Seven years ago I began a journey, a journey that I mistakingly thought would only take me three years. I began work toward my Master’s degree. When I began the program, I was under the impression that if I devoted my time and energy accordingly, in three years I would complete a Master of Arts in Religion from ACU. Time, life, and the will of God have a way of changing things. That three years came and went. Tack on another four years, and now here I am…I HAVE ARRIVED!
I wish that I could say that the journey has been an easy one. I can say, however, that it has been a rewarding one. I have been able to take classes from 3 different institutions, learn under an amazing list of professors, make some life-long ministry friends, and watch God mold me and shape me in some mind-boggling ways. I am exhausted, but to tell you the truth, I am so excited right now that I don’t feel it. I am so pumped to be where I am.
Tomorrow is the big day! I am leaving tomorrow morning for Abilene, Texas. When I get there, I will purchase my academic regalia…black robe and hat, maroon tassel and hood. I will meet my parents for a nice graduation dinner…Texas Roadhouse, here I come (nice big and juicy steak)! Then I will wait patiently for 7:30pm when the ceremony will begin. When they call out the “S’s”, I will walk across that stage and receive a piece of paper from ACU signifying that I have acquired enough credits to be awarded a Master of Arts in Religion. To me it will be so much more than a piece of paper. To me, it is seven years of love, encouragement, and patience from so many in my life. To me, it is knowledge that can never be taken from me. To me, it is seven years worth of a journey that has brought me closer to God than I ever thought possible.
I have so many people to thank. I first want to thank my wife. She has been my cheerleader when I wanted to quit; she has been my compass when I was distracted by so many things; she has been my reminder when I seemed to forget why I was doing all of this; and she has been my best friend, constantly pushing me when I needed to be pushed, and listening to me when I needed to vent. I want to thank my kids. They always seemed to understand when daddy needed to go to the library, or the church building, so that he could find a quite place to read, study, and write. I want to thank Kimi for being excited about my graduation and encouraging me to go through with it. I want to thank Jace for always greeting me at the door and being so excited that I was back from a class or a study session. I want to thank my mom and my dad for constantly telling me how proud of me they are, and constantly encouraging me to finish what I had started.
And I can’t end this without thinking my leaders and friends from the Kaufman Church of Christ. I want to thank the elders for financially supporting my education. I am so relieved that I never gave up, and I pray every day that I can prove to them that it was money well spent. I owe so much to this church that I will forever be in debt to them. I want to thank the elders for the constant patience and flexibility, letting me have the necessary time off to drive to Abilene or Austin for a week here and two weeks there for classes. I appreciate the prayers and the slaps on the back as they pushed me to complete my work. And I want to thank my church family. None of this would have been possible without the massive amount of love and encouragement that I have felt from all of them. I have always known, no matter what, that this family would always be there for me.
I HAVE ARRIVED!!! Just continue to pray for the safety of me and my family as we travel to Abilene and back tomorrow. Thanks again to all of you!
I wish that I could say that the journey has been an easy one. I can say, however, that it has been a rewarding one. I have been able to take classes from 3 different institutions, learn under an amazing list of professors, make some life-long ministry friends, and watch God mold me and shape me in some mind-boggling ways. I am exhausted, but to tell you the truth, I am so excited right now that I don’t feel it. I am so pumped to be where I am.
Tomorrow is the big day! I am leaving tomorrow morning for Abilene, Texas. When I get there, I will purchase my academic regalia…black robe and hat, maroon tassel and hood. I will meet my parents for a nice graduation dinner…Texas Roadhouse, here I come (nice big and juicy steak)! Then I will wait patiently for 7:30pm when the ceremony will begin. When they call out the “S’s”, I will walk across that stage and receive a piece of paper from ACU signifying that I have acquired enough credits to be awarded a Master of Arts in Religion. To me it will be so much more than a piece of paper. To me, it is seven years of love, encouragement, and patience from so many in my life. To me, it is knowledge that can never be taken from me. To me, it is seven years worth of a journey that has brought me closer to God than I ever thought possible.
I have so many people to thank. I first want to thank my wife. She has been my cheerleader when I wanted to quit; she has been my compass when I was distracted by so many things; she has been my reminder when I seemed to forget why I was doing all of this; and she has been my best friend, constantly pushing me when I needed to be pushed, and listening to me when I needed to vent. I want to thank my kids. They always seemed to understand when daddy needed to go to the library, or the church building, so that he could find a quite place to read, study, and write. I want to thank Kimi for being excited about my graduation and encouraging me to go through with it. I want to thank Jace for always greeting me at the door and being so excited that I was back from a class or a study session. I want to thank my mom and my dad for constantly telling me how proud of me they are, and constantly encouraging me to finish what I had started.
And I can’t end this without thinking my leaders and friends from the Kaufman Church of Christ. I want to thank the elders for financially supporting my education. I am so relieved that I never gave up, and I pray every day that I can prove to them that it was money well spent. I owe so much to this church that I will forever be in debt to them. I want to thank the elders for the constant patience and flexibility, letting me have the necessary time off to drive to Abilene or Austin for a week here and two weeks there for classes. I appreciate the prayers and the slaps on the back as they pushed me to complete my work. And I want to thank my church family. None of this would have been possible without the massive amount of love and encouragement that I have felt from all of them. I have always known, no matter what, that this family would always be there for me.
I HAVE ARRIVED!!! Just continue to pray for the safety of me and my family as we travel to Abilene and back tomorrow. Thanks again to all of you!
