Jason K. Allen's Blog, page 3

Get an A at Home

This post is an excerpt from Succeeding at Seminary: 12 Keys to Getting the Most Out of Your Theological Education by Jason K. Allen. The book is out now from Moody Publishers and wherever Christian books are sold.

Tragically, some ministers disqualify themselves because of how they treat their families. Please don’t let that be you. If you can create healthy family patterns now during your seminary years, it will serve you far more than you can imagine when you are on the front lines.

EXCELLING IN THE HOME AND THE CLASSROOM

But here’s the good news: most students can excel both in the home and in the classroom. Consider six keys to that end:

Remember that both your studies and your family are arenas to honor God.

All of life is to be lived for God’s glory, and both family and ministry preparation are unique venues for this to happen. As you undertake these with spiritual mindedness, biblical wisdom, strategic time allocation, and mature prioritization, you can honor God in both without compromising either. Set out to do just that.

Ensure your spouse benefits from seminary, too.

A strong seminary will seek to minister not just to the student but to his or her family as well. Perhaps your spouse desires to earn a degree or take classes along with you.Labor to make that happen.At Midwestern Seminary, my wife leads the Midwestern Women’s Institute (MWI), which “is a residential certificate program that exists to equip women to serve their families, churches, and com- munities by providing them with ministry training, spiri- tual encouragement, and biblical fellowship.”2

I am grateful for how MWI engages the women on our campus, and I consistently hear how the program blesses the wives of our male students. Thus, I strongly encourage our male students to support their wives in this endeavor.

Involve your spouse in your studies as well. Ask for help proofreading a theology paper. Enlist them to quiz you on names and dates in church history. Share what you are learning in exegesis class. The more seminary is about the two of you learning together, the more enjoy- able it will be for both of you.

3. Cultivate friends as couples. In seminary, you will likely make friends for life. That was true for us; I developed a few close guy friends and my wife a few close girlfriends. But the most encouraging and last- ing friendships we developed were with other couples. These relationships have been life-giving. In the midst of intense study, your family needs to be around others with whom you all can relate and relax. And since these couples are walking through many of the same pressures and difficulties, they will be able to offer timely advice and friendship. With the advances of modern technology, it’s easier than ever to stay in touch with and receive continual support from such friends—even when ministry assignments have separated you by hun- dreds of miles.

4. Seize seminary-community opportunities. Prior- itize seminary-sponsored events and gatherings. Attend the fall festival and the spring picnic. Go to chapel as a family. At Midwestern Seminary, we provide free child- care for couples who want to attend chapel together but whose kids are too young to enjoy the hour. The more seminary includes the entire family, the easier it will be to sustain family-wide joy while there. As you get the whole family involved in campus events, you can instill a sense of belonging that will leave fond memories for years to come.

The more seminary is about the two of you learning together, the more enjoyable it will be for both of you.  

5. Commit to having less “me time.” The truth of the matter is, getting an A at home and a C in class—as opposed to a C at home and an A in class—is often a false choice. Most students can excel at both. As we saw in the last chapter, though, it takes careful time- management and focused self-discipline—which likely translates into longer days and shorter nights. Again, prioritize engagement with your family during daytime hours and give yourself to your studies before they wake up or after they go to sleep.

6. Move through your studies. Lastly, plot your aca- demic course and plow through it as quickly, albeit re- sponsibly, as possible. Your studies will likely wear on your spouse even more than they wear on you—especial- ly if your spouse is working long hours to support you. So involve your spouse in your course selection, inform him or her of your time horizon, and keep him or her apprised of the progress you’re making. I’ll never forget my wife’s sense of relief when I completed my PhD. I grew to learn that my academic work weighed on her as much as it did me—and the sense of accomplishment that graduation brought was not personal; it was mutual.

Your ministry preparation is a precious stewardship, but your family is more so.

Put them first—and don’t blame them if you underachieve at school. Most students can excel in both categories; resolve to be such a student. Let me conclude by leaving you with this challenging quote from the Puritan

Matthew Henry. Read it carefully. Chew on every word. Then apply it to your family:

If therefore our houses be houses of the Lord, we shall for that reason love home, reckoning our daily devotion the sweetest of our daily delights; and our family-worship the most valuable of our family-comforts. . . . A church in the house will be a good legacy, nay, it will be a good inheritance, to be left to your children after you.3

May this be your goal. Regardless of how busy you be- come in the midst of your studies, remember your primary call to shepherd your family. If, at the end of your studies, you achieve a degree but lose your family in the process, you have experienced a net loss. But if you get your degree and nurture your family in the process, you will have much to rejoice about, together, on graduation day. Pray and strive for the latter scenario. You will not regret it.

