::Chris Lownes::
I chose to come to Central to be grounded in good exegetical method for Christian ministry, but ended up with more than I bargained for. God decided to bring me here and change my outlook on life and ministry.
To be sure, I have enjoyed the academic rigors that have prepared me to do good exegesis and theology. I have been stretched and know what it means to spend long nights in the library. However, academics were only the tip of the iceberg. During my time as a student here, I have been challenged to see the Christian life through the lens of the grace of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It has freed me from the guilt of legalism, and at the same time challenged me to discipline myself to godliness and be characterized by repentance. He is worthy of my life, and I have never enjoyed the gospel like I have these past few years. There has been more to my time at Central than academics alone.
As I grow up a little bit, I realize that I have something very special in the friends and colleagues that God has given me here at seminary. I now realize that these friends, who are serious about the gospel and ministry, are precious gifts from God that I may not have when I leave. This is not limited to students, but also to the faculty and staff who have poured their lives into mine. They have pushed me to a enjoy God and live with intentionality and passion.
God has used this time to change my life for the better and I am so thankful for the ministry of Central Seminary. I would change nothing. God is good.
Soli Deo Gloria!
- Chris Lownes
Class of 2011, M.Div.
::Mark Self::
My experience at Central Seminary has been fantastic. Everything I learned has been a great blessing to me both academically and spiritually. And I believe that the two most beneficial things that I learned during my graduate studies at Central were (1) “discourse analysis methods” that enabled me to be able to study and interpret the text, on my own, in its original language, and (2) how to think critically and analyze a particular doctrine in the light of other authors’ comments.
At the same time, I also learned at Central Seminary that the academic area is worthless without the spiritual area. I am so thankful that there was a strong emphasis on applying everything that I learned in the classroom to my own spiritual life and to the lives of those whom I ministered to during my years at Colonial. I was taught for four years how to know and interpret different texts in the Scriptures, how to love the brethren, and how to be a true servant of the Lord who is “fully equipped to teach others also.”
I am extremely thankful for my amazing and loving wife, Anahi, who has been by my side every step of the way. She supported me for four years while I spent many hours studying and preparing for my classes. I am definitely blessed to have her by my side to encourage me and love me every single day.
As we look to the future, Anahi and I believe that the Lord is leading us to be church planting missionaries in Argentina with Baptist Mid–Missions. Our desire is to serve the Lord for the rest of our lives in that area of South America. This year we will begin to raise support as we embark on this next stage of our lives. Thank you for your prayers on our behalf.
- Mark Self
Class of 2011, M. Div.
::Ulys White::
“So, what do you do?” This is a question that typically comes up in a conversation with a new acquaintance. Being a twenty-eight year old male, the usual implication of that question is, “What is your job?” This question is understandable, for a job can strongly fashion one’s life. So that, if this new acquaintance knows my occupation, they will probably know a lot about me. Or, maybe its just a question to fill the awkward silence one encounters is the rather full waiting room or the winding line at the DMV. Whatever the reason for the question, it has provoked my thinking.
Working a Monday through Friday job is part of my daily routine, but if that is all that a new acquaintance knew of me, their brief gaze into my life would be skewed. So I usually say something like, “Well, I go to seminary in the morning and I work my job in the evening.” Usually, the next question is, “What is seminary?”
I now approach that question from a place in time that I can look back upon the past few years and answer in a way that was previously not possible.
Seminary is a regular gathering of people at a specific place and time to accomplish a purpose, namely, a preparation of people for a life of ministry. Seminary is an institution, yet it is also much more. For the participant, seminary is a season of life.
God, in his good plan, has the season of seminary in store for some of his children. It is a season that is characterized by learning. Often times this learning comes through hours of Greek and Hebrew vocabulary study, late night papers, thousands of pages of reading, and hours of lecture. Such a reflection on these ways of learning can cause a person to ask, “Why take years of your life and dedicate it to such labors?”
Simply put, seminarians are just redeemed people. The reason they “do” seminary is because God has led them to and is leading them through life. Seminary is just an act of obedience and worship as they attempt to follow their Lord. The prayer of seminarians is that God will use the season of seminary to change them further into Christ’s image, and then to use that changed life to manifest God’s glory.
I praise God for this season of life, and may God lead me, and all of my fellow graduates, into the next season of our life, for His glory.
Soli Deo Gloria!
- Ulys White
Class of 2011, M.Div.
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