Paula’s Reflections
Paula Lawhead
January 1st (today) is a great day to begin something new. I am excited to begin sharing with you what life is like for me as I make my way through seminary and (hopefully) approval as a rostered minister in the Nebraska Synod. This has been a whirlwind of a year and I can hardly believe it has been twelve months since David and I moved north. For the most part, life here is the same as it was in Omaha; we live in an apartment, work, and go to a movie once-in-a-while. But, classes at Luther Seminary have proven to be a bigger challenge than I expected in my first semester.
What was I thinking? I took the same number of classes my first semester in Seminary that I took my last year of undergrad. I could handle it then, but it became clear very quickly that graduate school is a little more challenging than undergrad. (Most people already knew this – I don’t know what I was thinking.) Always up for a challenge, I muscled through and wound up doing pretty well. I learned a lot, mainly about myself, and feel much more prepared as I go into my second semester.
I don’t think I could jam into this first reflection the many lessons I’ve already learned since coming here and the new things I have been thinking about. However, I am certain that many of them will come up again as I continue in this process. God often works that way with me – bringing up the same lessons over and over. It seems to be the best way for me to really listen and understand what He is up to. I look forward to sharing with you as He continues to teach me about what it means to be obedient to His call and patient in His timing and open to His teaching. Being able to share these things with you will also help me to process what He is saying to me and how I can take what I am learning with me into ministry. Thank you for being a part of that.
As I post these reflections, I hope that you will respond with comments or questions. I would love to dialogue with you!
Peace,
Paula