Beeson Podcast, Episode #654 Caleb, Kyle, Emily Date >>Announcer: Welcome to the Beeson podcast, coming to you from Beeson Divinity School on the campus of Samford University. Now your host, Doug Sweeney. >>Doug Sweeney: Welcome to the Beeson Podcast. I’m your host, Doug Sweeney. We are delighted to have three administrative leaders of our school on the show today. All of whom play important roles in bringing new students to Beeson; helping them settle into Birmingham, and coaching them as they join our community and get used to their classes and co-curricular happenings here on campus. Kyle Young is the Director of Admission and Alumni Relations here at Beeson. He’s also an ordained Baptist minister, serving at Dawson Memorial Baptist Church as the Hispanic Ministry Associate. Emily Knight is the Recruitment Coordinator and Alumni Relations Officer here. Emily is married to Dallas Knight, a Beeson alumnus who serves as Director of Youth Ministries at South Highland Presbyterian Church where Emily is also very much involved. And Caleb Craft is the Director of Enrollment Management and Academic Support here at Beeson. Caleb is married to Bekah Craft, an audiologist, and both Caleb and Bekah are actively involved in ministry at Grace Fellowship, which is also here in town. All three of these guests know Beeson inside and out and so we’re thrilled that they’re here with us to help listeners learn more about joining our community. Welcome Kyle, Emily, and Caleb. So, we want to let our listeners get to know you a little bit before we dive into the details of seminary life. Can you tell us how you came to know the Lord? How did you come to Beeson? And what is your job like here at Beeson? Maybe, Kyle, we can start with you. >>Kyle: Sure. I grew up in a Christian family – grandparents, great grandparents, parents who love the Lord and taught me the gospel from a young age. And so when I was seven I prayed to receive Christ and was baptized and have been on a trajectory of sanctification since then. That’s the very short version. After I graduated from college at Samford, I moved overseas to teach high school in Bolivia for a few years. I was teaching high school social studies. And the Lord really used that time to kind of hone my calling and shape it in more of a pastoral kind of way. So, the things I loved most about teaching in the classroom were those kind of shepherding aspects of teaching and so through that and a number of conversations and experiences and just time in the word, I felt the Lord calling me to come here to seminary to study to prepare to be a better shepherd and prepare more for kind of vocational ministry in the church. So, currently I serve as the Director of Admission and Alumni Relations. That entails a lot of administrative work as well as some shepherding work of helping students from ... I mean, even with recruitment Emily and I share a lot of tasks. I’d say especially once students start an application and from kind of the application to enrollment to the first day of class is sort of that process that I sort of run point on and oversee. So, it’s a real joy to be able to shepherd in this way students and prospective students and new Beeson students as they’re discerning what the Lord has for them next. >>Doug Sweeney: I love your use of that word “shepherding.” All three of you really are ministers of the gospel as you play your administrative roles. That’s one of the wonderful things about Beeson. How about you, Emily? How did you come to faith and get to Beeson and what is your job like? >>Emily: Well, apparently Beeson was playing a role in my faith formation before I knew what seminary was or even knew that I would be in seminary one day. I also grew up in a faithful Christian home and was discipled just from an early age. My pastor growing up was a Beeson grad. One of my most pivotal kind of summer camp / Christian camp moments ... I recently realized the pastor preaching that night was a Beeson grad. That was a recent discovery at an alumni event. When I heard one of our alum’s voices I said, “What a minute, I can remember you preaching this particular sermon that really meant a lot to me.” So, apparently Beeson has kind of been woven even through the way the Lord brought me to faith, which I’m grateful for. Seminary was really not on my radar. I came here to Samford and didn’t know exactly what the Lord would have for me vocationally but I also met my husband here at Samford and he began at Beeson the year before I graduated. So, I really got to kind of see Beeson firsthand and become a part of the Beeson family and just hear was seminary really was like. It honestly sounded like a dream come true, too good to be true, that the Lord would invite people to come and study the bible and study theology. Ministry had always been something on my heart and really tied together with my faith formation. But I think the Lord really used that year when I was a senior at Samford and Dallas was here as a student to call me as well to ministry. I really do feel like my role here at Beeson, now that I’ve graduated, is a ministry role. I’m really the first face of Beeson for a lot of people. And I just think it’s such a privilege to really get to meet people from all sorts of life experiences and backgrounds and walks of life. Some of whom will come to Beeson and will be friends for years. Others of whom I may actually never see again after getting to meet them this first time. So, I just really see my role as trying to steward those relationships well, whether they’re kind of fleeting and just for a moment or whether they’re kind of really eternal ... they’re all kind of eternal relationships really, because we get to meet so many brothers and sisters in Christ no matter where the Lord takes them. It’s really a privilege to be that first face as well. >>Doug Sweeney: Caleb, how about you? >>Caleb: Well, similarly to my friends here I was raised in a Christian home. My father was a United Methodist minister. So, I was always around the church