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From the Rev: Back to School

Mar 02, 2014

The new campus of Denver Seminary is pictured here – I often joke that as a former student I helped pay for this.

This year, I returned to Denver Seminary – no, not to speak to students about chaplaincy (although I do that occasionally) or to mentor students in CPE or pastoral care – I was actually back, sitting in a seat, acting the part of a student. As the class went around making introductions and sharing what year students were in, a sense of nostalgia came over me. It was over 10 years ago, I began a journey at this same seminary – leaving the corporate world and recently married – I came into a Master’s of Divinity program with some idea of being in ministry, but no clear direction. I knew that God had been speaking to my heart – it was more an activity of obedience than a clear sense of what life after seminary would actually look like. Interestingly enough, the day of my commencement was September 11, 2001 – the day the towers fell to terrorism. I remember wondering in the days to follow – amidst all the chaotic upheaval of life, “What will the world look like when I am finished here at seminary?”

I did not know that God would so bless me in being able to work in some of the unique spaces that I have been granted – from the athletes, coaches, and staff with the Rapids to the terminal patients of hospice to the parishioners that call Cherry Hills Community Church “home” – it has truly been a blessing to serve and minister in all those different places.

Sitting, now, in the classroom I am learning about career development and assessment – an important part of the makeup of the people that I currently serve. And even though I feel older than when I initially set out on the journey over 10 years ago – my eagerness to learn is still there. My eagerness to serve people well, to be equipped to help them in their journey is a big motivator for me going back to school.

Blessings,

Rev. Brad Kenney

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