Well, yes - right - it snuck up on me a bit too! I have decided to enter into the Doctor of Ministry program at Covenant Theological Seminary for the sole reason that all my life I have wanted people to call me Dr. J. The thinking is that despite the fact that I can't dunk or even touch the rim (I might be able to catch a little net if I lost a few pounds), I could still pretend my way through that childhood fantasy.
OK, maybe not. But I will tell you that I began the program back in mid-May and it isn't until now that I can tell you why I'm really doing it. And those reasons, I'm pretty sure, will change multiple times along the way.
I went in thinking I had something to say. Typical freshman. Let - me - tell - you - what - I - know! And then I spent a week with with mentors Donald Guthrie and Steve Garber and fellow classmates Warren Mayer (an I.T. guy at Mizzou), Mike Hsu (Pastor Grace Chapel in NE), Richard Vise (RUF pastor at Auburn), Cristano DeSousa (Navy Chaplain) and Don Johnson (Pastor Hanna City Presbyterian Church in IL) and I realized - more than anything - how much I had to learn. How vast my blind spots are. And how probably I needed to just shut up and listen if that weren't a futile endeavor for real growth given the fact that I am a freakishly verbal processor and if I didn't blather on I would never come to any conclusions about anything other than the fact that if I don't blather I can't "integrate" very well which leads me to the uncomfortable reality that I'm just going to have to apologize often for saying stupid stuff in run-on sentences like this one.
Doctor Jay - oh yeah.
Here's why I'm doing it...as of today. First, I love the Gospel and I really, really want to understand it better - make it matter more in my life - and, hopefully, in the lives of those I serve and love in this world. This is really what this DMin is all about. The Gospel deeper, richer - more transforming - more glorious - more lovely. That's reason enough.
Second, because I love our church and as one of her leaders, I have been entrusted with the great and glorious responsibility of helping her navigate this crazy life and give her a vision of the beauty of God's love and purpose and glory available to her in the diapers and in the classroom and in the cubicles. Believe me, it's not like I came into this gig (a pastor) with everything figured out! If we as leaders don't continue to stretch and grow, we cannot lead our people in like manner.
Third (and in the same vein), we all need mentors to help us see our blind spots and to guide us out of them and this DMin gives me the opportunity to learn from two of the very best I could dream of - kindred spirits who are well on down the path of grace and Gospel integration into life and the church that I long to travel. In one short week they've already shown me so much - given me massive new perspectives - and glorious new dimensions of the Gospel.
Enough said on that for now. In the coming weeks/months/years, in addition to the infrequent blogs on real life and ministry I occasionally post, I will be using this space to talk about some of the books I'm reading on this Gospel journey.
Peace,
Jay
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