Sorry to hear that your first paper did not turn out exactly as you hoped. Even though it was “bleeding red” (your words, not mine), I’m sure it was not actually as bad as you thought.
After all…you are not justified by grades alone!
I couldn’t resist that little theological joke. You know that you are justified by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone! Your grades have no eternal bearing on your relationship with Christ, and they say nothing about your worth as a child of God.
Now don’t misunderstand me, I am not saying that your grades have no importance whatsoever, but what I am saying is that grades should not be your goal, and they should not be controlling your emotional state or how you view your worth.
You worth is found in Christ! You are his servant and your goal in seminary is to grow in him for the purpose of serving his church. My question for you would be, “Did this paper help you grow in Christ and further equip you to serve his bride?”
I am willing to bet the answer to that question is yes…and if I’m right, then the grade really doesn’t matter, except to help you learn more. Read over all the painful red markings on that paper, take in the correction, learn from it, and soldier on.
This is actually a great grace that God has given you! To be learning from some incredible scholars and to have the opportunity to get their feedback is a great grace!
Do not substitute grades for grace!
Seminary is not about trying to climb the ladder of grades to stand victoriously on the mountaintop of academic achievement! No! Seminary is about receiving the grace of theological training so that you may be equipped to humbly serve the Lord and his people.
To whom much is given, much will be required and, Jonathan, you are being given much grace…receive it, red markings and all. Receive God’s equipping grace with gladness and humility. And remember…
You are not justified by grades alone, in fact, you are not justified by grades at all.
Grace and Peace,
J
*To know/understand the premise behind these letters please click here.
I was so glad to hear that your move to Birmingham went well! As I write this, you will be trying to get a full night of sleep in preparation for your seminary orientation tomorrow morning. I wonder if excitement or dread will keep you awake? Perhaps a little of both…hahaha.
I should have written this letter sooner, because tomorrow you will begin making some of the most important decisions of your seminary career. What am I talking about? Well, simply put, tomorrow you will begin choosing friends.
Choose your friends wisely.
We’ve talked about the importance of choosing good professors to pour into your life, but even more important will be your choice of friends…I mean your close friends. These will be your brothers and sisters in the trenches of rigorous theological training. Your lives will bond together in a unique way that can only be experienced at seminary.
Long after the classes are over and you only speak with your favorite professor every now and again, your friends will still be ever-present in your life (if you are as fortunate as I). You will laugh with these people, cry with them, study with them, learn with them, minister, counsel, joke, bleed, and do life with them.
My closest friends from seminary now live all over the country, with only a few exceptions, and yet they still have an incredible impact on my heart and life. They are the first people I turn to for prayer, for advice, for a laugh, and they never fail to make me want to know Jesus more and more.
I cannot tell you exactly who to choose, but might I suggest you look for people who love Jesus deeply, but do not take themselves too seriously. I was so blessed to have friends who were just as comfortable debating about different theories of the atonement or if spider-man could win a fight against one guy with an army of babies. And, yes…that is a real conversation that took place.
You will rely on these friends for more than you know! You will need them to help you dive deep into study, all-the-while helping to keep you sane! I would study for hours with my friends, but we would also have the occasional break to throw fruit, play hall ball, or have larva fights (don’t ask).
I can honestly say I would not have made it through seminary without these guys, and at least one of them would not have made it without me. Jonathan, for the next 3-4 years you will make all sorts of choices. You will choose classes, profs, books, ministry positions, etc. However, I honestly believe that the most important choice you will make is who will be your friends.
Choose your friends wisely.
Grace and Peace,
J
*To know/understand the premise behind these letters please click here.
*Disclaimer: I am by not a perfect father! Far from it! In the post below, I do not mean to portray myself as the perfect dad or even as an expert on fatherhood. These are thoughts from one broken father to others.
I’ve been thinking about fatherhood a lot lately. And that makes sense…I mean my third baby just entered the world! On top of that, father’s day is just around the corner (June 16).
Growing up within the church, father’s day was always somewhat confusing for me…especially when compared with mother’s day. Perhaps it was my own limited experience, but it always seemed like mother’s day was devoted to the praise/encouragement of mothers…while father’s day was equally devoted to pointing out the failures/scolding fathers.
Even as a kid I felt like this was little unfair. Something was amiss and needed to be rectified. I honestly do not believe the remedy to the situation is simply to turn father’s day into a time to praise/encourage fathers in the same way we do for mothers. When it comes to time the gathered church spends together, our focus should always be Christ!
I’ve seen way too many mother’s/father’s day services (and many other holidays for that matter) that were void of Jesus! I am not saying that we do not even acknowledge holidays, but we should do so in a way that points people to Jesus. We need to point mothers and fathers (and everyone else present) to the sufficiency of Christ in all things, including parenting! Jesus must remain the center of our worship!
I think this is the real problem with father’s day…we have put fathers in the place reserved for Jesus, and whenever we do that they will always fail and we will always feel the need to scold them!
We have come to expect dads to be the hero when there is only one hero…Jesus!
I do not believe it is a coincidence that the highly anticipated summer blockbuster “Man of Steel” is releasing on June 14th…two days before father’s day. A fun movie about the superhero of superheroes…superman. This is just the kind of movie a dad might take his kids to see (depending on their age of course), and there has always been an emphasis on father figures in the superman mythos via Jor-El and Jonathan Kent.
The real irony of this movie’s release coinciding with father’s day is that, I believe, it highlights the problematic “Christian” view of fatherhood. We expect dads to be supermen. They are to be their kids hero! Perfect men of incredible spiritual stature!
We expect dads of steel!
Most kids naturally look up to their dads as if they are superhuman and, all too often, the “Christian” version of fatherhood only feeds this notion. Yet, all fathers are far from perfect and so having “superman” expectations only sets them up for failure. So what can be done? What should dad’s do? And, what should we do? What should the church be encouraging and calling fathers toward?
The true calling of fatherhood is not to be a hero, but to point to the only hero…Jesus.
I try to consistently acknowledge my shortcomings to my children, be honest when I fail, ask for forgiveness, and then point them to the one who will never fail them! Father’s should turn the shortcomings into opportunities to point to the one who never falls short! This is truly fathering your children towards the perfect heavenly father.
We need to tell our fathers…you don’t have to be a dad of steel! Just be a dad who is real! Real about who you are and who Jesus is!
I think that if men heard the message, the call (on father’s day and everyday) that you’re not to be the perfect hero for your kids, but you are to point the one who is, then we would see fathers move from feeling discouraged and defeated to energized and empowered! Fathers need to hear that they are not supposed to rely on their own strength to be dads of steel, but that God has provided his strength, through the Holy Spirit, for them to be dads who are real.
Through his power, they can be fathers who really love Jesus, fathers who really love their kids, fathers who really admit when they’re wrong and ask for forgiveness, fathers who really love their wives, fathers who really are committed, fathers who really show vulnerability, fathers who really pray, fathers who really know that true fatherhood is not perfection, but pointing to Jesus.
Be encouraged fathers! We don’t need dads of steel…we need dads who are real.
After all…you are not justified by grades alone!
The Joy of Glory 