OVERWHELMED!!!!

I have one word for this week, OVERWHELMING! I can’t believe that I am only a couple of weeks into this semester and I am already reaching a state of overload. I think my class Monday night put me over the top. After three years of seminary I usually have an idea of what is expected and how much work I can expect to do in each class, even before the first class begins. Monday night everything changed.

I went to my “United Methodist Polity” class for the first time. Now I would imagine that most everyone that I know, who would read this blog, would immediately say, WOW that sounds dull, and you could possibly be correct. But, one thing that I know for sure is that it is going to be the hardest, most involved seminary class that I have ever had, and that is saying an awful lot.

To begin with, the professor, who happens to be the retired president of the seminary, gave everyone a name tag. Well that is a first in 3 years of seminary. He then passed out to each person a name card to put on the table in front of them, I guess that’s in case we can’t read the name tag.

He then explained to us the requirements for the course which includes a significant amount of reading which is normal, and here is where the challenge comes, we have 43 pages of writing to do for this class. Yes that is correct 43 pages. Now to put that into perspective, as a procrastinator by nature, I have gotten pretty good about figuring out how long it takes me to write a paper. I have found that it takes me somewhere around 1 ½ hours for every page I write. This includes writing, bibliography and footnotes. So just using basic math I can assume that I will be spending around 65 hours writing for this one class over the next couple of months. If that isn’t enough, I also have 2 ten minute oral presentations to prepare for and give. Of course if that was my only class I would be fine, but I also have major writing to do for three other classes. And then there is the little thing of a sermon to prepare for Sundays and that one little thing that I had mentioned in an earlier blog, the Commissioning paperwork that I would imagine will be at least thirty pages or maybe more.

Ok I know, I am whining. The truth is that I am rather stressed out with seminary, the sesquicentennial celebration, our upcoming charge conference, the commissioning process, my upcoming Cross Cultural Emersion trip to El Salvador, and then in addition, trying to figure out how to pay for all of these things. Are you tired of listening to me whine yet?

Yesterday at lunch one of my fellow students, who is a couple years behind me, said that he wanted to thank me for the words of encouragement that I had given to him last year when he had first started seminary. I asked him what I had said that was so memorable to him, and he reminded me about our conversation where I had told him what a privilege it was to be in seminary, and even though the road was long and arduous and at times there would seem like there was no end in sight, that there was no place on earth that I would rather be, and there was nothing on earth that I would rather be doing than spending my time studying about this great God that we worship…..Goodness, I hate it when someone uses my own words against me.

But he was right, I remember saying those words, and feeling those feelings and I think that God just knew that I needed a little reminder. I will also say that this blog has a way of allowing me to express what I am thinking, the good, the bad and the ugly, and sometimes that is important. Especially, when I can look back and realize how God has seen me through all of those difficult times.

So tonight I am going to bed early and get caught up on some rest, and tomorrow is another day to follow the path that God has set for me.

Blessings