Weekly Email: November 3, 2025
In this week’s email:
Student Tip: Building Your Foundation
Program News: Spring and Summer Registration Open
Student Tip: Building Your Foundation
I love baseball. It’s always been my favorite to watch and follow. Unfortunately, being a St. Louis Cardinals fan the past several years hasn’t been anything to get too excited about, but I still love following the game, especially when it comes playoff time. Someone unexpected always steps up and performs. Back in 2011, my beloved Cardinals won the World Series with David Freese unexpectedly stepping up in Game 6 with a game-tying triple in the 9th and a home run to win it in the 11th.
This past weekend we saw some similar heroics. Miguel Rojas came up in a huge moment. He was in a tough 3–2 count, fouled off a few pitches, and then hit a clutch home run in the top of the ninth inning. This was only his 8th home run of the season, and he only had 57 home runs in his 12-year MLB career. Later, in the bottom of the 9th he made a clutch defensive play, throwing the runner out at home to help send the game into extra innings. That didn’t just happen overnight; it came from years of preparation and practice.
In the same way, your time in seminary, especially those of you who are studying online while serving in your churches, is about building that same kind of foundation. Every piece of knowledge you pick up, every conversation you have, and every bit of experience you gain is preparing you for those moments when you’ll need to draw on it in real-life ministry. The beauty of online education is that you’re often already on the ground in your church context, applying what you’re learning as you go. It’s not just theory; it’s equipping you day by day for the work you’re doing now and the bigger moments that will come.
In ministry, just like baseball, you won’t always have those clutch moments, but the foundations you build along the way set the stage for times when you need it most. I find it incredible that God made us in such a way that we are able to synthesize information and experiences and draw on those moments in times of need. We’re not robots just pulling back specific information but human beings being formed in such a way that preparation makes us ready when the moment calls.
If you’re feeling weary in your classes, fear that you can’t remember it all, and sometimes just trying to get through that class, just know that none of your preparation is going to waste.
Program News: Spring and Summer Registration Now Open
Registration for the spring and summer terms is now open. If you need help choosing which classes to take, our academic advisors are here to help. Just send them an email to schedule a phone call or Zoom session, and they’d be happy to walk through which classes to take.
Registration is filling up quickly for the Experiential Modulars in the spring. We intentionally cap these events for a couple of reasons. First, we want to provide space for you to connect with other students and the faculty here, so we limit the class sizes. Second, we are now limiting registrations so everyone stays on campus in the Legacy Hotel. Last year we offered off-campus lodging, but found the experience of those staying off-campus to be diminished. Be sure to check out the registration page for more information.
Quick Reference of Upcoming Term Dates:
Current Week: Fall 2, Week 5 (November 3–10)
Winter Term Begins: December 1, 2025
Spring 1 Term Begins: February 2, 2026
Spring 2 Term Begins: April 6, 2026
Register for Courses →
Register for Spring Experiential Modulars →
As always, thank you for reading. I’ll be back with you next week.
