I am graduating this year with what is officially called a Master of Divinity. Now, contrary to what the name of the degree may otherwise suggest, i do not have a master on any sort of divinity — not even that chocolate that is called divinity.

But alas, I was informed this week that I have the incredible honor of marking the end of a chapter by speaking at the graduation ceremony on May 6th. I officially have 4-5 minutes to share a little bit of my Mars Hill Graduate School experience with those present. I, along with Lisa Harrell, Tim Lietzel, and Caroline Wartman are the four student speakers.

My thoughts now turn toward, what shall I say? How shall I say it? And who should be my audience? Students? Parents? God? Faculty? I want to be real, I want to be honest. However, graduation ceremonies tend to look back just as much as they look forward. But if I look back for long enough some of misgivings of my three year tenure flood into my mind. I am reminded for forgetfulness of others as well as myself, I am reminded of frantic/chaotic/arbitrary rules that kept me from what felt like a dream, I am reminded of a firing of a boss, and most recently the struggle to find professors for classes. But I am also reminded of the good, the writing of the Ale House declaration, the finding of a new best friend, all of those who unexpectantly have taken me under their wing, helping create the M.Div program that I am now graduating from, the privilege of taking classes from Stan Grenz, Brian Mclaren, Leonard Sweet, Colin Greene, Lynn Aldrich, Tom Cashman, Dan Allender.

And so I sit, patiently, waiting for inspiration for the first sentence to come to me.

peace
joel