Lord’s Day Meditation: “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof” by C.H. Spurgeon

(Morning and Evening, December 30, Morning)

“Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof” (Ecclesiastes 7:8)

Look at David’s Lord and Master; see his beginning. He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Would you see the end? He sits at his Father’s right hand, expecting until his enemies be made his footstool. “As he is, so are we also in this world.” You must bear the cross, or you shall never wear the crown; you must wade through the mire, or you shall never walk the golden pavement. Cheer up, then, poor Christian. “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof.” See that creeping worm, how contemptible its appearance! It is the beginning of a thing. Mark that insect with gorgeous wings, playing in the sunbeams, sipping at the flower bells, full of happiness and life; that is the end thereof. That caterpillar is yourself, until you are wrapped up in the chrysalis of death; but when Christ shall appear you shall be like him, for you shall see him as he is. Be content to be like him, a worm and no man, that like him you may be satisfied when you wake up in his likeness.

That rough-looking diamond is put upon the wheel of the lapidary. He cuts it on all sides. It loses much–much that seemed costly to itself. The king is crowned; the diadem is put upon the monarch’s head with trumpet’s joyful sound. A glittering ray flashes from that coronet, and it beams from that very diamond which was just now so sorely vexed by the lapidary. You may venture to compare yourself to such a diamond, for you are one of God’s people; and this is the time of the cutting process. Let faith and patience have their perfect work, for in the day when the crown shall be set upon the head of the King, Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, one ray of glory shall stream from you. “They shall be mine,” saith the Lord, “in the day when I make up my jewels.” “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof.”

Stewarding Your Time At Seminary

We must remember that stewarding time wisely isn’t just a matter of time management or life hacks; it is a kingdom priority. Consider Ephesians 5:15-16: “So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”

Paul is calling us to be mindful of how we conduct our everyday lives. He summons us to be wise walkers, and then clarifies the how: by making the most of our time. Commentator Peter O’Brien helpfully notes:

The verb “redeem” is drawn from the commercial language of the marketplace, and its prefix denotes an intensive activity, a buying which exhausts the possibilities available. It seems better, then, to understand the expression as metaphorical, signifying to “make the most of the time.” Believers will act wisely by snapping up every opportunity that comes.

That last sentence is a tight paraphrase that captures Paul’s sentiment. We are to use our time to advance the cause of Christ.

Additionally, note Paul’s reason for redeeming the time – “because the days are evil.” Maximizing our time is hard enough, but we also have a real adversary who opposes us. O’Brien’s comments are again helpful:

The notion that “the days are evil” appears to be similar to the idea of “this present evil age” in Galatians 1:4 (cf. “the evil day,” Eph. 6:13). These “evil” days are under the control of the prince of the power of the air (Eph. 2:2), who is opposed to God and his purposes. He exercises effective  and compelling authority over men and women outside of Christ, keeping them in terrible bondage (2:1-3). But the Ephesian Christians have already participated in the world to come, the powers of the new age have broken in upon them, and they have become “light in the Lord” (5:8). Although they live in the midst of these evil days as they await their final redemption, they are neither to avoid them nor to fear them. Rather, they are to live wisely, taking advantage of every opportunity in this fallen world to conduct themselves in a manner that is pleasing to God.

We, just like the ancient Ephesians, live in an evil age. And like them, we also engage this age through Christ. He has redeemed us and given us a new lens through which we now see the world.

Before moving to the practical, note one additional upside of stewarding your time wisely: your newfound focus doesn’t just enable you to maximize your studies; it sets you on course for long-term faithfulness and healthier life rhythms.

You see, seminary studies make you a better minister not just because of what you learn, but because of the maturity, responsibility, and self-discipline the entire process cultivates. Here are five keys that will help you steward your time wisely while in seminary:

Envision your ministry in light of eternity. We’ve already considered Ephesians 5:16, but consider also John 9:4, where Jesus instructs His disciples: “We must carry out the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.” An eternal perspective really does reframe your ministry – and your preparation for it. You are studying not to earthly ends but to heavenly ones. So make your time count.Keep your roles and goals ever before you. Stephen Covey popularized the roles-and-goals matrix, which I have now employed for years. Your roles include the divinely ordained positions God has given you. These may include disciple, minister, student, spouse, parent, employee, and so on. Since these roles are divinely given, and therefore meaningful, you should associate goals with them – progress you want to see, things you want to achieve. Being clear about roles and goals will simplify your life and will be a strategic step toward better stewarding your time.Prioritize your life, then allocate time backward. Now that you have clarified your roles and goals, work backward to allocate your time accordingly. John Maxwell has quipped that budgeting is “telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went.” Your time is similar. Tell it where to go before it’s up and gone. And as you work backward, you can prayerfully and strategically allocate it in ways that best honor God, acknowledge life’s realities, and precommit you to spend time on what matters most.

