Midway Through the Beginning
We've reached Reading Week, the midpoint of the Fall 2020 semester. The middle of the very beginning, as it is. If seminary were a marathon, this would be mile 1.6. Hardly breaking a sweat. The reality is that the sweat is pouring off this now 57-year-old seminarian's body, and my mind regularly tells me I won't make it to May 2024. Aiming to be a pastor when I should be starting to anticipate retirement is foolhardy. Taking master's classes online, two hours ahead of my classmates, is maddening. Attending seminary while a pandemic rages around us is preposterous. Doing all three is laughable, but it is where God called me to be. So, there we are. Milepoint 1.6. Gulping water and an energy gel as I repeat my mantra: "You can do this -- just keep moving." The truth is, other than the time zone, there is no big difference. The pandemic has every first-year seminarian taking classes online. Honestly, living at home has its advantages over moving to a new place, b...