Meredith and I have had to make some snap decisions concerning our future in the last few days.  As of the week before Christmas, we were planning on heading out to Asbury to finish up my Masters in Biblical Studies and were then planning on applying to the PhD program in the same vein.  I’d hoped to pick up some adjunct work to pay for Reed’s daycare once we got out there.  At the time I was taking three grad classes and staying home with Reed while Meredith picked up Jeff’ favorite treat and brought it back to out abode.

All of that changed with a phone call from my friend Wynter.  She called me up and said that a local college was looking for someone to pick up some philosophy classes.  So, I applied, and was awarded three classes, two Introduction to Philosophy day classes and one online Ethics class. 

I was stoked.

For whatever reason, a lot of my self worth is tied to teaching. If I’m not teaching, I’m not me.  I loved staying home with Reed, but it’s not what I’m built to do.  Also, at the time, I was averaging three hours a sleep a night because the little man was a horrible sleeper and not yet old enough to be taught how  to sleep. [1]   With him all day, plus three grad classes, teaching Sunday School, intermittedly volunteering at RIS [2] and leading weekly Post-Real-Life discussions at the BSU, it was hard to find the time to sleep, rest, and to engage my Meredith.  It was not a life to pursue.

So, I was stoked.  Two of the classes would pay for day care (you ever put a 6mo old in daycare? my goodness), and the other class was money earned… and all for doing what activates me as a person.  In addition, I dropped down to two classes this semester and stopped volunteering at the BSU, which freed up a lot of time.

One night a few days after I got the MACC job, my phone rang.  It was State Fair Community College.  They saw an application that I had filled out before Reed was born and wanted me to teach some online classes for them.  I jumped at the opportunity.  And so I was teaching a Living Religions class on top of the other three.

But back to Asbury (and back in time a little bit)…

Before all of this began, I got to looking at the cost of Asbury.  It was becoming expensive.  We took out student loans for the first year and would most likely have to the second and possibly third year to complete the Master’s Degree.  And only then would I apply to the PhD program.

One day I noticed that with the completion of the Fall 2009 semester, I met the requirements of the program.  You see, confessional institutions expect their students to have completed a MDiv before attending.  An MDiv is 60-90 hours long and should give students a full theological training.

After my Master’s at MU, I have 54 hours of grad work and no theological training.  I could study religion and write history, but didn’t have that all-important theological training.

But, with my first semester at Asbury, I had some good theological classes under my belt and I inched over that 60 hour mark that Asbury required.

So, I applied to the PhD program in Biblical Studies.

I thought my chances were quite good.  I know I can do the scholarship; I just didn’t know how a lack of a full theological training would affect me.

I submitted my application and waited…

For three months we waited to hear from Asbury…

…as we wait, allow me to talk about Meredith

Meredith has an amazing talent for leadership and revitalizing organizations.  Her vision for people and organizations is uncanny.  In the business world, she went from a florist with no training in anything to a branch manager of one of the top-ten banks in the nation, according to Forbes, with a track record of turning branches around.  People under her aren’t there for very long.  They are usually promoted due to her leadership and personal development.

Meredith has an amazing job, one that she was seemingly made for.  It was hard to leave that behind, but we were going to, because we had committed to seeing Asbury through.

Even if she was able to find a comparable job in KY, she would be giving up a great many contacts and an amazing reputation which is as important as it is intangible. 

While we are waiting for Asbury to get back with us, I get an email…

Another area school, William Woods University, is looking for someone to teach an evening Ethics course.  Being a person who loves to bite off more than I can chew, I jump at the opportunity to become skilled at the Evening format.  Most evening classes are 2.5 hours long, once or twice a week and last for 8 weeks.  The class at William Woods is 4 hours long, once a week, and lasts for 6 weeks.  And it’s with adults, adults who are motivated to learn and come to class, and turn in assignments. [3]

So, now I am teaching five courses and loving every minute of it, though I am busy to the hilt. [4]

Mind, you, I have never taught these classes before, so I am writing everything from scratch.  That is 6 lectures a week, plus all the other planning that goes along with a college course… and driving thirty minutes north for set of classes and twenty minutes east for another one.

Finally, we receive word from Asbury…

All of this takes us to late last week.  I get the letter for which I had been waiting for 2.5-3 months.  And it is a rejection letter.  I do not have enough theological training compared to the other applicants. 

Now what?

There had been a growing sense that we could not afford another unfunded year at Asbury.  We had pinned our hopes to getting into the PhD program which would have been fully funded.  Now we had to make a hard choice.  Do we go and spend obscene amounts of money, money we don’t have, and still run the chance at not getting into the program?

After some talking with Meredith, we decided that since I am getting good work right now and she has such an incredible job and our families are here and because of all the unknowns and gobs of negative money, that it is best for us to stay in Columbia for the foreseeable future.

There is a great ancient history program at MU with a wonderful Roman scholar who gets how to handle religion in history.  I’m in the early stages of talking with him to see if there would be a hole for me in the 2011 school year.  If so, I’ll likely apply to that program.

In the meantime, I am going to teach as much as I can.  The money that I earn goes towards the principle on Meredith’s student loans and Reed’s daycare.  The money that Meredith earns will fund our monthly budget.

People cheering for my rejection

In discussion this with Meredith and eventually our families (we visited both sets of in-laws that weekend), we found that almost everyone we talked with about this actually cheered that we weren’t leaving Missouri.  It was nice to have so much support even in the midst of an embarrassing rejection. 

Home plans

So, our lease ends April 30th.  Incidentally, that is the same date one has to be under contract by in order to qualify for an 8,000 tax credit for first time home buyers.  It is difficult to pass that up.  And, for once, we had made a decision to be in Columbia for the next 5 years.  Given this, this is the best time to buy a home.  So, we are in the market for our first house.

And we have to move into the new place by April 30th, which is INSANE!  Less than two months to find and buy and move into a house?  But, we only found out late last week what our plans were going to be for the next several years because we had to wait so long to hear from Asbury.

We are kinda scrambling…

But its good.  We aren’t looking for a big place and we aren’t looking for an expensive place.  So far, with very few exceptions, it has been a good process.  We are genuinely excited about the future and we are excited to do it together.  Also, I am falling asleep while writing this part. 

Anyway, that is some of what has been up with Meredith, Reed and I lately.

1. i.e. letting him cry it out as long as he was fed, feeling well, etc. [↩]
2. Refugee and Immigration Services in Columbia [↩]
3. Right? [↩]
4. I think that is a saying, or part of a saying, right? [↩]