Even more practically, set a concrete schedule for your day. Let’s say you’re a married student who must work a full-time job during seminary in order to support your family. On average, most seminarians need at least two hours every day for coursework. So, for studies not to kill family time, I suggest either waking up two hours earlier in the morning or staying up two hours later in the evening. This is a minimal sacrifice you can make, and it will certainly help your family feel more loved and cared for.

While seminary is a sacrifice, make sure your family is not what’s actually being sacrificed. As long as you’re willing to give up a little sleep or “me” time, you should be able to master your schedule without letting it master you.

Think before saying “yes.” It’s cliché but true: to say yes to one thing is to say no to something else. Many overcommit because they’re reluctant to disappoint, especially in person. Never feel pressure to make a commitment on the spot. Let people know you need to review the opportunity with your calendar and the appropriate stakeholders, perhaps your elders or your spouse. Say with integrity, “If my schedule permits, I would be delighted to do so.” This gives you space to review the invitation with a clear head and more objective data. Never commit on the spot.Use your entire toolkit. In God’s kind providence, modern technology presents us with a significant toolkit for managing our lives – in time, stewardship, and efficiency. I use my online calendar for appointments and Evernote for responsibilities and tasks. (At the top of my Evernote task page, I list my roles with their respective goals). Additionally, I use tools like email, text messaging, Zoom, Skype, and social media to connect with others. I encourage you to do the same.

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Excerpted from Succeeding at Seminary: 12 Keys to Getting the Most Out of Your Theological Education by Jason K. Allen (© 2021). Published by Moody Publishers. Used by permission.

Lord’s Day Meditation: “What think ye of Christ?” by C.H. Spurgeon

Lord’s Day Meditation: “What think ye of Christ?” by C.H. Spurgeon

(Morning and Evening, December 29, Morning)

“What think ye of Christ?” (Matthew 22:42)

The great test of your soul’s health is, What think you of Christ? Is he to you “fairer than the children of men”–“the chief among ten thousand”–the “altogether lovely”? Wherever Christ is thus esteemed, all the faculties of the spiritual man exercise themselves with energy. I will judge of your piety by this barometer: does Christ stand high or low with you? If you have thought little of Christ, if you have been content to live without his presence, if you have cared little for his honour, if you have been neglectful of his laws, then I know that your soul is sick–God grant that it may not be sick unto death! But if the first thought of your spirit has been, how can I honour Jesus? If the daily desire of your soul has been, “O that I knew where I might find him!” I tell you that you may have a thousand infirmities, and even scarcely know whether you are a child of God at all, and yet I am persuaded, beyond a doubt, that you are safe, since Jesus is great in your esteem.

I care not for thy rags, what thinkest thou of his royal apparel? I care not for thy wounds, though they bleed in torrents, what thinkest thou of his wounds? are they like glittering rubies in thine esteem? I think none the less of thee, though thou liest like Lazarus on the dunghill, and the dogs do lick thee–I judge thee not by thy poverty: what thinkest thou of the King in his beauty? Has he a glorious high throne in thy heart? Wouldest thou set him higher if thou couldest? Wouldest thou be willing to die if thou couldest but add another trumpet to the strain which proclaims his praise? Ah! then it is well with thee. Whatever thou mayest think of thyself, if Christ be great to thee, thou shalt be with him ere long.

“Though all the world my choice deride,

Yet Jesus shall my portion be;

For I am pleased with none beside,

The fairest of the fair is he”

Lord’s Day Meditation: “The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God.” by C.H. Spurgeon

Lord’s Day Meditation: “The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God.” by C.H. Spurgeon

(Morning & Evening, December 28, Morning)

“The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God.” (Galatians 2:20)

When the Lord in mercy passed by and saw us in our blood, he first of all said, “Live;” and this he did first, because life is one of the absolutely essential things in spiritual matters, and until it be bestowed we are incapable of partaking in the things of the kingdom. Now the life which grace confers upon the saints at the moment of their quickening is none other than the life of Christ, which, like the sap from the stem, runs into us, the branches, and establishes a living connection between our souls and Jesus. Faith is the grace which perceives this union, having proceeded from it as its firstfruit. It is the neck which joins the body of the Church to its all-glorious Head.

“Oh Faith! thou bond of union with the Lord,

Is not this office thine? and thy fit name,

In the economy of gospel types,

And symbols apposite–the Church’s neck;

Identifying her in will and work

With him ascended?”

