Seminary is a strange beast

So there are a few interesting things I've learned about seminary in the past week or so. I thought I'd share.

#1 - The money is scarce. Not only because the economy is crying daily, but for the very nature of seminary. In a regular university or grad school setting, you have graduates who go off to become high salary earners - engineers, lawyers, doctors, technicians, millionaires! In seminary, we go off to become.... pastors. We are working to pay off our own debt - we don't have anything extra to give back to our "alma mater." On top of that, there isn't as much support from the checks on Sunday to the church as you'd think. Not at a lot comes our way despite the fact that we are preparing the church's future leaders. Odd, right? Anywho - money is scarce. That's why LSTC has an entire advancement staff. We need people to find the money...

#2 - We are the tools of our trade. Us. Our person. That's our brain, body, heart, and soul. Everything we have is what we can give to our ministry. This means that we burn out quickly - just like counselors (hooray Mom!). During my CPE interview, Bill asked how I felt about ME being the product/outcome of CPE. What I get out of it will be entirely my own person. So odd and challenging.

#3 - We have very strange ways of celebrating and partying. This is due in part to our "Visions and Expectations" document that holds us to a higher standard. You would expect your pastors to be held to a higher standard, right? This leads us to ask who can we "let loose" around? Who can we truly be ourselves around and not have to set up guards with? Generally... it is our family and each other. So our parties are a very odd mix of letting loose and keeping things in check. (Coincidentally this is why I love hanging out with these people!)

#4 - It doesn't matter how well you can take care of other people if you can't take care of yourself. Thus, what you assumed would be 4 years of study about others and the church is strangely starting out to be a lesson in self-care. This is one of the hardest lessons to learn. I've come SO far since graduating college though. I'm at a much healthier place mentally and physically (or I'm on my way to a really good place, however that sits in relation to my younger years). Sibling and I are doing this amazing calorie logging program on LIVESTRONG.COM website called The Daily Plate. We both love it.

#5 - (Speaking of sibling,) you will always be missing someone. This isn't just seminary - this is life. I am in a fairly constant state of missing people. Most of the time, it is easy to just pull out a few people at a time in a manageable way. Sometimes (like last weekend), I was quite homesick for the people that I call home. Those are the times when I really hate Chicago. It isn't in TN in the slightest.

#6 - The blessings are great. I have this plaque thing I got when we moved Gram into her new place. I asked her if I could have it and she encouraged me to take it. It says: "Lord grant me the patience to endure my blessings. Amen." I adore it and it makes me smile everytime I look at it. Mostly because it is true. I have so many blessings. Not only in the people that surround me in this community, but for the opportunity to study, to be in Chicago, to be a person who is both intelligent and sensitive to those around me, and for the heart I've been given that makes room for new friends and experiences daily. I am very blessed.

Anywho, I am sorry for my slim posting. I've been in this odd contemplative mindset on top of being very busy with all that school nonsense. Endless amounts of reading and reflecting on the reading... etc. But as always, thanks for reading and leave a comment to let me know you are still stopping by. :)