Things I learned at Seminary , Day 1

Well by the name of this post I learned something today! That means day one of Grad School/Seminary is a Success.

Woo Whoo!!

Shot of the beautiful campus of NOBTS

But I'm really excited about this because even though it was meant for a certain context, It works for every situation I can think of where you want to succeed. First I will give you the info as pertaining to education and then to another situation I'm dealing with recently, Weight Loss.

Dr. Steve Lemke, The Provost of NOBTS, spoke to us this morning about our time at seminary and gave us

5 Tools to Help Us Succeed At NOBTS.

They were (along with my notes of his speech):

1) Be Determined ... about your seminary education. Don't look back and be faithful to the path that God has laid before you.

2) Be Devoted ... Classes are not a replacement for your personal devotional time. You must be devoted to the Holy Living God.

3) Be Dedicated ... DO your Calling! Don't just prepare to do it. Find ways to continually be working in ministry.

I think this is were he talked about Timmy (Tebow that is). Dr Lemke stated that Tim is one of the most respected athletes of all time joining the likes of Muhammad Ali and others of that caliber. He has not earned this honor by his Super Duper Mad skills on the field (He is a really good QB, no doubt about that). He has earned this honor because he laid out a certain lifestyle, honoring the one true God, and he has dedicated his life to living it out... no matter what it takes.

Then Dr. Lemke posed this question to the room of students. What if we had Tebows in Banking, Churches, Preschools, High Schools, Drive Thru windows, and Coffee Shops? Why can't we be a bunch of Tebows when we walk off this campus, letting the world know who we serve and how dedicated we are to him? Whoa... talk about a great metaphor!! and a wake up call.

4) Be Disciplined ... The two biggest hinderances to finishing well at seminary studies usually boil down to two things. Time Management and Financial Management. Work to be good at both of these things and your time at seminary will go much smoother. It will still include lots of hard work but if you manage your time and money well that added stress won't be there.

and

5) Be Disciple-able ... This means to be teachable. How much you learn is up to you, not your professors. (I also took this advice to also mean "Look for people to learn from, not just in the classroom but in ministry and in life")

Now...

Let me relate this to my latest and on-going struggle.

Weight Loss.

1.) Be Determined... Set your goal and stick to it. Don't look back. This fat girl cannot exist anymore... no.. eyeing that second serving at dinner is like the home that Lot's wife looked back on, It ONLY ends in DISASTER.

2.) Be Devoted... Be Devoted to the Holy Living God. He is the one that can change your body, he is the one who can give you the endurance to stay on track with workouts and he is the one that can give you the strength to say NO!! to that Coca-Cola hidden in the fridge down in the basement.

3.) Be Dedicated... Work out. Eat Less. Don't talk about working out and eating less, DO IT. Do it. do it. do it. do it. DOOOOO IIIIIIT!!!

4.) Be Disciplined... Time management. Make time to do the things you need to to get to your goal. Diet Management... Eat the foods you should, don't eat the ones you shouldn't. It really is that simple, not easy but definitely simple. Financial Management...Remember that you will need lunch at work tomorrow and if you eat that leftover chicken from dinner tonight that means you'll have to spend money on lunch instead of saving it for the Bakery or school. Even though a $3 lean cuisine doesn't sound too expensive but that $15 a week really adds up quick.

5.) Be Disciple-able... Look for someone who has the same goal as you and do it together. Learn from each other, support each other.

Now... you figure out what you need to succeed at this year. See if these five rules apply and will help you reach it successfully and Let me know!! and More importantly.. pass it on!!

Happy Succeeding!!!

-Chelsea Lou