Faith lays hold upon the Lord Jesus with a firm and determined grasp. She knows his excellence and worth, and no temptation can induce her to repose her trust elsewhere; and Christ Jesus is so delighted with this heavenly grace, that he never ceases to strengthen and sustain her by the loving embrace and all-sufficient support of his eternal arms. Here, then, is established a living, sensible, and delightful union which casts forth streams of love, confidence, sympathy, complacency, and joy, whereof both the bride and bridegroom love to drink. When the soul can evidently perceive this oneness between itself and Christ, the pulse may be felt as beating for both, and the one blood as flowing through the veins of each. Then is the heart as near heaven as it can be on earth, and is prepared for the enjoyment of the most sublime and spiritual kind of fellowship.

Lord’s Day Meditation: “Can the rush grow up without mire?”

Lord’s Day Meditation: “Can the rush grow up without mire?” by C.H. Spurgeon

(Morning and Evening, December 27, Morning)

“Can the rush grow up without mire?” (Job 8:11)

The rush is spongy and hollow, and even so is a hypocrite; there is no substance or stability in him. It is shaken to and fro in every wind just as formalists yield to every influence; for this reason the rush is not broken by the tempest, neither are hypocrites troubled with persecution. I would not willingly be a deceiver or be deceived; perhaps the text for this day may help me to try myself whether I be a hypocrite or no. The rush by nature lives in water, and owes its very existence to the mire and moisture wherein it has taken root; let the mire become dry, and the rush withers very quickly. Its greenness is absolutely dependent upon circumstances, a present abundance of water makes it flourish, and a drought destroys it at once.

Is this my case? Do I only serve God when I am in good company, or when religion is profitable and respectable? Do I love the Lord only when temporal comforts are received from his hands? If so I am a base hypocrite, and like the withering rush, I shall perish when death deprives me of outward joys. But can I honestly assert that when bodily comforts have been few, and my surroundings have been rather adverse to grace than at all helpful to it, I have still held fast my integrity? Then have I hope that there is genuine vital godliness in me. The rush cannot grow without mire, but plants of the Lord’s right hand planting can and do flourish even in the year of drought. A godly man often grows best when his worldly circumstances decay. He who follows Christ for his bag is a Judas; they who follow for loaves and fishes are children of the devil; but they who attend him out of love to himself are his own beloved ones. Lord, let me find my life in thee, and not in the mire of this world’s favour or gain.

Lord’s Day Meditation: “The Last Adam.”

Lord’s Day Meditation: “The Last Adam.” by C.H. Spurgeon

(Morning and Evening, December 26, Morning)

“The Last Adam.” (1 Corinthians 15:45)

Jesus is the federal head of his elect. As in Adam, every heir of flesh and blood has a personal interest, because he is the covenant head and representative of the race as considered under the law of works; so under the law of grace, every redeemed soul is one with the Lord from heaven, since he is the Second Adam, the Sponsor and Substitute of the elect in the new covenant of love. The apostle Paul declares that Levi was in the loins of Abraham when Melchizedek met him: it is a certain truth that the believer was in the loins of Jesus Christ, the Mediator, when in old eternity the covenant settlements of grace were decreed, ratified, and made sure forever. Thus, whatever Christ hath done, he hath wrought for the whole body of his Church.

We were crucified in him and buried with him (read Col. 2:10-13), and to make it still more wonderful, we are risen with him and even ascended with him to the seats on high (Eph. 2:6). It is thus that the Church has fulfilled the law, and is “accepted in the beloved.” It is thus that she is regarded with complacency by the just Jehovah, for he views her in Jesus, and does not look upon her as separate from her covenant head. As the Anointed Redeemer of Israel, Christ Jesus has nothing distinct from his Church, but all that he has he holds for her. Adam’s righteousness was ours so long as he maintained it, and his sin was ours the moment that he committed it; and in the same manner, all that the Second Adam is or does, is ours as well as his, seeing that he is our representative. Here is the foundation of the covenant of grace. This gracious system of representation and substitution, which moved Justin Martyr to cry out, “O blessed change, O sweet permutation!” this is the very groundwork of the gospel of our salvation, and is to be received with strong faith and rapturous joy.

