tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242600272023-06-20T09:13:43.606-04:00Mark Schnell Thinks Out loudThis is my place to think out loud about faith, education, ministry, family, and life in general.Mark Schnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00521939849864426818noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24260027.post-37470444291966090602012-06-01T17:33:00.000-04:002012-06-01T17:33:39.705-04:00Wow, I'm a bad blogger. I have to do much better with this. I'll just post an update, that way at least I will have written something new.
I'm living in Toronto right now work on my ThD (soon to be PhD) in homiletics at Emmanuel College at the University of Toronto. The family consists of Sharie and I, Kate who is 7 as I write this, C.J. who is 15.5 months old, and Sammy (our nephew) who is 12. We live right next door to the elementary school the kids attend. They love it. We attend the Milliken Wesleyan Methodist Church. It's a Wesleyan church that decided to keep methodist in their name because people might more readily relate to that name in the greater Toronto area. The whole family love the church and are happy to find a church where we feel we belong and can also contribute.
The subject of my doctoral work is a Wesleyan Holiness homiletic. Right now I'm working on papers about John Wesley's preaching and theology but will also be studying the distinctives of the holiness message as it relates to preaching. I think this is a timely focus in my own the denomination and our sister denominations.Mark Schnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00521939849864426818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24260027.post-66352736542136925562009-04-23T09:12:00.004-04:002009-04-23T09:24:06.845-04:00Preachers Should Watch Their Own Preaching!I preached my final sermon in PR602 - Preaching for Modern Listeners. I got a pretty good grade on it but I thought that I should have gotten an even better grade so I mentioned that to the professor. He suggested I meet with him to discuss the sermon. He even mentioned that he would be open to reevaluating my grade. So in preparation for that meeting I watched my sermon on DVD. Long story short — I didn't ask him to reevaluate my grade. My sermon was a decent one but it wasn't nearly as good as what I thought it was. I'm now glad to receive the grade that I did. Dr. Jeffrey Arthurs, my prof, was quick to tell me that video magnifies every flaw because all the focus is on the preacher. In person, you would be looking around once in a while, seeing the entire stage, etc. But on video the preacher is right in the center of the screen. It magnifies every flaw. That means my sermon wasn't as bad as I thought when I watched the DVD but it wasn't as good as it felt with I was preaching it. <br /><br />I learned some important lessons about myself and how I preach. I won't share them here but suffice it so say that I'll make this a regular practice in the future. Every preacher should regularly watch their own preaching with a critical eye. Not to tear themselves down but to get better. It will have a huge impact on becoming a better preacher. <br /><br />BTW, if video magnifies the flaws of the preacher that means that they preachers we admire on TV or DVD are actually really, really good! They overcome the flaws.Mark Schnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00521939849864426818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24260027.post-11781082534660631342009-03-14T17:57:00.004-04:002009-03-14T19:02:57.928-04:00Popcorn Made Me Feel Old: and How to Make It Real GoodSharie and I had some friends over a while back and I made popcorn for us. Now, I like microwave popcorn, don't get me wrong, but when I'm getting serious I make it on the stove top like Paul and Silas used to. Our friends are in their mid twenties and when I made the popcorn they couldn't believe I made it the old fashioned way. I got a kick out of their surprise. I felt like a popcorn rock star for a second. Later I was thinking about it and it finally occurred to me: they have never had it any other way than from the microwave. To them I was making it like the pioneers did. I went from feeling somewhat cool to feeling old real fast. <br /><br />It amazes me how quickly times change. I just turned 40 about six weeks ago and I can remember when we didn't have microwaves, personal computers, cordless phones (let alone cell phones), VCRs or DVD's, or cassettes and CD's. How did we get along without these essential things? Are they really essential? I suppose these are the kind of things that one begins to ponder in old age. <br /><br />By the way, here is how I make such great stovetop popcorn. Some of you might think, "Well, duh." But younger folks are losing this art form quickly. It is truly a tragedy.