Plans?

"For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope."- Jeremiah 29:11

As I write this, I am about less than 96 hours away from going back to school. For those of you who don't know and may care, I am in my second year of seminary at Candler School of Theology at Emory University. So far, I can say God has truly blessed me in getting me to Candler and during my first year there. I can say that because there was a period of time (about 4 years) where I was "A-B-C", which means "Anywhere But Candler." I have always thought of myself as a fairly conservative sort and really had no interest in attending Candler. But as I was finishing my undergraduate degree at the really ripe of age of 50 years old, God had a very special way of getting my attention.
I made a commitment to myself and my checkbook that if it was God's plans for me to attend seminary, then God was going to have to show me where I should go to school by furnishing me a "free" way to school. I checked into two schools, Candler and Asbury. To make a long story short, Candler furnished me a full tuition scholarship and Asbury didn't. As I thought about going to Candler and wondered what their "liberal" way of doing things was going to warp me, I was reminded of something a pastor friend told me, "If I can make it through Candler and still keep my core beliefs intact, them maybe I was supposed to go to Candler after all." (thanks David!)
Well, after my first year at Candler, I am amazed and blessed to say I am still clinging to my "core beliefs." NOW, let me say this about my core beliefs; they have gone under a slight "transformation." During my time at Candler, God has placed certain people (both students and faculty) who have revealed to me that God's grace is NOT through with me yet. My ideas about theology, the Bible, and other religious points of view are not exactly aligned with God's and more importantly, NOT quite ready to allow me to become the pastor and preacher that God has planned out for me to be.
God's plan for my welfare go much further than my checkbook. God has shown me that my spiritual and emotional welfare is still in need of some more "transformation." So as I begin my second year of school, I look forward to being transformed some more by my fellow students, professors, faculty members, and oh yeah, God!

Praise God for whom all blessings flow!