CANAAN BOUND.
family of four headed to our eternal home
"What God says is best, indeed is best, though all the men in the world are against it."
- John Bunyan
our little family is headed to
Why Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary?
We considered several excellent seminaries; after much prayer, time spent in the Word, and godly counsel we were convinced GPTS was the best choice.
Why?
GPTS has a well-rounded MDiv program. It is academically rigorous, and emphasizes Christ, His Church, expository preaching, and personal piety in the life of the pastor.
GPTS is focused on pastors. Men with a like-minded pursuit sharpen one another in the context of teaching the Word of God faithfully to the lost and the people of God. Every professor is or has been a pastor, and class sizes are small. Love for and devotion to Christ, private prayer, and personal holiness are the heartbeat of an urgency to train the whole man in leading Christ's sheep.
GPTS has a welcoming family community, and, as we are going to seminary as a family, this is a tremendous benefit.
GPTS is also one of the most affordable of the schools we considered.
Collectively these reasons persuaded us to pursue GPTS as we became convinced seminary was the next step. To learn more about the school, visit their website at https://gpts.edu/.
What are we doing?
In short, we are packing up and moving from Lansing, Michigan to Greenville, South Carolina. There Josh will pursue a Master's of Divinity at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
More specifically...
Josh will be in a four-year MDiv program at GPTS with the desire to pursue full-time pastoral ministry wherever the Lord leads (whether that be Michigan, Maui, Mozambique, or anything in between).
Josh and his family will be living in GPTS student housing.
Josh will be working part-time during the school year and full-time in the summer to help support his family.
As a family, our priorities are to immerse ourselves in a local church, actively homeschool as part of a homeschool co-op, and connect with the GPTS community as we transition to life in the south.
Why seminary?
What is the chief end of man? "To glorify God and enjoy Him forever." In the past few years, Josh has had the increasing desire to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And what wonderful opportunities he has had to make Him known! Nothing compares to some of his formal experiences like conducting monthly worship services in the local jail; serving on the board of a crisis pregnancy center; working full-time at a ministry for disadvantaged children; teaching Sunday School for young and old; and serving alongside dear friends within the church's young adults' ministry.
Of course, the LORD has brought along other opportunities as well, such as leading his family, encouraging a stranger in the grocery store, or caring for the homeless in a parking lot. These have spurred Josh on in an ever-growing eagerness to declare Christ, namely by teaching the Word of God and caring for the souls of His people in pastoral ministry.
In preparation for that mission there is no substitute for the Scriptures or the local church. While these are the primary means God uses to equip His saints for their work, Josh and Katherine are under the conviction Josh needs more training in the Word, doctrine, counseling, languages, and Church history to name a few.
With that in mind, setting aside significant time for the purpose of learning in an environment dedicated to laying such a foundation would be invaluable. As Josh prayerfully considers and heads towards a future of pastoral ministry, seminary is the next step to that end.
"These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared for them a city."
HEBREWS 11:13-16
A Few More Thoughts...
Seminary is not the easy choice. Why on earth would we forsake all we hold dear? We love our church, our families, our life. But the more we read the Word of God, the firmer our eyes fix on Christ, the nearer He brings us to Himself, a certainty we can't shake solidifies: this world is not our home.
We are convinced the people of God are merely passing through this life. However, our lives scarcely look heavenly, for we scarcely think of heaven. Rather than build cities east of Eden like Cain, making this passing world our home, we long to dwell in tents as did our fathers, awaiting the blessed hope of Christ. It may be foolishness to the world, but we know our citizenship is in heaven, and pray the LORD would be pleased to sustain us as we press on to proclaim His Name. May we all set our gaze upon Jesus, and by His grace hear the words, "well done." He's coming soon!
CORAM DEO