<br /><br />1. Orville Redenbacher is the man. I use a mixture of his white and yellow popcorn. Yes, I buy two different kinds and mix it. I'm serious about this stuff. It comes in a jar with the actual kernels, you know, like Paul and Silas used to buy. <br />2. Peanut Oil. Yes it has a little more fat but it's the good kind of fat so don't worry about it. <br />3. Here is the big secret: You've got to use popcorn salt. It's real fine, almost a powder and it sticks to the popcorn much better than table salt. You don't need any butter to make the salt stick and you don't have to use that much. As a matter of fact, I never use butter, you just don't need it when you use these fine ingredients. Popcorn salt is hard to find sometimes but if you look hard you can find it. I buy it online. <br /><br />I put about three or four tablespoons of peanut oil in my Revereware pan and heat it up on medium/high. I go ahead and pour out about a little more than a third of a cup of popcorn so it is ready to go. I place one kernel in the center of the pan and put the lid on. I listen closely and when it pops I quickly pour the rest of the popcorn in. I shake it a bit and when the popping starts to slow down I take the pan off the stove quickly and pour it in a huge bowl. I have just a few seconds before it burns so I have to move quickly at the end. Then I dust the bowl with popcorn salt. Yes, that's right, I dust it. Then I toss the popcorn several times and I dust it once more. That's all it takes. <br /><br />BTW, I make good popcorn but my father-in-law is the real master. He puts a huge butch of the corn in a little sauce pan and pops it up till the lid starts to raise. Then he pours off the popped corn and puts the pan back on the burner and pops more. He repeats this until all the corn is popped. He doesn't even lose any popcorn. When I try his technique I always pour too much in the bowl so that it pops in the bowl, blowing popcorn everywhere. He is the master, I am simply a padawan learner.Mark Schnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00521939849864426818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24260027.post-55570734599601751952008-11-20T15:20:00.002-05:002008-11-20T15:46:45.470-05:00A Book MemeI was tagged by IWU professor, <a href="http://kenschenck.blogspot.com">Ken Schenck</a>, for a book meme. This is a new thing for me but it's kind of like a chain letter for blogs. Only there there is no terrible life threatening consequence if you don't follow through with it, I hope. I'm assuming the point is to just get the word about other people's blogs. So I'm supposed to pick up the nearest book, turn to page 123, find the fifth sentence, and post the three sentences after it. So here goes, on my desk is a book called, Islam by <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Islam-Caesar-Ph-D-Farah/dp/0764122266/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227213670&sr=8-2">Caesar E. Farah</a>. The first two sentences are a quote from the Koran.<br /><br />"Say, my prayers, my offerings, my life and my death are for God, Lord of the Worlds Who has no partner with Him. This I have been ordered (to believe), and I am the first to submit (unto Him.)"<br />It is also argued that belief in predestination prevents fortune or misfortune to sway the believer from the "right path."<br /><br />Okay, now I have to tag five other bloggers. So, Red Rover, Red Rover, send <a href="http://revitalizeyourchurch.blogspot.com">Mark Wilson</a>, <a href="http://www.lawrencewilson.com">Larry Wilson</a>, <a href="http://drulogion.blogspot.com ">John Drury</a>,<a href="http://www.croswellwesleyan.blogspot.com"> Ryan Budde</a>, and <a href="http://www.andyrowell.net/">Andy Rowell </a>right over!<br /><br />There I did it, now I'll have good luck for a long, long time!!Mark Schnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00521939849864426818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24260027.post-94312547061731672008-11-20T14:51:00.003-05:002008-11-20T15:17:40.404-05:00I'm a bad blogger, but I am still aliveI wanted to take a few moments to update my blog. I have not blogged for two reasons: I've been too lazy and I'm a wimp. I've preached to a thousand people before sang for way over five thousand and felt completely comfortable. But in those settings no one was giving me feedback. If I blog anything that is substantial people might disagree and I've been a wimp about that. I'm seriously going to try and change that. I'm going to start blogging for two reasons: I want to sharpen my writing and it is good discipline. Now, that isn't going to happen today, I have a load of papers to finish, but soon. <br /><br />Here's where I am in life: I will be halfway through my second full year in seminary in a few weeks. I'm still enjoying it but antsy to be done too. As it stand right and if it all goes according to plan I will be finished with the MDiv except for one class by the end of this summer. I have to take that class on campus because it is an exegesis class and Gordon Conwell won't except anyone else's Bible classes in transfer. They are snooty like that. So rather than waste a whole semester on one class or take more electives just for the fun of it, I'm going to pick up a Master's of Theology degree in preaching. That's a one year academic degree. So if that works out I'll be able to leave here with two master's degrees in three years on campus. We'll see what happens though. <br /><br />Kate is doing great in pre-school and loves it. She goes three days a week for four hours. It's right on campus so I have fun walking down and picking her up every day. Sharie is still working hard with our graphic design company, Maxim Design Group. She is a truly exceptional woman and I still don't know how I was able to snag her. It's a God thing, gotta be!