 10 weeks a year, just watching TV. It is a waste of your life!
We understand the need for a little entertainment or down-time, but TV is a time [...]
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March 31st, 2008 | Mark | 1 comment | Continued
(”Learn to…” Series, part four)
Seminary cannot teach you to love people. If you are going to lead God’s people, however, you must learn to love them.
Seminary by its nature is primarily devoted to the formation of the mind, to think right thoughts about God, to master theology. This is an important pursuit which I do [...]
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March 27th, 2008 | Mark | 1 comment | Continued
Seminary Time Waster #3: Interruptions and Task Switching.
The kind of study you are doing at seminary requires deliberate and sustained thinking—the kind which is impossible in high-interruption environments. You should aim in your study time for long, uninterrupted blocks of time. I’d recommend a minimum of 90 minutes. You should have enough time to get [...]
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March 24th, 2008 | Mark | 3 comments | Continued
Technology has given us the Internet, and the ability to instantly communicate worldwide. Wonderful isn’t it?
It has also given us
email in-boxes full of spam
stupid forwards you’ve seen a thousand times already.
access to millions of webstores where we can spend all the money we don’t have
video games, the most fun way to waste your life
other entertainments [...]
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March 17th, 2008 | Mark | 2 comments | Continued
We’re all very well acquainted with the problem of procrastination. Putting off things that we do not enjoy or are dreading is a very human temptation, but is completely self-destructive.
Here are a few practical tips on overcoming procrastination. Some of these tips will work well for you, others won’t. Pick and choose as you will.
Don’t [...]
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March 12th, 2008 | Mark | 1 comment | Continued
Good thoughts again. Thanks, as always, Mark.
A couple of thoughts I might add in:
~For one, expect that you will ...
I just wanted to thank y'all for all of your great posts. They have been very helpful, and have ...
Well said.
The whole of 1 Cor. 8:1-3 seems to tell more of the story, as “knowledge puffs up, but ... Amen again. Great post.
A wise leader once told me that, "work expands to fill the time allowed it." What I ... Ditto on Shaun's comment.
Also, it's too late now for summer-- but as Christmas break approaches, you might also consider ...
Also, take a book with you wherever you go. You'd be amazed at how much extra reading you can ... If you have more than one computer in your home, you may want to consider using an online calendar like ...
This was a very insightful message, and couldn't have come at a better time. I was in church this ...
I have often found it really is better to be silent and though a fool than speak and prove it. ... Christ never won people over by extensive knowledge; in fact it was quite the opposite. Jesus would rebuke the ...
