Seminary Retrospective

I recently noted that I’ve been back in Michigan for five years, which hardly seems possible. But it only just hit me that I first started seminary over 10 years ago.

10 years!

I guess that’s part of the bargain you strike when you spend five years in grad school. Anniversaries like this sneak up on you quickly. 10 years ago right now my first year was already in the rearview mirror and I was diving into summer courses. I didn’t want to take a break. I don’t remember wanting to get ahead, but I distinctly remember wanting more.

It’s hard at this point not to dwell on everything that’s been lost since then. For better or worse, our brains are wired with a “use it or lose it mentality.” And while I have kept much and grown in many areas, I don’t use it all. It feels like it’s slipping away.

And yet, as I go back and look over all the files and notes and books, there’s a spark of hope. Whatever is lost is not lost for good. I can get it back. I’ll never be able to master everything, but I want to make sure I don’t lose anything too precious. I don’t want to find out that I filed something incredibly valuable in the wrong box, consigned to the cobwebs and stale air of my mental attic.

So what I’d like to do, time permitting, is go back. I want to hit some of the highlights and share them with you, if you’re willing to listen. I can forgive myself for forgetting to some degree. But I don’t know if I can forgive myself for not passing it on before I do. I got it to give it away.

To cover all the courses I took in my five years at Dallas Seminary would be ambitious to say the least. I make no promises. But I know that I’ve got a slightly better shot if I’m not just doing this for myself.

I want to go back, but I want to take you with me. What do you say?