<br /><br />About the future: I just don't know. I can see myself going back to the local church. I miss preaching a bunch and I miss being a part of people's lives as a pastor. Sharie and I knew all along that my time at seminary will have been a blessing and benefit to me whether or not I end up teaching anywhere. My plan all along was that I would go on to doctoral work after being here. I don't know if I will or not. That world of academics, especially at the PhD level, is a strange one. I might lose my mind in that world. I want to focus on preaching and most PhD programs don't take preaching seriously as an academic pursuit. But I am starting to formulate some ideas about what I could focus on for a doctorate. I want to do something that will benefit my denomination, the Wesleyan Church. Please pray that God will guide us in the months ahead. I'll need to start working towards where I will go next this summer.Mark Schnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00521939849864426818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24260027.post-83316729739787111672008-04-16T13:02:00.004-04:002008-04-16T13:13:27.917-04:00Light at the end of the tunnelWell, it's almost the end of the semester. I have to do two major papers, two minor ones, and take two finals. A lot of work but doable. This school year has challenged me more than I thought it would. One of the biggest challenges was simply adjusting to being in school full time. This is a different life, especially when you have a family that comes first. <br /><br />Greek has continued to be very difficult. I have discovered though that I am simply a slow Greek learner. My professor told me that there are two kinds of Greek strugglers. The first kind simply take a little longer to sink in, the second kind just won't get it, no matter what. The concepts that are so hard for me to get seem to get easier over time. I am encouraged by that. I may even take intermediate Greek if I can fit it into my schedule. <br /><br />I have become a teaching fellow for the Semlink program. That means I am over the five classes in the online program that cover the ministry of the church. The classes are: Spiritual Formation for Ministry, Educational Ministry of the Church, Pastoral Counseling, Family and Marriage Counseling, and The Theology of Effective Youth Ministry. I am enjoying that immensely and feel like I am doing some good with the practical ministry experience I bring to the table. This is what I prayed for before I came to seminary. <br /><br />I'll post more later, just wanted to add to this and prove that I'm still here.Mark Schnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00521939849864426818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24260027.post-30524879761392008612007-10-23T19:11:00.000-04:002007-10-23T19:16:13.212-04:00Treading waterIt's been way to long since I've posted. Our lives have changed so much in the last two months. We moved to South Hamilton, Massachusetts and I started seminary full time at Gordon Conwell. I love it but it is more difficult than I ever imagined. Why is it hard? One word, GREEK! It's really tough for me. I'm getting it and I don't worry about passing the class (most of the time) but it takes a huge amount of time and focus to keep up. On top of that there is the reading for the other classes, plus family time on top of that. I'm not complaining, it is my dream to be here. It's just that I'm working to keep my head above water right now. Someday I hope to get caught up and then post here more often.Mark Schnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00521939849864426818noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24260027.post-29346700930750130852007-07-15T15:47:00.000-04:002007-07-16T13:16:07.389-04:00Awesome wedding vowsIn June I was privileged to perform the wedding of Christa Jacobs and Jon Hewett. Christa's family was a part of the church I used to pastor in Howell, MI. I can't express how honored I was to be able to marry them. <br /><br />Anyways, I got permission from Jon and Christa to post their vows. Jon is a writer and he wrote his vows and Christa adapted them for herself. I wanted to post these because they are the most biblical and mature of any I have seen. Admittedly, some people might not like the submit part that Christa affirms from Ephesians 5, but when a husband is loving his wife as a Christ loves the church it isn't a dangerous thing to submit. So without further ado:<br /><br />Jon's vows: <br />I, Jon, take you, Christa, to be my wife from this day forward, to join with you and share all that is to come. <br />I vow to love you as Christ has commanded me, striving daily to die to myself for your sake.<br />I vow to cherish you above all people and things, God being the only exception.<br />I vow to serve you sacrificially, putting your needs above my own.<br />I vow to protect you from all evil within my strength, and to entrust your ultimate safety to God.<br />I vow to lead you in the pattern Christ has set before us, so that we may honor Him.<br />I vow to forgive as Christ has forgiven us.<br />I promise to be faithful to you until death do us part.<br /><br />Christa's vows:<br />I, Christa, take you, Jon, to be my husband from this day forward, to join with you and share all that is to come. <br />I vow to respect you as Christ has commanded me, striving daily to die to myself for your sake.<br />I vow to love you above all people and things, God being the only exception.<br />I vow to serve you sacrificially, putting your needs above my own.