John Stanko

It was so nice to get up this morning and not have to race off to class, as I had to do the last two weeks.  I now have seven of my eight weeks of lectures completed for my degree, but have a 25-page paper due on Biblical Worship and three written sermons for Issues in Theology, to be completed by the end of summer.  Plus, I had my thesis approved by the program head, which will be entitled, A Theology of Creativity and Productivity. 

While the title sounds academic, the project will not be.  I will simply try to point out that biblical, theologically and historically, the church has equipped people to go out and impact the world.  Then I will present my plans for what I call a Life Purpose Center, which can be established by any interested church and nonprofit anywhere in the world. I hope to have all that done by this time next year, Lord willing.

I learned a lot last week, but the format of lectures from 8 to 4:30, six days a week is nothing short of grueling. My cohort class has been together for seven weeks over two years, so we are now veterans of the lecture wars, but it is still requires physical and mental stamina to stay engaged.  Maybe that is what the programs is trying to instill?

I know I have grown through the program, and I have certainly learned a lot.  One thing is clear: Where you start in your journey to build a biblical worldview will determine how you define things along the way. For instance, if you don't believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are available today, then that will color how you interpret things as you progress and grow.  I heard many presuppositions about worship and theology the last two weeks that allowed my professors to be consistent in their approach to Scripture, but limited their applications and interpretations nonetheless.  I admire those men greatly; I just don't agree with them all the time.

So now it is back to the workaday world, and none too soon. My emails and phone calls have piled up and it's time to do some real work for a change.