Nazarene Theological Seminary

Last summer the NTS administration and maintenance crew worked hard to get The Commons, a newly-acquired building on campus, up and running in time for the 2008-2009 school year.  As an employee at the school I have enjoyed watching the transformation and the subsequent community-building that has taken place there among faculty, staff and students.  Attached are a few before and after photos.  Many thanks to those who worked so hard to create a place of hospitality for the NTS community!

The semester is in full swing again here at NTS.  Soon the colors of the leaves will be changing in tandem with the cooling temperatures.  The grocers are lugging all sizes of pumpkins out onto their sidewalks and I can’t help but start looking at bread and soup recipes.  I love autumn walks, gatherings, and scents.  Autumn homework is another thing.  Who wants to read when there are piles of leaves outside in which to jump?  In truth, I feel that my attendance and study at seminary is a blessing, even if it does include countless hours of homework!  After I graduated from MNU I spent some time teaching elementary school music and soon realized that it was not the best fit for me.  The choice to pursue ministry as a vocation was, however.  The past three years have been incredible as I have learned the patterns and practices of our faith, and how to best share those with others.  Along with that I have realized how much I have to learn from those others.  Community requires shared experiences, shared seasons.  Together we have learned to read and reflect, to make mistakes and forgive, and to play.  Verily, playing occurs even amidst mounds of Hebrew homework, as the photos suggest. 

One of my favorite annual Kansas City events is the Ethnic Enrichment Festival held in August every summer in Swope Park (about a 3-minute drive from NTS).  People of all ages gather to taste the myriad of food options (see last year’s menu) and watch the colorful dancers as they take turns on the stage every half hour.  This year I attended the festival with some old friends, the Sumpters, who were about to leave for their first term as missionaries in Mongolia.  Their son enjoyed visiting each country’s booth to get his “passport” stamped, and we adults enjoyed the nice weather and baklava.  The festival is a wonderful chance to enjoy food, music, and dance from over 60 cultures around the world.  I am always surprised at the diversity I find when I step inside the gates; it never fails to make me appreciate the beautiful and creative nature of the Triune God. 

As I approach my fourth and final year in the MDiv program, I can't help but look back on my time here and do some self-reflection.  It's hard to believe now, but there was a point in time when I had no clue what a seminary was!  I had heard a few rumors about it and knew some pastors who had attended NTS, but that was about it.  My time at MNU was spent as a student in the music department, so upon graduation I naturally accepted a position in that field.  However, I soon learned that my job was not a good fit for my personality and passion.  My heart was in and for the church.  But like I said, I didn't know what a seminary was, so I spent a year trying to figure out my next step.  During that year a friend of mine, who also happened to be a current student at NTS, invited me to audit an evening class she was enrolled in with Dr. John Knight.  The first night of class—though the discussion was way over my head—I knew it was where God wanted me.  Next fall I enrolled, and that was that.

The next several years were a whirlwind of activity.  I had to learn a new vocabulary, one that didn't include Beethoven or musical chords (although the concept of recapitulation was transferable, to my delight).  I learned about why an understanding of the original languages of Scripture was important, why the concepts of community and service (i.e. social justice) are essential to our faith, how the patterns of our spiritual practices (such as prayer and fasting) direct our minds and hearts toward God and neighbor, and about the beauty of the faith which has been passed down to us through the tradition and teachings of the Church. 

I also gained exciting skills in areas such as budget preparation and curriculum development!  So it has been, through the intense challenges and excitement of seminary—along with the support of my family, friends and church—that God has shaped me into a more faithful disciple and minister of the good news. 

"The Word of the Lord." 
"Thanks be to God."

These two phrases are paradigmatic of my time at Nazarene Theological Seminary.  My first semester I enrolled in Dr. Noble's Systematic Theology course, and something that has stuck with me was our discussion about the dying and rising pattern of Jesus' life as shown in his life, death and resurrection (see Philippians 2:1-11).  That pattern is reflected in our baptism and continued life in Christ, for in him the Kingdom of God has come near!  My prayer is that the peace of the Lord God, who revealed himself to us in Jesus through the Holy Spirit, would be experienced and shared by all, and that our lives would be a response to that Word.  Thanks be to God.