<br />I vow to submit to you in everything as to the Lord.<br />I vow to follow you in the path Christ has set before us, so that we may honor Him.<br />I vow to forgive as Christ has forgiven us.<br />I promise to be faithful to you until death do us part.<br /><br />Pretty cool, huh?Mark Schnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00521939849864426818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24260027.post-35379427987330976002007-07-09T23:18:00.000-04:002007-07-09T23:34:25.161-04:00Absolute Truth? Are you sure?Hey, it's way too long since I've posted here. My Mom let me know nicely that she's getting tired of seeing my Spiderman post at the top. I am too. <br /><br />As I was praying today I was reflecting on John 4:24, "God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship him in spirit and truth." As I reflected the thought came to me, how often do we truly follow the truth of God and how often do we follow the truth as we see it? In my studies over the last few years I have studied theology and postmodernism. One of the hallmarks of postmodernism, of course, is the idea that there is so absolute truth. In other words, no one truth that is true for all time. As a Christian I would say, "The Bible contains the truth for all time. " Someone else might say, "Well, it's truth for you but not for me. It isn't absolute for me." <br /><br />As an evangelical Christian I believe that Word of God is always true, end of discussion. So the promises of God that are contained in the scriptures are true for me and I should live according to them. God said He would never leave me or forsake me, I should live like that. He said that where my treasure was there my heart would be also, I should act accordingly. He said that I should consider the birds of the air ..., okay you get the point. God has given me a vast wealth of truth and promises in His Word. I should live by that truth. <br /><br />Every time I decide to ignore the Word of God and follow my ideas and notions I am denying absolute truth. Here's another way of thinking of it: God's truth is absolute whether I feel good or not. It is absolute when life is easy and when it is hard. <br /><br />Prayer: God help me to believe the absolute truth of your Word — absolutelyMark Schnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00521939849864426818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24260027.post-3979873408219827632007-05-16T21:41:00.000-04:002007-05-16T22:04:14.944-04:00Spiderman 3 - Minor spoiler alertOkay, now for some real important earth-shattering stuff: Spiderman 3. I'm a big fan of superhero movies and Spiderman has been one of my favorites. I thought I'd write my review of the movie since I finally got a chance to see it yesterday. Bottom line — I liked it. I don't think it was as good a movie as the first two Spidey flicks but it was fun.<br /><br />Bad points: <br />1. It did move a little slow at times<br />2. Kirsten Dunst<br />3. Kirsten Dunst sings twice<br />4. Kirsten Dunst<br />5. Kirsten Dunst<br />6. The scenes where Peter Parker was showing his dark side and disco dancing on the streets were overdone<br />7. Kirsten Dunst<br />8. Maybe too many story line arcs<br />9. Kirsten Dunst<br />10. Kirsten Dunst sings twice<br /><br />Good points:<br />1. Visual effects were amazing<br />2. Venom was cool, I would have liked to see him more though<br />3. I liked Thomas Haden Church as the Sandman. He simply was good in the part. Some people think that maybe the movie didn't even need the Sandman character as a story line arc but hey, he was there and he was good. <br /><br />The main thing I liked, and this is probably because I am a Christian, are the themes of forgiveness and redemption in the movie. Harry Osborne forgives Peter in the end and is redeemed by his sacrifice for his friend. The Sandman asks for forgiveness and Peter Parker gives it to him. That scene was very powerful and it was very cool how Tobey Mcguire protrayed the heavy weight of his hatred and unforgiveness being lifted.<br /><br />Maybe I wouldn't have liked it as much if I wasn't a Christian, I don't know. But it was a good movie to me. I recommend it. <br /><br />P.S. I've heard some people in online reviews complaining about the butler, Bernard. They wonder where he came from all of a sudden. Go back and watch the first two movies, he was there. He didn't have a large part but he was there, even the same actor. <br /><br />P.P.S. This probably doesn't come across above but I'm not a big fan of Kirsten Dunst. ;->Mark Schnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00521939849864426818noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24260027.post-30541690684308261492007-05-03T10:55:00.000-04:002007-05-03T11:03:22.324-04:00Beautiful!!I'm sitting here looking out the window and a bald eagle flies overhead. How cool is that? That doesn't happen rarely at Crooked Lake in Curran, MI either. The other day my two year old daughter and I were outside and she points up and says, "Birdy!" You guessed it, our national symbol flew over low enough to hear the wind whistling through its feathers. <br /><br />Sharie, Kate, and I move out to South Hamilton, Massachusetts in late August so I can attend seminary full time. I am looking forward to it a lot but I'm going to miss living up north in Michigan too. We plan to come back here for the summers while I'm in school and we'll