Pauses Have Purpose

It was 1985 and I was excited to begin the next step in my educational and career journey.  We had just recently moved to Virginia Beach, VA, to pursue our first ministry work.  I was serving as a youth pastor and my wife was teaching kindergarten in our Christian school.  We were full of expectation, wonder at what God was going to do, and finding our way in the world. We wanted to follow God's plan as a newly married couple...having just just celebrated our one-year anniversary.  After about a year there, I decided it was time to take the next step in my education.  You see, I had determined that God was leading me to pursue a graduate degree in counseling to better equip me to engage my calling to help others find peace, healing and fulfillment.  I considered the local graduate school options...a state school that was very close by, a Christian graduate school that had a connection to a well-known religious leader and a somewhat exclusive college that was in the historic town of Williamsburg.  After visiting campuses, gathering information, and prayerfully considering the options, I settled on The College of William and Mary in Virginia.  I knew that this was the most challenging of the three, regarding admissions standards, but I believed it was the right place for me.  Long-story-short, I was accepted and started pursuing my Masters of Education in Agency Counseling.

It was a great experience.  I was introduced to many new things and challenged with learning all of the theoretical and technical aspects of mental health therapy.  I was impressed with many of the professors.  Although it was not a faith-based university, the faculty were always welcoming of my integration of biblical principles and thought into my work.  I did not have a scholarship or internship, and my financial resources were meager, therefore, I had to go part-time, taking only one or two courses at a time...as I could afford to pay for them.  This would mean that my completion time would be longer than normal, but I was okay with that.  I had my plate full with the ministry responsibilities and my wife.

Things went along well for a while, until something happened that changed the timeline...

Read More