Weekly Email: July 20, 2026

Weekly Email

Jul 20

We are now in Week 8 of the Summer term. This week I want to share what getting back into road biking this summer has been teaching me about how we actually learn. I also want to point you to the Degree Audit, a quick way to see exactly where you are in your degree plan.

In this email:

Student Tip: Applying What You Learn
Program News: The Degree Audit

Student Tip: Applying What You Learn

One summer in college I did some road biking and really enjoyed it. I've been telling myself ever since that I'd get back into it someday and earlier this summer I finally did.

I've enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Most weeks I'm getting out three or four times, riding 20 to 30 miles each time out, and the ride itself has become one of the best parts of my week. When I'm working out outdoors, whether that's biking, hiking, or just taking a walk, I never listen to podcasts or music. I've kept that practice for over four years now and it's one of the best things I've found for a clear mind. It's an hour or two where nothing is pulling at my attention. I'll often start a ride chewing on a problem from work or something I'm writing and by the time I'm home I usually know what I think.

There was also more to learn getting started biking than I expected. First it was figuring out what bike to get. Then it was everything after that such as the shoes, learning to ride well, brushing up on the rules of the road, the different training methods and philosophies, and so forth.

It's also easy to get distracted by all the peripherals and upgrades along the way. There's always another component to research, some piece of gear that promises to make you a little faster, and you can spend a whole evening reading about it all without ever touching the bike. It reminds me of productivity tips. They're fun to collect but they aren't what always makes the difference. What makes the difference is time on the bike.

Riding is one of those things you have to do instead of just learn. I could watch every YouTube video out there on technique and training and it would only get me so far. My body has to learn how to do it right and the only place that happens is out on the road.

The same goes for seminary. You can learn theology, counseling, and biblical interpretation online from some of the best professors in the world here at Southern. But one of the clear advantages you have as an online student is that most of you are embedded in local churches all over the world, teaching and serving and leading and having the conversations that ministry is made of. You don't have to wait until graduation to use what you're learning. You can apply it the same week you learn it.

So as you go through your courses, look for the shortest path between what you're learning and where you're serving. Maybe something from your hermeneutics course shapes how you prepare to teach this month. Maybe your counseling course changes how you walk with a church member through something hard. Whatever it is, ask where what you're learning can have the best effect right now and start there. Don't let it sit in your notes waiting for someday.

You learn best by doing.

Program News: The Degree Audit

We have some of the best academic advisors out there. They're always happy to help figure out your next courses, answer questions about your degree, and assist in a variety of other ways.

But we also have the Degree Audit tool. This tool helps you see where you're at in your particular degree plan such as what courses you've taken and what is left. This is a great first step in planning well.

If you haven't yet, check out your Degree Audit.