Reflection Paper

When I first decided to expand my education, it had been so long since I had been to school, and I was very hesitant. I talked at length about my decision with my husband and with his encouragement, decided to enroll but still was not quite sure which degree program to enroll in. I knew that this was something that I had always wanted to do since I obtained my Associates Degree in Nursing, but I did not have the courage, nor did I want to give up the time with my family and children. I second guessed my abilities and my knowledge because it had been so long since I had been in college. Now that my children are about to graduate high school and

Each time, however, I was surprised that they had come to me. I have believed and never denied my faith but have not worn my faith on my sleeve, so having peers, subordinates and superiors come to me was not necessarily expected. Throughout my career with the military and in the civilian sector once I joined the Air National Guard I have had crossroads, and each time that still small voice called my toward ministry, but I avoided that call and went another way as I had since I was teenager. But I began, and now see clearly, a pattern. When I avoid the gentle nudge to serve the lord I always follow a path that leads me to service. I joined the military, service my nation and then the National Guard service my state. Next, I became a police officer servicing my community and at the same time was a special needs teacher serving the communities children. I have come to the conclusion that I have avoided the ministry because I was afraid of what others might think or say. I was not the model student or best person throughout my life and the flaws I know in myself and other know as well have kept me from pursuing the

This is my essay about why I wish to pursue a Christian biblical career. My life has not been a simple one, but thanks to my creator, (also known as my father ((God)), I’m here today to share my story with you. I was molested from the ages 8-12 by my mom’s boyfriend. We turned him into jail, but after two months he got out. My mom felt sorry for him because he had nowhere to go so she secreted him back into the house at night. I woke up to get a drink of water and caught them sleeping together, so I ran away from home. My mom got rid of him the next day, but the damage was already done. I ran and continued to run my whole life. From the ages 12-18 I was a prostitute addicted to drugs. I had to share my food with rats one weekend while I was locked in a closet. I was handcuffed to an abandoned shack left for

I feel blessed for the opportunity to study Bible history and theology at Northeastern Seminary. Since seminary was never in my plans, I know God orchestrated this opportunity. As I reflect, my preparation for seminary begin in 2005 when I had a desire to become a Christian Counselor for women and children. As a result, I enrolled in a Christian Counseling program offered by the American Association of Christians Counselors. When I completed the program, I discovered that in order to become certified I needed a Master’s degree. Unfortunately, I did not have a college degree so I thought my dream to become a Christian Counselor was just dream. Additionally, I had health issues and I could not attend classes. However, seven years later I obtained a bachelor’s degree from Roberts Wesleyan College in the spring of 2012. As a result, in the fall, I begin searching for a graduate program. My plan was to enroll in an online graduate program at Roberts. However, God had a different plan. While researching the different online programs, I received a flyer from Northeastern Seminary. Thankfully, I was accepted at NES for the 2013 spring semester. Although I could have obtained a counseling certification with any Master’s degree, I believe true Christian Counseling would be more effective with the proper Christian foundation. Gratefully, I am working God’s plan for my life and God knew that I needed a program where I could obtain a solid Christian

Until recently, if faced with the task of describing a particular event or experience in my life that would influence my academic goals at CCU I am unsure I would have been unable to do so without giving it a significant amount of thought. In fact, I may have never been able to isolate one single experience that had such a significant impact. However, recently I was thrust into a situation that gave me pause and made me think how important it is for me to gain a better understanding and knowledge of the Word of God. For the last year my wife, daughters, and I have been between churches-going from one to the other searching for a place to call home. We’d spend a couple of weeks at one church, two months at another one before finally settling

For the past three years I had been studying the word of God diligently putting time and effort into everything I did to learn more about my God. It all started in the sixth grade when I began my first class of confirmation , we were referred to as “ first years”. In our first year we had hilarious instructors who made the experience a blast. That year we mainly learned the word of God in a fun way through games, songs ,and extremely thorough discussions. However, On the downside of all the fun activities we had a midterm and a final exam . The event we were all looking forward to though was the retreat (a camp in the woods where we grow closer to God and our brothers and sisters of Christ).

During the latter part of my 15-year career, the Lord blessed me with opportunities to grow in my leadership and public speaking skills. I managed a staff of seven, a budget of several million dollars and made presentations to professional boards and potential business partners. After the Lord called me to be home with my children full time, I struggled with the meaning and usefulness of the opportunities I had been blessed to experience. They felt wasted in light of the carpool driving, diaper changing and house cleaning duties that were now the staples of my new “career” at home. After a semester in my church’s MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group, I was asked to co-lead the steering team. This invitation was definitely from the Lord, as I

During the week-long Intensive class sessions with my mentors, I learned a number of new things about myself that I was not previously willing to address. In short, I had a moment of self-actualization that required some personal omissions on my part regarding my faith and yes, some internalized oppression as labeled by author Gayraud S. Wilmore. Opening up in class and admitting a few of my own short-comings was nothing short of liberating. Suddenly, I felt as though I had an epiphany; that has given birth to a renewed zeal, mind, and spirit. For the first time in years, I feel closer to the apex of excellence where God intended me to be.

