Weekly Email: May 4, 2026

Weekly Email

May 4

We are now in Week 5 of the Spring 2 term. This week I want to share some thoughts on time and our finitude as humans, and also highlight a great opportunity to consider through our Bevin Center.

In this email:

Student Tip: Time is Finite
Program News: Mission Trips Through the Bevin Center

Student Tip: Time is Finite

My seven-year-old son has a terrible concept of time. It's not uncommon for kids his age, but it shows up in predictable ways. We'll tell him dinner is in 10 minutes. He'll ask if he can go play basketball on the mini hoop downstairs. Sure, go ahead.

Ten minutes later, it's time to eat and he comes up frustrated. "But I never got started." What were you doing? "I was getting ready. I was picking my teams. I was warming up. I've only shot one basket."

It happens all the time. He wants to do something, and the prep time eats up the whole window. Or he gets going and realizes 10 minutes really isn't that long. Inevitably, a meltdown often follows. If you have kids, you know exactly what I mean.

We set timers so he can visualize the time, and he has a kids Fitbit so he can see the time for himself. It helps, but he still struggles to register how long something actually takes.

And if you're reading this, you may be thinking, "Well, that kind of sounds like me." Human beings have a terrible knack for time. We can try to get better at it, but we almost always think something is going to take a lot less time than it actually does.

You can see the same thing when you read through church history or stories in the Old Testament. Three chapters can cover years and years of growth or hardship. The suffering Paul went through stretched over a long, hard season. But it's difficult for us to feel the weight of those years from a few chapters.

The same thing happens in your studies. At the micro level, you misjudge how long a paper or a reading will take. At the macro level, you misjudge how long the degree will take. We just have a terrible relationship with time. We can set calendars, we can time block, we can try every system out there. It still doesn't really fix the problem.

One of the best things you can do is always assume something is going to take longer than it actually does. So if you look back over the past semester, past year, do you feel like you were scrambling? Do you feel like you weren't able to do your best effort? This isn't unique to you; it's just the inevitable thing of being human.

God created us to be finite creatures bound in time. He is not constrained by time. He has no beginning, middle, or end. He created a world that is wrapped in time. Time itself is part of creation. God gave it to us as our way of being in the world. Day in and day out, the sun rises and the sun sets. There's never going to be enough time to get everything done that you want to do. We are always working within constraints. And it's okay. That is who God created us to be.

The psalmist captures it well:

Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. … For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night. (Psalm 90:1, 4)

So in your studies, embrace this. God has given you constraints, and you're meant to work within them. You can't do it all. Some things will have to be prioritized. Others will have to be set down. That's not failure. That's the nature of being human.

I know you've heard me say this before, but time doesn't magically appear. So this week, if you feel like you can't keep up, take it as a humbling reminder that you are a created being, made in God's image, the delight of his eyes. When you're feeling overwhelmed, stop and pray. God has called you to a task that's bounded in time, and there will be seasons where time refuses to slow down. Because it doesn't.

You're not alone in this. Whether you're a seven-year-old with a terrible concept of time or a 40-year-old whose version of that just looks different, the frustrations will still arise. You've grown to emotionally regulate a little better than a seven-year-old, hopefully. But the difficulties will still be there. So pause. Thank God for creating us in his image, bounded in time. We can only do this through his grace. If you try on your own power, you'll burn out. You are not God. And that is good news.

Program News: Mission Trips Through the Bevin Center

One of the great opportunities you have as a Southern student is the chance to participate in mission trips through the Bevin Center for Missions Mobilization. Online students are fully eligible, and you can also apply these trips toward elective credit through 33150 Area Studies in Missions or toward Supervised Ministry Experience requirements if you're enrolled in 40301 Pastoral Ministry or 45260 Discipleship Ministry.

Looking ahead, here are a few trips currently on the calendar:

Winter 2026 — North Africa with Dr. Alisha Biler
Spring 2027 — Germany with Dr. Brian Vickers
Spring 2027 — New England with Dr. Keith McKinley
Summer 2027 — Kenya with Dr. Keith McKinley (May 27 to June 12)
Summer 2027 — South Asia with Dr. Kyle Brosseau
Summer 2027 — London with Dr. Timothy Paul Jones

Each trip carries its own focus, whether that's church planting, pastoral training, evangelism, English teaching, or engaging world religions in context. International trips require a passport, and the cost typically covers transportation, lodging, and main meals.

For full details, including dates and cost estimates, visit the Bevin Center mission trips page. If you have questions, you can email missions@sbts.edu.