Mike was scheduled to walk into a room with 2 of his professors at 10AM today to take his oral exam in which he would spend time defending the doctrinal paper that has taken him over 4 years to collaborate and write.
A doctrinal paper is a paper in which he writes out EVERYTHING he believes about God, the Bible, and it's affect on mankind...including specific references to each Bible verse that would be affiliated with that belief. It's a lot, folks. I had the privileged of typing up a portion of that paper to help him out {because that's what we seminary wives do...and believe it or not, a portion of that degree belongs to me considering how many times I've proofread, typed, and helped him figure out answers to some tough question...I'm just sayin'...}...I digress...but having typed a part of it, the topics discussed were so deep, I felt my mind drowning in information. A doctrinal paper isn't for the faint of heart. Or an idiot. He has to put together all the theology he has come to find to be true, according to his study of God's Word. Meaning, that some of the things he's come to assess as "truth" may or may not be what the seminary deems as "truth". He has had to think for himself as he rightly divides the Bible and listens to the Holy Spirit.
Which leads to this morning....
...those professors have read his paper (all 70 plus pages of it) and gone through it with a fine-toothed comb. They even double-checked all his Scriptural references, to be sure the references aligned with his statements. His oral exam is those profs asking for clarification of his written theology...aka. a mild interrogation, of sorts. To have Mike tell them why he believes what he believes on the deepest of levels.
I get a call this morning at 8:30 that his oral exam is going to place now....not at 10 due to some last-minute schedule changes. oh. my! I could tell he was thrown off guard, but also knew that he was probably glad it would be done and over with 2 hours sooner than expected! ha!
He said, "If I don't make it out alive, always know that I love you and the kids very much. It was good knowing you." What a goof.
I get a call a few hours later to hear his wonderful voice tell me he passed. He PASSED! He passed with an A!!!! He also told me the professors were incredibly encouraging and helpful to him. They gave him lots of advice and confidence in him as a future pastor. He said it wasn't as bad as he had made it out to be. He was able to answer their questions to their sanctification and beyond! They were pleased at his ability to sense the direction of their questions and to understand the need for consistency in his beliefs (so as not to contradict himself). What a blessing from the Lord!
I am one proud seminary wife.
And a happy one, to boot! Now that his orals are done....he is completely done with classes. NO MORE. All we do now, is spend time together as a family until July 15th. And if you don't mind, I'm gonna just sit back and soak it all in....
65°
Rainy and wet this morning.
Time with a friend.
Time with my mentor.
Now, it's partly sunny, dry and warming up.
A chocolate cream pie is in the fridge.
Coffee is in the cup.
It's a good day.
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Love is to the heart what the summer is to the farmer's year - it brings to harvest all the loveliest flowers of the soul. -Unknown