Lord’s Day Meditation: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” by C.H. Spurgeon

Lord’s Day Meditation: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” by C.H. Spurgeon

(Morning and Evening, December 25, Morning)

“For your sakes he became poor.” (Isaiah 7:14)

Let us today go down to Bethlehem, and in company with wondering shepherds and adoring Magi, let us see him who was born King of the Jews, for we by faith can claim an interest in him, and can sing, “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.” Jesus is Jehovah incarnate, our Lord and our God, and yet our brother and friend; let us adore and admire. Let us notice at the very first glance his miraculous conception. It was a thing unheard of before, and unparalleled since, that a virgin should conceive and bear a Son. The first promise ran thus, “The seed of the woman,” not the offspring of the man. Since venturous woman led the way in the sin which brought forth Paradise lost, she, and she alone, ushers in the Regainer of Paradise. Our Saviour, although truly man, was as to his human nature the Holy One of God.

Let us reverently bow before the holy Child whose innocence restores to manhood its ancient glory; and let us pray that he may be formed in us, the hope of glory. Fail not to note his humble parentage. His mother has been described simply as “a virgin,” not a princess, or prophetess, nor a matron of large estate. True the blood of kings ran in her veins; nor was her mind a weak and untaught one, for she could sing most sweetly a song of praise; but yet how humble her position, how poor the man to whom she stood affianced, and how miserable the accommodation afforded to the new-born King!

Immanuel, God with us in our nature, in our sorrow, in our lifework, in our punishment, in our grave, and now with us, or rather we with him, in resurrection, ascension, triumph, and Second Advent splendour.

Lord’s Day Meditation: “For your sakes he became poor.”

Lord’s Day Meditation: “For your sakes he became poor.” by C.H. Spurgeon

(Morning and Evening, December 24, Evening)

“For your sakes he became poor.” (2 Corinthians 8:9)

The Lord Jesus Christ was eternally rich, glorious, and exalted; but “though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor.” As the rich saint cannot be true in his communion with his poor brethren unless of his substance he ministers to their necessities, so (the same rule holding with the head as between the members), it is impossible that our Divine Lord could have had fellowship with us unless he had imparted to us of his own abounding wealth, and had become poor to make us rich. Had he remained upon his throne of glory, and had we continued in the ruins of the fall without receiving his salvation, communion would have been impossible on both sides. Our position by the fall, apart from the covenant of grace, made it as impossible for fallen man to communicate with God as it is for Belial to be in concord with Christ.

In order, therefore, that communion might be compassed, it was necessary that the rich kinsman should bestow his estate upon his poor relatives, that the righteous Saviour should give to his sinning brethren of his own perfection, and that we, the poor and guilty, should receive of his fulness grace for grace; that thus in giving and receiving, the One might descend from the heights, and the other ascend from the depths, and so be able to embrace each other in true and hearty fellowship. Poverty must be enriched by him in whom are infinite treasures before it can venture to commune; and guilt must lose itself in imputed and imparted righteousness ere the soul can walk in fellowship with purity. Jesus must clothe his people in his own garments, or he cannot admit them into his palace of glory; and he must wash them in his own blood, or else they will be too defiled for the embrace of his fellowship.

O believer, herein is love! For your sake the Lord Jesus “became poor” that he might lift you up into communion with himself.

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Lord’s Day Meditation: “The night also is thine.” by C.H. Spurgeon

Lord’s Day Meditation: “The night also is thine.” by C.H. Spurgeon

(Morning and Evening, December 23, Morning)

“The night also is thine.” (Psalm 74:16)

Yes, Lord, thou dost not abdicate thy throne when the sun goeth down, nor dost thou leave the world all through these long wintry nights to be the prey of evil; thine eyes watch us as the stars, and thine arms surround us as the zodiac belts the sky. The dews of kindly sleep and all the influences of the moon are in thy hand, and the alarms and solemnities of night are equally with thee. This is very sweet to me when watching through the midnight hours, or tossing to and fro in anguish. There are precious fruits put forth by the moon as well as by the sun: may my Lord make me to be a favoured partaker in them.

The night of affliction is as much under the arrangement and control of the Lord of Love as the bright summer days when all is bliss. Jesus is in the tempest. His love wraps the night about itself as a mantle, but to the eye of faith the sable robe is scarce a disguise. From the first watch of the night even unto the break of day the eternal Watcher observes his saints, and overrules the shades and dews of midnight for his people’s highest good. We believe in no rival deities of good and evil contending for the mastery, but we hear the voice of Jehovah saying, “I create light and I create darkness; I, the Lord, do all these things.”

Gloomy seasons of religious indifference and social sin are not exempted from the divine purpose. When the altars of truth are defiled, and the ways of God forsaken, the Lord’s servants weep with bitter sorrow, but they may not despair, for the darkest eras are governed by the Lord, and shall come to their end at his bidding. What may seem defeat to us may be victory to him.

“Though enwrapt in gloomy night,

We perceive no ray of light;

Since the Lord himself is here,

‘Tis not meet that we should fear.”

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