from as long as I can remember. My father passed away when I was younger and through a string of events my family ended up in a small Baptist Church. That church had a really huge impact on my life and kind of understanding of the work of Christ for me personally. I would say that’s the season of my life where I really made faith sort of my own. I ended up going to school in Columbus, Ohio. I’m from Ohio. I went to a campus ministry there that also had a really big impact on my life and started thinking about church ministry at that time. Really got plugged into a campus ministry and church that served college students there. And ended up working for the university for a little while. But still always curious about ministry and what that might look like. And eventually started considering seminary – had a lot of questions throughout years of campus ministry that I just wasn’t sure how to handle. A cousin of mine, randomly, recommended ... I told him some things I was interested in and what I was looking for in a seminary and he said, “You know, Beeson Divinity School is quite good.” That’s what I remember him saying. (laughs) And I’d never heard of it. So, just being from Ohio and not really familiar with much about seminaries in general, I looked it up and did a preview day and the rest is kind of history. >>Doug Sweeney: I guess that’s positioned you well to play the role at Beeson Divinity School you play now. The three of you do more than anybody else in the building to help prospective students think through whether the Lord has seminary for them. And whether Beeson is the right seminary for them. Let me ask you a question about advice that you give them. This might be helpful to prospective students or their loved ones even listening to this recording now. When you get questions from students about how do I know if I should be in seminary – and then how do I know if I should be at Beeson Divinity School? Just generally speaking, what sorts of advice do you give them? >>Emily: I really give the advice that I was given by our former director of admission and good campus ministers that walked me along this path. I mean, the first thing really is prayer. And just that process of sitting with the Lord and asking what his will is. But I think within that, within prayer is really praying with mentors and talking through with people who know you really well, who know your giftings, your interests, the ways that the Lord has gifted you or even the things that you get most concerned about in the church or in the world. And just those good mentors who can really help you discern where do I need more training? Would seminary and the kind of theological biblical training that seminaries provide, would that fill in some of these gaps? But then also I think alongside of those kind of mentors is really experience in ministry. That was really instrumental for me, kind of realizing that a lot of the ways that I felt like I was flourishing were ways that I was serving the church whenever I was teaching the bible, or kind of sitting one on one and kind of counseling and praying with fellow believers. And just getting my feet wet in that first ministry experience. It made me realize, one, how ill equipped I felt kind of in that moment and how seminary really could equip me for those things. But then not just the tangible equipping but then kind of also the desire just for a further season of really intense formation and spiritual formation and community as well. So, I think mentors and ministry experience can really highlight for people who are kind of trying to consider am I called to ministry? Is seminary that right next step of ... where, as I’m serving, where do I see kind of gaps that training could fill? And what kind of person really do I want to become? What kind of minister should I become? >>Doug Sweeney: Kyle, how about you? Is that about what you say? I’m remembering as I ask you this question, we were doing ministry together at a church in town a month or two ago and I listened to you give a talk to college students about seminaries and how you should think about seminary and if you’re choosing a seminary what you should be thinking about. What are some other kinds of advice you give to prospective students worried about these things? >>Kyle: Yeah, sure. I think one question that people come in with is how do I know if I’m called? And I think some students have this idea ... some people have a very dramatic call experience, a burning bush kind of moment, but that’s not the case for everyone. I’d say it’s probably not the case for most people who are here. So, sometimes just helping people, like Emily said, thinking through what are those regular practices that you have? What are your mentors saying? What is standing out in scripture? Those are important. If someone is thinking about potential ministry roles, some of this depends on a denomination. So, there are certain denominations, certain vocational roles that would require a master of divinity, for example. So, in some cases let’s say you need this credential to be able to be in this role. But for a lot of people, especially in our low church denominations, they may not have certain criteria or academic credentials that you have to have to get this role. So, one of the things I like to ask students to think about is kind of what Emily hinted at – that question of formation. You will learn a lot of information at seminary but that is not ... you also want to think about what kind of minister do I want to become? Do you have to have a degree from a seminary to be an effective minister? Probably not. There’s plenty of faithful ministers. I know you share at Preview Days about your grandfathers. But we want to just think through ... it really is a ... there’s so many people around the world who are just longing for any kind of theological education. And we have such a wealth of that here that it’s really ... we want to encourage people to take advantage of the opportunities. I think it is a way to better care