THE FIRE WITHIN For many years, I have had a desire to pursue a degree in psychology and counseling, and as a Christian I see the need for counselors with not only a worldview but also a biblical one. Ever since my first job as a Day Camp Aid with the Latrobe Parks and Recreation Board, I have been compelled to work with students; to be someone they could go to when they don’t think their parents would understand. The reason I haven’t pursued my desire until now can be summed up with two words; timing and distractions. Sitting here on my back porch, I am reminded of how God can take something so plain and turn it into something great. Throughout my life I have had many jobs but none as fulfilling as the part time youth director position I now

An event within my life that will influence my academic work and goals at Colorado Christian University (CCU), will have to be the way that I acquired my current job. I am an ordained minister and have been doing my best, by the grace of God, to live the gospel lifestyle we are all called into. I mention this fact simply because at first glance or mention that I happen to work at a brewery; a lot of believers take issue and/or offence, and feel compelled to question my authenticity as a “man of the cloth”. I have to admit, I fully understand the questions that are raised and the motivations behind them…In a society that has turned its back on the teachings and practices of the True and Living God, and one that has found itself flooded with contrary blasphemous “preachers of the Gospel”, the masses and babes in faith, often don’t know who to trust and what the spiritual realities are when they see something that appears to go against their understandings. When the opportunity first presented to me I also struggled with the idea of it for a very long time, however when I sit back prayerfully meditate on the circumstances that afforded me role that I’m currently in I see nothing short of the grace of God moving me into position. To be clear I must relay the events that have gotten me where I am…The previous job that I held prior to coming to MillerCoors I held for 10years, I was happy there for the most part however towards the final years of my employment there I was starting

I rarely attended church on Sundays, or participated in worship. As a result, I possess distorted vision or processing.For this reason, my output is no sense of direction in life.Additionally,we both did not give credit to God for our triumphs.We only acknowledged him during our lowest moments. Now I understand that I need to take forming a relationship with God seriously. How kind of him to remove me from my unhealthy life path despite the fact that I did not have an honest relationship with him.I graduated high school with 2.7 GPA. My acceptance to Georgia State University was nothing short of a blessing. I should have given him credit for even helping me get into college,and surviving my second semester.At this point,I realize that God was telling me he was not going to allow me to continue down the same path in my Chemistry class. Sending a special thanks to God for guiding me in a different direction,and Dr. Moorer for clarifying the

Many weeks have passed since I last wrote about my theological perspective at length. I began the class with lots of questions, and I do not believe I can say for sure that they have been answered, but I can say that I am now at peace with the idea that some of my questions may not be able to be answered in this life. It amazes me that I have been able to grow so much in such a short period of time. The growing pains were great, but the reward was greater. I feel that I am in a much better place in my life now. In the past few months, I have tried to reclaim some of the closeness to God that I feel I have been missing. It has not been easy for me to give up control of my life. I have strong tendencies to be in control of what goes on, so that I have some inclination of how to prepare to react. As a result of learning to let go, I feel much less fearful of the future or my place in it. Not only has this class helped me come to terms with the idea that I should not have total control over my life, but it has also reminded me of things I had forgotten about. It truly left me pleasantly surprised with the content of the class.

I truly believe that in order to work with youth, you must first understand what it means to be a youth. I am not referring to the vague age-range that usually begins somewhere after your teenage years and ends briefly before college, or the memorable moment when puberty began or the onset of your menstrual cycle, which society often refers to as the beginning of growing up. Instead of viewing youth as a group of individuals who share similar ages, I like to think of youth as an experience; one that can shape a person’s level of dependency and mindset and is usually influenced in various ways depending on different cultural perspectives. Growing up and residing in both urban and suburban areas of Rhode Island, I have come to appreciate the diversity that surrounds me. Without a doubt, I am able to connect with my students because I value their uniqueness and use my own youth as a model and guide as to what has influenced my life decisions. For me, whether I am using my story to depict self-awareness, self-development, or simply to show my ability to understand and connect with my students, it is always coming from a place that I know will best support them. In the same respect, Providence College’s School Counseling Program also embodies similar values nurtured by its unique Dominican tradition, which is one reason why I became so interested in the program and believe it to be a great fit for me. Through this program, I hope to learn the skills needed to build an overall

The environment I grew up in availed me in building my confidence and being proud of who I am as an individual and in the classroom. I was the first in my family to be a U.S. born citizen since both my parents immigrated to the United States in the late 90’s from Ethiopia, a country in Eastern Africa, where education is unfunded and the country as a whole is mainly undeveloped.

In examining my experience during the recent Cohort Intensives held at Payne Theological Seminary (PTS) in Wilberforce, Ohio; I was quite intrigued with how all of the scholars and guest speakers reinforced many of the initiatives I have already implemented in the context of my own ministry. Likewise, my time spent in class with my Cohort mentors Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie and Rev. Dr. Kenneth S. Robinson was both scholastically and spiritually invaluable. During the week-long Intensive class sessions with my mentors, I learned a number of new things about myself that I was not previously willing to address. In short, I had a moment of self-actualization that required some personal omissions on my part regarding my faith and yes some internalized oppression as labeled by author Gayraud S. Wilmore. Opening up in class and admitting a few of my own short-comings was nothing short of liberating. Suddenly, I felt as though I had an epiphany; that has given birth to a renewed zeal, mind, and spirit. For the first time in years I am certain that I am now moving closer to the apex of excellence where God intended me to be.