My FAVORITE thing about Seminary life so far has been the people God has brought into our lives through RTS. There aren’t words to describe how blessed we’ve been by the community around us here.
One special group of friends is our “Family Night” group. Early on after classes started, Eric and 6 other guys started weekly Bible study together. The guys he met with have become some of his closest friends, and I am always so encouraged by the way these guys pour into my husband and really “sharpen” him as a believer, husband, father, and student. These relationships are so unique because these guys spend most of their time together in classes and studies, and the closeness God has given them is such a gift.
About halfway through our first year, some of the wives and I started meeting weekly too. Our time is usually spent encouraging and sharing and praying for each other, and it is always a highlight of my week. I will never forget that the first time we started meeting was right after Eric and I began seriously praying about adopting, and so these were some of the very first people who began walking with us in prayer through this journey. I am SO grateful for their companionship and sisterhood through this season and (I am confident) for years to come.
One thing we do with these couples is “Family Night”. A few times a month we get together to share a meal. Sometimes we play games, other times we just talk, but we always have a GREAT time together. These precious people have really become family to us.
Gloria was born only a few weeks after seminary classes started, and these sweet friends (who barely knew us at the time) rallied to provide delicious meals and support us in that transition. Our girls have been the only kids in the group so far, and I am always SO blessed by how these dear friends have loved and cared for our girls and supported us in parenting. It has been such a picture to me of what the body of Christ looks like. Now, our group is expecting a few more precious kiddos, and I can’t wait to get to love on our friends’ kids as they have loved on ours.
Our new “family” is definitely one of my favorite things about seminary.
enjoy a few family photos:
"Family Night" at our house.
a rainy Fourth of July at the beach
a fun day for a shuttle launch... with no shuttle launch.
The guys still have to study, even at fun get-togethers. But if you have to study, this is the way to do it, I guess. 
We've even had a wedding! I am SO glad Greg married Christie so we could be friends
These friends love our kids so well!
Click here and here to read about other people who have helped make seminary so great!
Continue reading about My favorite thing about Seminary: Our New Family
At any given RTS community event, there is a MULTITUDE of kids running around. The community of other families has been another aspect of my favorite thing (PEOPLE) about seminary.
One particularly sweet gift has been the families who live close to the seminary and, therefore, close to us. In just our neighborhood alone there are 6 RTS families with kids. These friendships – especially for the girls with other kids and for me with other moms – have been a really sweet provision from the Lord.
I always thought “doing seminary” with a young family would be such a hard season. It IS hard. During the school year Eric’s time is so swamped between studies and work. But I can’t imagine doing this any other way. I’m so thankful for the Lord providing a way for me to be able to stay home with our girls, even though it is a lot more full-time with such a busy Daddy. Having other moms to relate to and encourage me (and therefore help me encourage Eric) has been such a provision. Not only that, but the girls have made such precious friends along the way too! I know the Lord has used this difficult season of life to bring great blessing to all 5 of us through these wonderful friends.
Click here to read more about other people who have made seminary so great.
Continue reading about My favorite thing about seminary: Other Families
Eric is now two thirds of the way through seminary! I can’t believe it! This season of life has had it’s challenges but I am SO thankful for the multitude of blessing that have come – often in the challenges themselves! Though it didn’t take me this long to figure it out, I want to share my favorite thing about seminary so far: THE PEOPLE.
The Lord has used this season to bless us with so many wonderful relationships that have enriched our lives in invaluable ways. I praise God for seminary, and all the great people who have come with it.
Now it probably goes without saying, but have two of my big brothers here at the same time with us has been the best. We had Jonathan, Maggie, Annie, and Lily for a year and a half at the beginning. And now, Danny, Kimberly, DJ, Trinity, Katy-Grace, and Benjamin have been here for a year and we have at least another year together.
Technically we already had these relationships before seminary, but I’m so grateful for how this time of living close together (and our kids becoming BFs!) has deepened our relationships with our family. I’m so thankful the Lord ordained all the steps for each of our three families, and saw fit to intertwine these years of our lives in Orlando!
Also, as a missionary kid having not known my cousins well growing up, watching my kids make memories and enjoy such sweet friendship with their cousins has been such a blessing to my heart!
And I can’t talk about family without talking about our other family member. In January of 2010 we heard of an international student, Agnes, coming to RTS who needed a place to live. We had just sent Sachiko home to Japan, so we had an extra room and invited her to live with us.
What started as just trying to “help a sister out” has turned into a wonderful gift to our family. Agnes lived with us for about 6 weeks last year when she first got here, and then has lived with us again since January. She truly feels like a sister to Eric and I and an aunt to our girls. We are so thankful that God brought her into our lives and blessed us so richly with her friendship (and cooking! ).
Continue reading about My favorite thing about seminary: My Family
Do we take heed to the Lord’s word in Ezekiel 33:6?
“But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.”
This is the Lord’s word and it is serious business, in fact is there a business more important? In practical terms during Ezekiel’s time, when there was an attack, it was the job and office of the watchman to alert the people. The watchman sounded the trumpet to let them know the sword was coming. If he failed in doing this, the blood of his people were on his hands.
Why don’t I take this seriously today? My neighbors, my friends, my family, and strangers all around me are unaware of the sword that is coming. And yet, like a negligent watchman, I fail to sound the trumpet. The watchman does not save a person, he just let’s them know of the incoming peril. I often put the weight of someone’s salvation on my own hands and this is NOT what this passage is talking about. Man cannot save souls, only God alone does. But we are called to be watchmen.
The interesting thing is while we know that sword is coming, we also know there is already a victor as well. While the watchman couldn’t win the battle they alerted their people. With Christ, there is already full victory. However, if one doesn’t know of the peril, how shall they know of the victor? And what a sweet victor we have. The King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, has already fought our battle. He was slain on our behalf, and then He conquered death so that we may live. This compels us to have joy. It compels us to be watchmen that recognize the seriousness of sin and it’s consequences, but at the same time rejoices in the triumphant victor of sin and death, the giver of life. Christ is the motivation of our life, and He is the strength and means in which we can be faithful watchmen.
He is the same victor, that also saves the watchman. As I think about my failures in this area, I need to repent. I also realize that Christ did not fail as a watchman. He showed us what was to come, and HE CONQUERED IT. The tendency for me is often to look at my “lack of being a faithful watchman” and wallow in that. But my Savior has already conquered this completely. As a healer, He has taken my wounds and given me his righteousness both now and forever. As I repent, I can take great joy in knowing that He was and is the perfect watchman. He alerted us and saved us. It is the joy of Christ that compels us to not wallow in our sin, but repent and share this good news with all who are in our lives.
Sweet Jesus, you are victor over all. Thank you for being the perfect watchman both yesterday, today, and tomorrow. You went before us and did what we could not do, you brought true worship to your Father. Help us to be a watchmen that care for the people all around us and shares both the peril that awaits, as well as the beautiful victory that is yours. May we all fall before you feet and praise you!
talk to God, talk to men. need more? “talk to God about men, talk to men about God” – Packer
From Packer’s Evangelism book… I highly recommend it.
