September 20, 2012

A Day in the Life...



Class has officially started! The first 2 weeks were dedicated to orientation.  We got acquainted with the school, the church, and the teachers.  In the morning we’d come in, go over the student handbook, etc., then we’d have what was known as “student revival.” It was a time for all of the students to gather together for worship and a powerful message from one of the Rhema Pastors or Teachers. I left everyday grateful that God brought me here. The messages were so rich and challenging, and I loved what I was learning!

From the first day of preschool until the last day of high school my parents would send us off to school with a prayer.  Every day…and I mean EVERY DAY, we would go through this routine:

Mom and Dad:           “Alright, what do you know?”

Annie:                         “Jesus loves me, God loves me, Dad loves me, Mom loves me, Meghan loves me, Luke loves me, Eric loves me. Today, I’m going to have a great day. I’m a good friend to my friends and I love to learn.”

Mom and Dad:           “And today is going to be a day filled with _________ (laughter, joy, patience, fun, etc, they’d fill in the blank.) The Lord watches your coming in and your going out.  He takes you all the way to school safely and brings you all the way home safely. You’re a good friend to your friends, and you love to learn!”

Everyday, as we rolled our eyes, we’d confess that we loved to learn and they’d confess that we loved to learn. Looking back, I’m so thankful that they made us confess that every day because the reality is, I love to learn. I get excited about learning new things and studying new concepts. So here is the class list of all the fun things I get to learn at Rhema:

Old Testament Survey with Karen Jensen. I LOVE the Old Testament and can’t wait to study under the awesome teaching of Ms. Jensen. Everyone raves about how great she is, so I know it will be fruitful!

New Testament Survey with Jeanne Orrison. I LOVE the New Testament. I guess it’s safe to say that I just love the whole Bible, really. I love studying the Word and being under faith-filled teaching of the Word is like drinking a cool glass of water on a hot day. Refreshing. Earlier this week we were given a quick history lesson on the 400 years between Malachi and Matthew. I left the class giddy with excitement because it was so fascinating. I could talk about it for days…the history is just amazing and reminded me of the time I spent in Greece. Ahhh, I love history, especially Biblical history!

Faith Library with Pastor Ken Hagin. I want to increase my faith and I know this class will do just that.  The reading list for this class is spectacular as well. I love to read so I’m excited to dive in!

Understanding Grace with Tad (The Dean). We’re learning what Grace is. The unmerited favor that God has given us. We don’t deserve it and we don’t earn it, but He still gives us it. How great is God?!

Spiritual Growth Principles with Doug Jones. Who doesn’t love a class with your Uncle? Just kidding, he isn’t my Uncle. But he is from Michigan and he is HILARIOUS, so I guess we could be related… This class is awesome. It is so challenging and I feel like I need to spend an hour in prayer after each class to get saved. Just kidding, but kind of serious. Talk about refining the junk out of your life!

Financial Management with Craig Hagin. If we want to be successful in life we need to know how to handle money. Thankfully, I’ve grown up knowing the smartest moneyman on the planet. My dad is brilliant with managing money and has led by example, so I feel like I have a good grasp on Financial Management, but there is always more to learn!

There you have it, my 1st term class list!

Many of you are wondering, what the heck does an average day at Bible School even look like? Well, I’ll tell you. Everyday Monday-Friday we have class from 8:30am-12:30ish.  It just depends on the day.  This gives a chance for everyone to go to school and work full-time so we can still make a living since the age range of students is 17 yrs old – 80 years old (seriously).

We have the same classes M,W,F and T, Th.  The first year students are divided into 2 groups. I’m in Group 2, so I take all of my classes with Group 2 students.  However, 3 of the 6 classes are combined with all of the Group 1 students. On Tuesdays and Thursday, the entire student body gathers for “Exhortation” or “Announcements” and we have a time of prayer and worship or…you guessed it, announcements. When you are a first year student, you don’t choose the classes you take, there is a set curriculum for every first year student.  During your second (or third) year you can choose which “track” you want to take.  Those “tracks” are specific for a certain area: Pastoral, Evangelism, Worship, Kids Ministry, Missions, Biblical Studies, or Youth, etc.  Within each “track” there is a set curriculum you take through out the year. Each year is broken up into 4 terms.

So everyday M-F, I go to school from 8:30am-12:30pm. Work from about 1pm-5pm at one job, 5:30-9:30 at another job, and 10:00-10:40pm at a 3rd job. Most nights there is a worship services or prayer meeting of some sort, so when I’m not working I go to those. Basically, it has been a non-stop pace of life. Does that help a little bit? Now you know what an average day in the life of a Rhema student looks like!

I can’t even put into words how amazing this season of life is. I love everything about it. It felt like I was walking in a mucky ditch for a while but now I feel like I’m walking on a street filled with rainbows, butterflies, and cotton candy. So, when life feels kind of sucky, keep pushing through because God’s got something AMAZING on the other side.

1 comment:

  1. Hi Annie! I love hearing about your day. It sounds like an awesome place and makes me want to go back to school (even at my old age). Asking God to bless your days, fill you up with Him and direct all your steps. You go girl! ~Mrs. Lange

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