I have been looking for the right time and place to say thank you to all the people who helped me during my seminary journey. Even though many of the people I want to thank are in my church, I didn’t want to hijack a worship service or Bible study, even just to say thank you. My blog seemed to be a good place to express my thanks and it seemed right to begin our journey here with gratitude.

I graduated from seminary last year, which was a huge achievement. I never saw any hard numbers, but one of my professors estimated about a third of seminary students never finish seminary and wash out before they ever get to ministry. Classes and studying do not come naturally to me, so it seemed all that much harder for me. Plus, a Master’s of Divinity is one of longest master’s level programs in the country (most programs are about half the length).

But I didn’t do it alone. I could never say “I came, I saw, and I conquered”. God opened so many doors and guided me during those years. He sustained me and renewed me during some dark days and He was there to celebrate the many victories.

My wife and I agreed she has an honorary seminary degree. She was my sounding board as I was working through my classes and she proofed almost every paper for me. She shared her life experiences and shaped how I understand baptism, which has had a profound impact on the direction of my ministry. Thanks my love.

My pastor was a huge help to me. I probably drove him crazy with just one more request for a meeting, or an interview, or something else I needed for a class. More importantly, he trusted me and offered so many opportunities to learn and do ministry. He responded when I asked for a specific ministry focus to grow as a leader and he gave me a ton of room to find my own voice. He has been a terrific mentor who held nothing back. Thanks my friend.

My church as a whole has been a huge blessing. They were incredibly patient as I was learning and growing and making mistakes. They gave some great feedback to help me grow and they have supported me in so many ways, including financially. I have been blown away by the generosity of our church, not just to me, but others as well. Thanks Fridley Covenant Church.

I could go on and on, from the family and friends who were supportive and understanding, to the professors who were patient with me and brought a wealth of ministry experience to their teaching, to a couple of Godly men who were close mentors and friends. To those mentioned and those who aren’t, thank you for shaping me to the person I am today.

As much as I want to say thank you, I also want to highlight a truth I think is easy to forget: we don’t live life alone; we live life in a community. Our victories are not ours alone and our failures are not limited to us either. Each of us have people who have helped us and influenced us on our journey. Each of us have people who are affected when we fail or suffer a loss. God Himself is present in the moments of failure as well as the moments of victory. We are not as alone as it might seem.

Who are some of the people you would like to thank?