Gathering the Gleanings: Reflections on Life in the Ministry

As the research and writing of my dissertation was drawing to a close, I said to those I loved that I would never read another book or write anything else (other than basic church things for my pastoral responsibilities). Well, here I am, I haven’t even walked across the stage and received my degree, and I stay awake at night pondering books and articles I would like to read (or wish I had discovered sooner), thinking of things I might want to write about, or things I might want to do with a degree I never dreamed of receiving.

Someone once asked me why I was spending so much of my time and resources on this advanced degree and I replied with what might have seemed like a simple patent answer. However, it was filled with deep sincerity that I said – “I feel God called me to pursue this degree, and now I will wait for God to show me what I’m to do with it.”

This isn’t only about my academic pursuits. It’s about stories—personal stories, the stories of those I’ve traveled with, and the stories that we create and weave together. Please join the conversation as we learn and share together.