Weekly Email: November 4, 2024

As we are now in the first week of November, I hope this week’s tips and reflections encourage you as you balance assignments, ministry, and family life. Here’s what I have for you today:

1. Student Tip: The Planning Fallacy

2. Program News: Students Share About the Experiential Modular

3. Faculty Devotional: Dr. Joe Harrod

Student Tip: The Planning Fallacy

“I’ll be able to finish this assignment in 20 minutes.”

40 minutes later…

“I’m not sure what happened, but that took longer than I thought.”

Sound familiar?

This is a common occurrence for many of us. We often underestimate how long tasks will take.

Whether it’s getting our kids to soccer practice, writing an email to a church member, or completing an assignment, we are notoriously bad at planning our time.

In a well-known study conducted by Daniel Kahneman in 1979, students were asked how long it would take to write their senior thesis in both optimistic and pessimistic scenarios:

1. Optimistic Estimate: How long if everything goes well? Average answer: 27.4 days.

2. Pessimistic Estimate: How long if things don’t go well? Average answer: 48.6 days.

But guess what?

The average time it took students to complete their thesis was 55.5 days, and only 30% finished within their estimated timeframe.

This gap between expectation and reality is known as the “planning fallacy.”

Takeaway: When planning time for your assignments, give yourself 50% more time than you optimistically hope for. This creates a buffer, reduces stress, and helps you produce better work.

Bonus: Consider tracking your time. If you track how long tasks actually take, you’ll gather realistic data that can help you plan more effectively in the future.

Much of what I’ve shared here aligns with the principles found in Greg McKeown’s book, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. It’s a fantastic resource for learning how to focus on what truly matters and eliminate the non-essential.

Program News: Students Share About the Experiential Modular

Two weeks ago, we hosted our second Experiential Modular, bringing students from 25 states to connect in person with faculty, fellow online students, and our Southern Seminary community here in Louisville. My goal for these events is to give you a unique opportunity to experience campus life firsthand and deepen your academic journey by connecting meaningfully with our community.

I don’t want you to just hear it from me, here are several reflections from other students on their time here:

“The best part was the chance to interact with both students and faculty in person. This setup provided a truly enriching environment to work out complex theological concepts together.” — Jacob

“I had felt disconnected from my program. It was a powerful experience to be here, finally meeting people who are on the same journey. I’m leaving with a renewed sense of belonging.” — Becky

“Being live allowed for better interaction than I could get online, which made a night-and-day difference for my learning experience.” — Peter

“I feel more connected with some of my classmates and faculty after this time together, and I’m so grateful for that.” — Jonathan

“The on-campus experience really helped me feel the community here. It’s one thing to study remotely, but coming to Southern brought it all to life.” — Ryan

“Absolutely recommend it! If you can’t be a full-time on-campus student, this is the next best thing.” — Rachel

“Chapel and the time spent in the archives with Dr. Jones was such a highlight — it’s amazing to see the depth of resources available here at Southern.” — Jon

To make this experience as accessible as possible, we cover your lodging and meals—you just pay tuition and arrange your travel.

You can learn more about upcoming courses and the Experiential Modulars here. We have two sessions scheduled for the spring:

1. Spring 1: Online course runs February 3–March 20, with on-campus sessions from February 24–26

2. Spring 2: Online course runs April 7–June 1, with on-campus sessions from April 21–23

Note: If you register through MySBTS you will automatically be waitlisted and we will send you an email about finishing the registration gathering more information for lodging and dietary restrictions. The best way to register for Experiential Modular's is through the link above.

Faculty Devotional: Dr. Joe Harrod and The Mystery of Prayer

This week’s devotional comes from Dr. Joe Harrod, Associate Professor of Biblical Spirituality and Associate Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness. Alongside his teaching, Dr. Harrod plays a vital role in maintaining Southern Seminary’s accreditation, ensuring the quality and rigor of our academic programs. Accreditation is foundational to our mission, affirming the excellence of the education you receive. I’m grateful for Dr. Harrod’s work, often unseen but essential to the seminary’s impact.

One of the values I’m proud of at Southern is our commitment to quality without shortcuts. We expect our online courses to match the depth and rigor of on-campus offerings, a standard that Dr. Harrod helps uphold. Many people in your ministries, like Dr. Harrod, serve tirelessly behind the scenes. I encourage you not forget to show appreciation for those who quietly sustain and strengthen our work and ministry for the glory of God.

Here is his devotional on the mystery of prayer:

While Scripture reveals multiple reasons that God might leave our prayers unanswered, and several of these reasons involve sin on our part, we must recognize that sometimes God does not answer our prayers because our prayers are contrary to his plan. Jesus’s experience in Gethsemane illustrates this difficult truth. Matthew 26 and Luke 22 recount the scene. Jesus withdraws from his disciples, kneels, and prays: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). As we consider in the next chapter, God did not remove the cup of his wrath; Jesus drank it in full. Yet, in God’s inscrutable plan, it was by means of this unanswered prayer that Jesus “was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead” (Rom. 1:4). In a similar way, Paul’s thrice-repeated request that Jesus restore him and remove his “thorn” went unanswered in the way he hoped; yet he received consolation that his suffering provided the ascended Lord occasion to display his power in a way different from what Paul had thought best: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). In these cases, God said no to sincere requests, but he did not abandon Paul or Jesus, showing his power and wisdom in ways better than what they sought. At times, God may say no to our requests because his plans for us are better than what we know to ask.

Excerpt from Dr. Harrod’s book 40 Questions about Prayer, ed. Benjamin L. Merkle, 40 Questions Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2022), 146.