Times of transition are always interesting. In one way, my life has been in a long transitional state for several years now. In 2009, after working about seven years in various non-profit ministries of the Orthodox Church, I was laid off along with almost all the rest of the staff at Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF). The economic collapse of 2008 had been especially tough on non-profits that depended on others' donations.
Anyway, when I was laid off, my wife and I made a decision that we had discussed in the past: we would both go back to school to pursue the vocations that we had long desired - hers in health care, and mine in academia. I decided to pursue a Master's Degree in Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary, signing up for one class the following spring at their Orlando campus (we lived in Jacksonville, FL at the time).
For the next year and a half, I went to school part-time - sometimes taking online classes, and sometimes commuting to Orlando - and sold cell phones full-time to pay the bills. Then in the summer of 2011, we packed up the family and headed to bluegrass country - Wilmore, KY, the small town home of Asbury - for me to go to school full-time and finish my degree. As I write this, it's hard to believe we've been here a year and a half. It's been a great experience, though not always easy.
Several months after moving to KY, we had our first son Lucas who has been such a source of joy and thankfulness in our lives. With the pressure of starting a new family and returning to school, I made the decision to continue working full-time while also going to school full-time.
Which brings me back to the theme of transitions. In addition to the long transition my life has taken as I've returned to school, it is also in the midst of a more immediate transition: Next week will be the final week of my job. I've finally realized that going to school full-time and working full-time was too much. Additionally, working at jobs that don't have anything to do with the career I'm pursuing (I've been working as an account manager for a local insurance agent) is ultimately a distraction from my vocational goals. I'm now looking for teaching and writing opportunities, especially in the field of Biblical Studies.
Which brings me to the purpose of this blog. I've started who knows how many blogs in the past that never went anywhere. With this particular one, my only purpose is to share my thoughts on my studies with whoever is interested enough to read about it. I'll be posting portions of papers I write, as well as snippets of books I'm reading. Please leave your comments, as I'm always interesed in good dialogue. My posts will mostly have to do with history, theology, and Biblical Studies, but occasionally I'll throw some other things in as well. Just whatever happens to be on my mind. This and that.
Until the next post...
