What a Year of Seminary Has Taught Me

I hijacked Keva's blog.....sorry, hon.

Just needed a platform to update. Keva keeps everybody fairly up to date on the ins, outs, and idiosyncrasies of our lives, but I wanted to update you on our overall life and spiritual condition (though she does some of that too). It is not enough to start my own blog, but a little too much for email. Consider it your "State of the Atwoods" address. Please fight the urge to play "Hail to the Chief".

I have learned a ton (literally, i weighed it) in a year. Some in the classroom, much out of it. Per my MO, I will list them numerically, in no particular order.

1) I thought I was deeply in love with God through his Word before I came......that was just a crush.
Not that I wasn't sincere about reading, studying, digesting, interpreting (allowing it to interpret me), obeying, and living scripture before I came to seminary, but I just read it with a focus of "What does this say about my life?" Now, when I read I ask the question, "What does this say about Jesus?". I have discovered that the Bible really isn't about me. It is not a guidebook, or instruction manual for my life. It is all about Christ, the promised Savior. This is the Gospel.....and it has transformed my life. (No doubt there is much to say about this, but this being a "brief update"...well, you understand). Now, looking for and savoring Christ in every verse I read, I ADORE reading the Bible. I HATE having to put it down in the morning (except for the loving wife and 4-year old boy that I find on the other side of black leather binding, I don't know that I would). That takes us to the second item on our list.

2) Family is Gold....and God-glorifying.
People treasure many things. Some money, some career, some status, some even their families. God did not intend for us to treasure any of these things above him. He is to be our ultimate treasure. One of the many great pleasures that comes with treasuring Christ above all things is the blessing of doing so with and through your family. As a follower of Christ, I have a church family and a family family (can a noun describe itself?.....It can on this blog!). Many of you I know prayed for a balance in our lives as we moved to seminary that would include plenty of family time. God heard you and honored your prayers.

During the first year of seminary, Keva, Micah, and I have seen more of each other than we did in Murfreesboro. Micah and I ride bikes everyday together. We all eat lunch together. We started reading the Bible all together as a family and praying. We have become intentional about showing the gospel in and through our family. God has seen fit to call us to have another child through adoption (a picture of the gospel in and of itself-Romans 8; Galatians 4).

I now have come to understand and appreciate that God has set up marriage and parenthood so that we can understand his relationship to us, both as heavenly father and the adoring husband of the church who gave himself up for his bride.

We have become a part of a local church here that has surrounded us with love, support, and opportunity to use our gifts to take the gospel to this community.....and the nations.

So, in spending time with our nuclear family and our church family, the gospel is being put on display. (As I saw displayed in my family all of my life, just wasn't as keenly aware of it as I am now....thanks, Mom and Dad.)

3) I like Apples.**
While I do enjoy the fruit, I speak of the computer version here. We got my MacBook a year ago for school. Outside of my decision to trust Christ, marry my wife, and adopt our boys this was the best one I have ever made (hyperbole, of course). All I can say is, "How did we ever get along in life without one of these gems?"

4) Waiting on the Lord is Hard....but oh, so sweet.
So, this is definitely not a new revelation for us in the past year. With Micah's adoption, my call to preach, and many other things, we have definitely learned to hang on to God extra tight when things are unsure. But, we have found ourselves again in those situations and been reminded of the sweet fellowship with God when there is nothing secure in our lives save our Heavenly Father's gracious hand that he holds us with. We have seen that this year with jobs, wrestling with adoption, ministry postions, finances, among others. It has been a wonderful treat to remember God's great work and faithfulness and sleep soundly trusting wholly in him and nothing else. Thank you, Father.

He has provided us with a job, two-internships at our church, money and patience for an adoption, and the great satisfaction of knowing that he is our God....and he is GOOD.

5) I Thank My God When I Remember You.
The Apsotle Paul kind of said this first, but I think he's cool with using here. I cannot offer enough thanks to and for the people who have given so much to us. Parents, pastors, church family, family family (see above note) and many others. Some of you have been used of God in our lives and you don't even know it. I have seen the grace of God work miracles in many of your lives....I am praying that God's grace will work miracles in all of you. I pray it will change you and cause you to treasure Christ above all else.

6) Reading Rainbow should only be the beginning.
For years of my life I avoided reading. Not because I didn't enjoy it, I simply found cutting my toenails or playing Double Dribble a better attention-grabber, and my a-span is shorter than...well....Hey, what is this button on my keyboard do.................OK, I'm back......and hopefully you got the point.

Though I rediscovered reading a few years ago, seminary has forced me to stretch my attention to the limit and then some. I have learned to take in information from books at a much faster rate, and boy, has it been great. I like books now. I actually like them, Sam-I-Am. Don't get me wrong, video games still have a special place in my heart, but books offer me something that the other stuff didn't. INFORMATION. Keep the fiction and give me the other stuff. I am eating it up. It has had a profound impact on my life. READ! (I am in no way being paid by your public library).

7) VNES is the greatest website on the internet.
Yeah, yeah, yeah....I know what I just said about books.....and it's true. BUT, if you grew up on Nintendo video games, you can thank me later for this one.

8) This List is entirely too long.
Hope this updates you sufficiently. It is a bit scattered, but at least its numbered. Comment, email, call and let us know what's up in your lives if we haven't heard from you in a while. Here is a picture for those of you with short attention spans like myself. Consider it your payoff for reading this thing. I will have it published and bound and it will be available in all your favorite bookstores in the spring under the "Jumbled Ramblings" section. Here is the photo for the jacket cover.


**The above picture was taken with a MacBook (Yes, it has a built in video camera).