First Day at a New School...

School was never difficult for me.

Actually, the social part of school was never too difficult for me. The grades took a little work, especially since I suffer from an almost fatal case of procrastination.

Either way I've been on campus for the first class in my MDiv studies for a grand total of 2 days and here are a few observations I have made.

1. Coming in halfway through a semester, even though it's a modular format) is a relational disadvantage. So many people already know each other. I feel like I'm trying to play catch up with learning names and who does what and has worked where and has how many kids.
2. Being away from family is not fun. I love my family and I love having them around. I would joke about how loud it could get around the house when the kids would have friends over while I was trying to study, but I'd give up my WiFi access for it right now.
3. Speaking of WiFi, I had to sell my soul for a week of access to use it here. And the house I'm staying at can't even get high speed, so they are still on dial up. And the Starbucks in Moose Jaw doesn't have it. What's up with that Saskatchewan?!?!
4. The library frightens me. Seriously, I'm always afraid I will walk through the doors and get looked at funny or get lost in the stacks.
5. College students are still college students. I'm sitting in the cafe right now and I've been privy to some very humorous interactions. And I am trying not to eavesdrop on a pretty important student council conversation right now.

Almost time to change the scenery and head for the silent basement suite.

What I Will Miss Most...

I've had a few people ask me what I will miss most about leaving Sevenoaks and taking a break from full time ministry. So now for your reading pleasure, here are a few things I will miss. It's not exhaustive, so please don't judge me.

People

I'm going to miss seeing my friends each week. I'll miss the staff. I'll miss the youth leaders. I'll miss the students. This list could go on for a long time. But I know relationships will look a little different now that I won't be seeing all these familiar faces each and every week.

Preaching

The fact that a group of people will let me talk at/to them for a determined amount of time about what I've been learning from God and scripture is a privilege I do not take lightly. I have enjoyed being able to develop my skills. I have enjoyed learning and growing. I have enjoyed hearing people talk about how they are learning and growing based on what they have heard. Not knowing when the next sermon is looming will be a strange feeling.

Music

I have had the opportunity to play/sing alongside some extremely talented individuals during my years here. We're talking about people that could, and probably should, be making money with their skills. I always feel like such an amateur when I get to be around them, but I love the time we've had together. I will miss the Thursday night practices. I will miss the early Sunday morning rehearsals. I will miss the pre-service Tim Horton's coffee. And I will miss the creative and musical freedom we have had. I know that not every church provides that.

My office

I have a massive office that I enjoyed spending time in. Sure it was a little messy, but I found it easy to work in my office and get things done. I'm going to miss having my own office space. And I will certainly miss the shelving. Right now the storage room is full of boxes.

Getting Paid to Do What I Love

This may sound so shallow, but it's true. Many times over the years I've stopped and thought to myself, "Somebody is paying me to do this?!?!" I've probably taken this for granted too. Shifting to life as a student for a while is probably going to highlight this fact.

One Week...

One week from now I enter the world of unemployed student. I have yet to pack any boxes in my office. My desk is still a disaster. My computer desktop is still cluttered. The only hint that something is slightly askew is the pile of empty boxes.

I still remember getting that email in January stating:

I am pleased to inform you of your ACCEPTANCE into the Masters of Divinity: Youth and Family Ministry Program, congratulations!

I honestly did a little dance of joy in the living room. 

I tried to do this once before. It was after my first ministry experience. But I kind of got sidetracked by one phone call that came completely out of the blue. I ended up completing one class before I started my time here on staff.

So, now I'll try again. And since that email on January 20th life has been a blur.

I vaguely remember college being full of late nights, time with friends, soccer, and completing most of my assignments in the early morning hours before the due date.

I suspect that this will be different.

Trying to get everything in one area of life wrapped up while simultaneously trying to get everything in another area of life started is a bizarre experience. I had once hoped that I could maybe take a little time after my last day to catch my breath, but as they say "Life is what happens when you're making other plans"...or something like that.

With that said, I am as convinced now as I was in October that this is the right thing to do.

And now I will get back to the list of 1001 things that need to be completed in a week.