I am now half-way done with my three-year journey to a Master of Divinity degree from Wake Forest University.

Embarking on this expedition was one of the best decisions I have made in life.  It has been difficult to go back to school while working part-time as an attorney and while attempting to be a good husband, father, friend, and neighbor, but the difficulties have been worth the gain.

Alone, the chance to spend time with my classmates, nearly to a person some of the biggest-hearted people who I have ever met, has been worth the sacrifice of time, money, and sleep.  Add to this a dedicated time to read and reflect on scripture, on the insight of theologians over the centuries, and on the history and future of the church and religion, as well as a sustained instruction and tutoring by an impressive array of professors, not to mention a bevy of other opportunities and experiences that would have not come to me without my enrollment in this program, including advancing my faith and hope in God well beyond what I expected, and my talk of sacrifice begins to fade into nothing.

I am privileged to be able to have this experience mid-life, and I am thankful for it, particularly to my wife, Tracey, for tolerating this unexpected twist in our lives together.

Writing and publishing these blog posts has added significantly to my time spent on theological thinking over the past year-and-a-half.  They, too, have been worthwhile, though.  There is nothing like writing or speaking for a public audience to sharpen thought.  Researching in preparing to write them has given me a clearer realization that the vast majority of theological writing ignores the best arguments against the writer’s point, misstates what the scripture cited by the writer says, and ignores scripture that contradicts the writer’s argument.  Some of my aims with my writing is to be authentic, to point out such happenings, and not to make the same mistakes.  We’ll see.

I am very appreciative of you, those who read these blog posts.  Thank you.  I appreciate your questions, comments, and prayers very much.

I am going to take a short break from publishing posts until the start of the next semester.  In the meantime, I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas, a great holiday season, and a Happy New Year!

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(The picture is one I took last month of part of the path I walk almost every weekday from the remote parking lot to the Divinity School building.)