New Year, New Classes

Can you look forward to something and dread it at the same time?

The turn of a new year not only brings a fresh set of objectives at work (which should make for a very good year, if I can get them all done), but also a fresh set of classes at Seminary. I survived last Fall's experience of doubling up (taking two OT classes from two different schools), so I will try that again, only this time it will be three classes at two schools!

Bethel is on a quarter system, and Luther is on a semester system, so in Fall it worked out to be the same thing, more or less. But Winter quarter at Bethel starts this week, runs until late March, and then after a week of Spring Break, is followed by Spring quarter which runs until early June. In the meantime, Luther's Spring semester begins in early February and runs until mid-May.

With Luther, I'll take OT503 Prophets as a transfer class, which will finish up my core Old Testament requirement at Bethel. Concurrently at Bethel, I'll have two electives - first will be HS620DE, American Christianity, followed by an OT elective, an exposition on Psalms. Psalms is not my favorite book, especially when the instructor picks it apart stylistically and reduces the beauty of it to a technical analysis. But, it's the only choice I had, so.. make the best of it, right?

Having settled in at work now, past my honeymoon period there, it looks to be a long, full year with little respite. Add to that the back to back Winter/Spring school terms which feel never-ending, and it feels like I'm about to push off on the Iditarod, knowing I'll be exhausted at the end, and grateful just to finish.

No Summer School this year, that's for sure. I'll need a break.