Reflections On Our Seminary Adventure

Manchester Creek Community Church ~

It's been a long journey getting to Rock Hill, South Carolina. But every step of the way has been completely worth it.

Our journey started nearly three years ago when we realized Ken could not graduate from Southern Seminary without resigning his pastoral position in Minnesota. We then spent a year preparing to leave St. Paul-- planning, packing, apartment searching, selling our house, wrapping things up at church, and saying our good-byes. Somewhere during that year, Ken sensed God preparing him to be a senior pastor.

Then we had 22 amazing months in Louisville, Kentucky. Our time at Southern Seminary was like being in a spiritual greenhouse and a pressure cooker at the same time. It was an intense time of training and preparation for Ken as well as for me. Our entire family needed to make a focused effort of all our energy, time, and money in order for Ken to finish his degree in a year and a half.

During this entire journey, we have been praying for the church where God would send us. And now we're here, at Manchester Creek Community Church. God has answered so many of our prayers already!

Thank you for journeying with us. It has been such fun to share our experience with so many friends and family through the blog.







Here we are, on Ken's first Sunday as pastor of Manchester Creek. We made it!!

And thus we conclude Cookbooks & Commentaries: The Schmidt Family's Seminary Adventure.

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Of course, getting here is just the beginning of a new season of life. Continue to follow along with us at Kim's new blog, Fill This House.

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The Funny Thing About Seminary

Our friends and former neighbors, Brian and Kacie, finished seminary a year ahead of us and moved on to Ohio where Brian is a pastor.

Kacie has an excellent blog called Wondrous Love. At the end of their seminary time, she posted a list of funny things about seminary life. This list still makes me laugh and is oh-so-true.

Check it out here.

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One Last Hurrah

To end our series of graduation posts on Cookbooks & Commentaries, we have pictures of Ken with some of his professors. It is, after all, because of the excellent faculty at Southern that Ken's degree is so valuable ~

Dr. Betts

Dr. Wellum

Our pastor, Dr. Cook

Dr. Vogel

Dr. Beougher

Dr. Moore

We are thankful for these men (and many more) who are faithfully serving the Lord by investing in the lives of future ministers of the Gospel. Thanks to all of you!

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Daddy's Big Day

On the big day, the morning of Ken's graduation ceremony, he woke up the boys wearing his cap and gown ~


Calvin said he liked Daddy's "cape" ~

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President's Reception

Saturday's blog post was only the beginning of reporting our graduation experience. After all, the description of Cookbooks & Commentaries is "The Schmidt Family's Seminary Adventure." So of course we're going to thoroughly include you on our culminating seminary experience!

Our graduation celebration started the day before the ceremony, at the President's Graduation Reception, where Dr. and Mrs. Mohler graciously greeted everyone individually ~

And after seven and a half years as a Southern student, Ken finally had his chance to see the famed personal library of Dr. Mohler ~

He just graduated, and he acts like he owns the place. I tell ya what ~

We're happy. Can you tell?

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It's Official!

Yesterday was Ken's graduation ceremony. He now officially holds a Masters of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary...

Way to go, Ken! You did it!!!!!!!!!!!

We had two full days of graduation activities. We have many more pictures and stories to share. But for now, I'll just say...

Hooray! Ken's finished!!!!!!

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Sweet Sacrifices

I was blessed last week to attend once again a Pendergraph Women's Ministry event. Mrs. Jani Ortlund, author of Fearlessly Feminine and His Loving Law, Our Lasting Legacy, spoke to us about "Sweet Sacrifices: The Challenge of a Woman in Ministry."

Her message was challenging, encouraging, and packed with fresh insights from God's word and from Mrs. Ortlund's life experiences.

She talked about risking your reputation, refining your romance, and relishing your redemption.

After she spoke, we were all invited to Mrs. Mohler's home for dessert. I caught up with many friends while we all oohed and aahed over Dr. Mohler's library. Another special night filled with fun and great fellowship!

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Pendergraph, Continued

I forgot to add....the music.

We worshiped together through song and it was a powerful time. Led simply by guitar and a single bongo drum, we sang some great hymns of the faith including "Be Thou My Vision." The great part was being united with all these ladies in worship to our Lord.

And the sound of a roomful of women harmonizing and singing their hearts out....heavenly.

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Pendergraph Women's Ministry

I was out past eleven last night.

It's quite rare for me to be out past eight (Teddy's bedtime), so this was quite a treat.

I attended the Pendergraph Women's Ministry fall kick-off event called "Welcome Wagon." The entire evening was a sweet time of Christian fellowship with the dynamite ladies of the Southern Seminary community. We began with food, food, and more food (samples from area vendors). I sat and ate at a table with two women with whom I was at least acquainted and four who were new to me. Two are new to the Louisville area and the seminary, so it was fun to welcome them.

We heard from the Pendergraph faculty liaison, Rayann Jones, about growing in grace. Then we shared around our table what has been on our hearts lately and how God is working in our lives. It was a testimony of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to hear everyone's stories.

Pendergraph gives out fabulous door prizes. I'm rarely a "winner" of prizes and drawings for anything. This held true last night. But I will keep entering the drawings at Pendergraph, because one of the giveaways this year will be a one (two?) night stay at the Galt House, one of the fanciest places in Louisville.

After the program ended, many of us hung around to continue our fellowship. I met some other midwestern gals, one a graduate of the University of Iowa and the other an alum of Northwestern College. And none of us really like sweet tea. Cold and bitter, we said, that's how you drink iced tea.

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Home Stretch

We've lived in Louisville for one year and seventeen days. In that time, Ken has taken 13 seminary classes!

I am so proud of my husband! He has persevered through long weeks and even longer reading lists. He has made good grades, all the while working nights as a waiter. He has served in some ways at church, and has continually made our family a priority in his schedule.

Only four more classes to go...you can do it, Babe!

Finished! (For a little while)

Hooray! Ken finished his spring term today!

I made my friend Kacie's "Best Brownies" to celebrate.

Ken is taking the weekend (he's really indulging himself here) as a break from studying and reading. Then he'll begin reading his books for his three summer classes.

We are seven months away from graduation!

Seminarians

It happened again last night.

We had a lovely dinner at the home of our friends, Matt and Ashley. As Ashley and I cleared the table, what do you think the men did? They mumbled something about books and then disappeared into the basement to inspect Matt's library.

I love books, too, but not nearly as much as Ken and his friends.

We have plenty of bookshelves in our home now, so Ken's obsession can be contained. I have one friend who kept finding theological books stuffed into various drawers throughout their home after her husband's library outgrew their bookshelves! So it could be worse...

The Ph.D. Posse

Ken has a posse of sorts at seminary. It started with his friendship with Lee Tankersley, a Ph.D. student. Lee would often invite Ken up to the Ph.D. student lounge at the library. It was there that Ken got to know two other guys, Jeremy and John. (Ken enjoyed their company almost as much as he enjoyed the free coffee in the Ph.D. lounge.)

I hear stories every week about the four of them yabbering in the lounge. People think Ken is a doctoral student because he spends so much time with these guys.

Anyway, I got to see them all together tonight. We had the whole group and their families over for a cookout. The guys jib-jabbed around the grill about amillenialism.

Then the guys mumbled something about books and quickly disappeared into the basement to inspect Ken's library.

Ken is in his element with these guys! (I'm sure many of you can picture it.)