Week 1...

The Lord be with you...

So, I can officially say now that week 1 is in the books. Count it, check it off, and call it history! The first week of seminary has proven itself to be both exhilarating and stressful all at the same time. I am really looking forward to all of the things that I am going to be learning about, all the ways that God is going to be growing me, and for some of the major accomplishments that will be made in this first semester!

First off, before I go any further, I have to again give a huge shout out to my now fiancee Bethany, whom I love so much! She has been a great support for me in these last few weeks leading up to the beginning of this school year! Well that may be partially due to the fact that I proposed to her and she has to be, I know it is also true that she is excited for me to get started as well! I LOVE YOU SWEETHEART!! Thank You for being such a support to me! God has truly blessed me with you!

I want to try and make it a habit to share at least one thing that I have learned or has been impressed upon me throughout the week and share it on this blog. This week I have learned two really important things!

The first is that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! I have had my nose in books for approx. 3-5 hours a day in this last week... and I don't even like to read... and I'm not really quick at it either. But, by the grace of God, I have made it through, started reading faster, and have retained a vast majority of it as well! Whats more... I'm actually almost a week ahead in my reading right now!!

The second, and probably more impacting thing that I have learned this week is about how good we have it, and how much we complain about nothing! This first week in my church history class, I have been reading and learning about the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd century Christians and their struggles. First of all, these people couldn't even publicly be Christians without the fear of being dragged before a judge and forced to renounce Jesus or face torture/death, the latter being the more merciful of the two. Secondly, when they were caught and tortured, they rejoiced!! I mean things as gruesome as being forced to sit naked on a chair made of red hot iron until you denounce Christ... and we complain when church goes 5 minutes too long... I think that we as Christians often find ourselves complacent in our own little luxurious world. I don't know that I would be able to suffer whippings, beatings, or being burned like that without at least saying something bad...

That is all for now... I would like to ask continued prayers for finances for this year, and for God to continue to bless and strengthen me as I study!

Thank you for your prayers and support!

Grace and Peace...