probably retire up here someday but I'm going to miss the day to day of living here. <br /><br />We were only supposed to live up here for about four months total before going out to Gordon Conwell but it ended up that it'll be a year. It has been a blessing, to say the least. We have enjoyed nature and been able to bond with our daughter in ways that we never would have been able to if we had entered into the seminary rat race right away. <br /><br />Father knows best, huh? I'm glad!Mark Schnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00521939849864426818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24260027.post-29129689914256033512007-04-02T17:03:00.000-04:002007-04-02T19:03:19.871-04:00It's MY Church History!I'm taking a church history class right now from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. This class has started me thinking about church history in a whole new way. I don't claim this to be anything profound or earth shattering but it is new to me. <br /><br />In the past when I thought of church history my focus was narrow, to say the least. I identified with Jesus and the apostles. You know, anything that I could read about in the Bible. Then there was a huge void, kind of like the intertestamental period, until my mind paused for a just a second with Martin Luther. Then I would skip along until I reached the Wesley brothers and all the significant things they did for the church. From there my mind would dwell briefly on the important points of the Methodist movement on down to the Wesleyan Church of which I am a part. As I said, a pretty narrow focus. My church history was a Wesleyan Church history.<br /><br />But now my view has begun to widen. The thought occurred to me, kind of a minor epiphany really, that because I am a Christian all of Christian church history is my history. Yes, I am a Wesleyan and my theological views lie in that camp but there is a huge rich history beyond my immediate tradition. I think many people do what I have done over the years.They only identify with the parts of church history that they like. They focus on the high points in their tradition and ignore the rest. This has a tendency to give us an us versus them mentality with other Christian traditions. Another downside to this narrow focus is that we don't get the benefits of learning from the mistakes and victories from outside of our tradition. To be sure, in the history of the church there are countless scoundrels, murderers, cheats, and liars. But there are also men and women that have been nothing short of heroic in their desire to follow Christ. <br /><br />This is ALL my history. What a shame it would be to never learn about it. Everything I know and believe about the church has been affected by all of its history. The heresies, abuses, great leaders, and victories are all relevant to me and the future of the church. Dr. Garth Rosell said this, "The recognition of weakness or failure in ourselves or in the history of the church need not force us to despair or cut us off from huge chunks of our heritage. Rather, it should prompt us to embrace the whole history of God's people, to learn from its mistakes as well as its successes." <br /><br />I'm lovin' it!Mark Schnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00521939849864426818noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24260027.post-85082187439918592262007-03-13T23:25:00.000-04:002007-03-14T12:27:24.320-04:00I Weep For TommyThe Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.<br /> <br /> Sgt. Thomas L. Latham, 23, of Delmar, Md., died March 11 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.<br /><br />So read the press release from the Pentagon today. Sgt. Latham was known to me as simply Tommy. I was his youth pastor until halfway through his junior year in high school when I moved out of youth ministry. As a pastor there are certain people that are a joy to be around and to work with. And I hope I'm not bursting any bubbles here but there are others that you ask God for more grace to deal with. Tommy was the former. I genuinely liked Tommy and enjoyed being around him. He was a kid that was lots of fun, had a great attitude and was incredibly easy going. He didn't just show up for the fun stuff. He was there for the service projects and missions trips too. Tommy was a great guy. While he was a good looking young man and always took care of himself, he didn't worry about being up to date with all the latest clothing fads. He wasn't afraid to work hard and liked to hunt with his Dad. Tommy was what you would call a "man's man." <br /><br />My memories of Tommy are of him bringing a turkey call to youth group one night and freaking all of us out because we couldn't figure out where that sound was coming from. I remember long van rides with Tommy and other young men and women of our youth ministry. I remember his Mom saying to him, Let's go Tommy Lee. Only she would say it so fast that it would come out, "Let's go Tommalee." I remember a missions trip to Hepzibah Children's Home when he was so proud to do some masonry work because he was the son of a mason. I also remember that he was a good brother to his little sister. <br /><br />My most important memory of Tommy was that he gave his heart to Christ. I'd be lying if I told you I remember the exact moment that he responded to Christ's call but I know that he did. Tommy lived the kind of