Doctoral Journey: Month Three

Who Wrote This Drivel?

July - August 2024

Dearly beloved,

I woke up this morning feeling free! All assignments for my first semester have been submitted. Sure, this feeling will only last for about two weeks, but I shall bask in it. Will you bask with me, good friend?

Recap

After my in-person classes, I decided to plan a vacation getaway with my family. Ashanti usually does this, but I thought I’d give it a shot, aiming at the coveted Husband and Father of the Year awards. With that as a goal, I reserved a room at the new Evermore Resort in Orlando, FL. Brethren and Sistren… it was amazing!

It was so good that it was hard for me to return and get into my rhythm, but it was necessary.

I’m bad at taking vacations; if not for Ashanti, we’d never take them, but I always enjoy them. Indeed, when I’m on vacation, the creative juices flow like crazy. This time, I realized that if I could only vacation as a full-time vocation, I would soon join the ranks of CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, and the rest of the Inklings. This revelation led me to pray to our Father in Heaven, “Lord, if only my life could always be filled with such luxury and relaxation. Surely, I would create beautiful things for you.” Strangely, he has remained silent.

I’m also notorious for taking vacation pictures and videos and not doing anything with them. This time, I decided to post them on YouTube… the same page where I post my sermons and other stuff. So, yeah, the placement doesn’t make sense, but I was too lazy to create another page. Here is a video of my paddleboarding adventure. Take a look if you’d like…

When we returned from vacation, I suffered the consequences of breaking my routine. It was very hard to get back on track, and I fell behind on my research. However, as of August 16, 2024, I am officially done with my first semester as a doctoral student!

Things I’ve Learned

Doing proper research makes the writing easier!

A lot of people cringe at the thought of a 20-page paper. I was one of those people in my previous educational adventures. I would wait until a few days before the assignment was due, then start writing. To take up space, I would find a lengthy quote to cite, then add a not-so-clever “in other words…” to elaborate unnecessarily, then rinse and repeat until I satisfied the professor’s arbitrary page number goal. That was pure misery!

As I learn how to do proper research, I am discovering how possible it is to write books! That is one of the reasons I wanted to become a ThD student. I contain a multitude of books, but I lack the discipline to get them out. Prepare to scoot over and make room at that table, Lewis.

No matter what I write, I will likely hate it when it’s due.

One of my worst decisions was to do a final edit the same day I finished writing one of my papers. As I read through the hard work I was recently proud of, my nose slowly turned upwards, and I looked upon the words with scornful eyes. “Who wrote this drivel?” I thought with contempt.

Then I remembered the story of a famous chef who didn’t understand how anyone could eat her food. After sampling it all day, it became bland to her… but not them. Perhaps my paper was also bland to my professors. Perhaps their noses are also turning upward as they grade it.

Nevertheless, I realized that I would be better equipped to assess them if I placed a significant amount of time between the first draft and the editing process.

I need to modify the syllabus to work for me.

I am thankful for the good people at Church of the Saviour who allow me to pastor Full-time while pursuing this degree. I anticipated moments when my best-laid plans would be disrupted by funerals, meetings, visitations, etc. One of the things I will do next semester is analyze my syllabi before classes begin and plot my deadlines, factoring in the important family and pastoral responsibilities that pop up.

PS: While on vacation, Ashanti told me about the Medici family. They were patrons of many famous and accomplished artists (I know, they were also corrupt. Stop being so negative!). I added to my earlier ridiculous prayer, “Lord, if there is a patron out there who desires that I focus entirely on school and wants to pay for all of my expenses, please send them my way.”

Silence.

Current Work

I’m not doing anything ThD-related for one week—one whole week! After that, I will analyze the syllabi for the courses that start next month and get to work.

Future Plans

This next semester will be a challenge. My kids have also started school (Charlee is a senior this year! A SENIOR), meaning there will be many extracurricular activities to attend. The same is true at church. September is a busy month, October is slightly less busy, November is the calm before the winter storm, and DECEMBER IS ADVENT!

With God’s help, I can do this.

By the way, here are some of the scriptures I’m holding on to:

• With you I can attack a barricade, and with my God I can leap over a wall. — Psalm 18:29

• For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. — Colossians 1:29

If God called me to this, he will undoubtedly see me through it.

Gratitude!

Thank you for all of your prayers and support. After one semester, I am more confident that I can complete this.

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