life that bore witness to a life in Christ. I had been on enough long trips and spent enough time with Tommy that there was no doubt where his heart stood. <br /><br />I titled this post, I Weep For Tommy, but that isn't really true. I weep for his young wife and two kids that are left behind. I weep for his little sister and parents that have lost their only son. I weep for his friends and love ones; we've lost this laid back, fun-loving, and big hearted young man. I guess I weep for us. <br /><br />I don't understand this world sometimes. I don't understand why evil people live and good people like Tommy don't. I don't understand why some people that don't add a bit of goodness to the world die of old age and someone like Tommy that had so much to offer and was concerned with serving others dies young. It doesn't make sense but in the midst of the turmoil I have to trust that God understands. I have to trust that He knows the pain that those who have lost so much are going through. Most of all I trust that God has welcomed Tommy into His arms. <br /><br />God, thanks for allowing me to know Tommy Latham and to have a small part to play in the man that he was. Please comfort his wife and two small children. Please take care of those little ones. Please comfort his family and loved ones. And God, I thank you that Tommy knew you. Thank you for allowing his faith to be made sight. Please remind those that are hurting that we can see Tommy again if we respond to you like he did. Thank you for his life, his example of service, and the impact that he had on all of us.Mark Schnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00521939849864426818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24260027.post-3476079806971046452007-03-09T11:35:00.000-05:002007-03-14T11:27:41.931-04:00Here's what I'm up toOkay, I'm finally going to post something that has some substance on this thing. My life has been quite a whirlwind over the last year or so. I thought it would be good to share some of it. <br /><br />Well over a year ago I started wondering if I was making the best impact for the kingdom being a pastor. I had been having feelings of unrest for a good while. They were very similar to the feelings I had when it was time to move out of youth ministry. I had always dreamed of being a college professor. I enjoy working with college age people more than any others over my 15 years of local church ministry. The only problem about me being a college professor is that I lack a whole LOT of education. I was an attrocious undergrad student. I was more concerned with sleeping in and messing around than actually being serious about my academic career. I started a master's program at IWU in the fall of 2003 and after completing 34 hours of a 36 hour program I have a 4.0 GPA. That told me that when I was serious about my academics I could do well. <br /><br />After much prayer, soul searching, sleepless nights, and hours of conversation with my wife, mentors, etc. I decided that I was going to head back to school. I had been doing the IWU program while still being a full time pastor. Because of my age and how long it takes to get all the way through a doctorate we decided that I needed to resign as a pastor and pursue academics full time. I applied to Duke Divinity School and Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. I was admitted to both of them and then the soul searching began all over again. Duke is a more prestigious school to be sure. I was honored simply to be admitted there. Gordon Conwell is no slouch either and I was impressed with it through Dave Drury and Larry Wilson who attended there. After visiting both schools and being very impressed with both of them Sharie and I were convinced that Gordon Conwell was going to be the place for me. <br /><br />My last Sunday at my church as July 2, 2006. We planned to leave for South Hamilton, Mass. (in the Boston area) for the fall semester of 2006. Long story short — our house didn't sell until October so we could afford to go until the spring semester of 07. But then the folks at GCTS let me know that if I started in the spring it would mess up my schedule. GCTS is very specific about the order of certain classes that you take and some of those are only offered in the fall. So the fall semester of 2007 it is. <br /><br />My first goal is to complete a master of divinity degree. Whether I ever become a professor or if God is going to call me back into pastoral ministry I know the Mdiv degree will serve me well. If I still feel strongly that God is leading me toward the professor thing then I'll go on for further schooling. Possibly a ThM and then a PhD.<br /><br />So where we are now is living in a small cabin that we own in northern Michigan. I am taking classes through GCTS online while we are here. I am taking as many of the stand alone type classes that don't have pre-requisites as I can. Sharie is doing her graphic design work with the company that we own, Maxim Design Group. She will continue to do that while I am in school. I am a student and Mr. Mom. We are enjoying our time at the cabin and having some amazing bonding time with our two year old daughter, Kate. We are on an adventure to be sure. God is good and we're excited about what is happening now and what is to come in the years ahead.Mark Schnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00521939849864426818noreply@blogger.com1