for your flock, the people you’re shepherding, and they’re going to have questions about how you’re reading scripture ... they’re going to have questions about things going on in their lives. So, taking time in seminary to really prepare well for a fruitful kind of lifelong ministry ... I think it’s worth taking time to do. So, those are some of the things that we talk to students about. >>Doug Sweeney: That’s great. Caleb, as I think about pulling you into this ... I know you well enough to know as you were thinking about seminary you were a great example of somebody who you weren’t absolutely certain you were going to be a pastor as soon as you were done. Maybe that’s what the Lord was doing, but you weren’t positive that’s what the Lord was doing. So, how did you get from there to just sort of going ahead and enrolling at Beeson Divinity School and moving to Birmingham, Alabama and joining our community? >>Caleb: Sure. Yeah. I was kind of in the middle of something in education maybe or something in ministry. I always say my dad was a preacher and my mom was a teacher and both of those are kind of in my bones. I think Emily mentioned the importance of any kind of ministry experiences that you’ve had and that was really helpful for me just in my experience in church ministry and teaching or leading roles. One, I really enjoyed the work and two I had a lot of questions about how to do it, how to help people take steps in the Kingdom of God, and some things that I think we did well and things I didn’t do so well ... And really coming to Beeson for Preview Day helped me see people have actually been asking these questions for 2,000 years and thinking really deeply about them. And there’s a whole world and tradition out there that just really seemed like something I had to get to know. So, that was a helpful thing for me to discern. >>Doug Sweeney: So, for somebody who is like you were at that point and they’re just not sure, but it sure does seem like it would be an exciting thing to do, go to seminary, but man, it’s a big decision to make – what do you say? What kind of advice do you have for somebody maybe who is listening to this right now and is in that situation? >>Caleb: It’s hard for me not to just say “Do it!” (laughs) I mean, I think it’s just been such an incredible gift to me. And I think whichever route I would have ended up going, education or ministry, obviously God has kind of put me in the middle of those two. My experience in seminary has equipped me well for both of those directions. So, I’d say continue exploring it at the very least. >>Doug Sweeney: You three also field probably more questions from prospective students than anybody else in the building, people who just wonder what’s it like, how hard is it, can I afford it, will I survive it? I’ve got a serious girlfriend or boyfriend and is this going to work out? And so on ... What would you say ... you didn’t know I was going to ask you this ahead of time, so this is off the cuff. [crosstalk 00:17:04] What’s the top two or three questions, Kyle, that you get from prospective students that might help just to kind of put out on the table and try to address together as a group here on the podcast? >>Kyle: Top two or three questions ... One, I would think, correct me if I’m wrong ... I think it does relate to the type of seminary. Should I go to a seminary in my denomination or should I go to an interdenominational seminary? So, we can maybe talk a little bit about the pros and cons of those. Another question is finances. And timing. That’s also really important. I don’t think ... We never want to take the place of someone’s pastor. And so we always are encouraging people to talk with your pastor, pray with your pastor as the primary person to help you make these decisions. But we’ve also seen people from ... in a wide variety of scenarios who come and the timing doesn’t seem like it’s going to make sense or the finances don’t seem like they’re going to make sense, but the Lord provides. So, I think those are probably two big questions that we get. >>Doug Sweeney: Those are two biggies for me. All right. So, we got those two on the table. Let’s take the denominational versus interdenominational seminary question. And anybody who has advice you want to share about this, great, but I’ll start with Kyle. What do you say to people who are wondering? Let’s say for example, I’ve been a Southern Baptist my whole life. I feel like I’ll probably become a Baptist pastor or be involved in ministry somehow from a Baptist church. Shouldn’t I just go to a denominational seminary? Are there some reasons why I should consider a denominational seminary like Beeson. What’s your advice? >>Kyle: Yeah, that’s a great question. That was me in a lot of ways. I grew up Southern Baptist and still am Southern Baptist. I think there is in some ways if you kind of know the advantage of going to a denominational seminary is kind of the resources, right? You’re going to have a lot more networking and connections probably upon graduation. But I think there is a real advantage of going to an interdenominational seminary. One, just because it kind of broadens my understanding and my appreciation of the church and the ways that God is moving in our evangelical denominations. And maybe we disagree on how baptism would happen or how the church should be governed, but at the end of the day these are brothers and sisters who I know are proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ and doing Kingdom work. I think it’s broadened my understanding and appreciation for the church. I also think pastorally it can be an advantage to consider an interdenominational seminary, because the likelihood of ... let’s say you’re a pastor in a Baptist church. The likelihood that everyone from your congregation has grown up in that denomination ... [Doug: especially these days] ... right. So, you’re naturally going to have questions from people who grew up in a different denomination about why do you do it this way? So, being able to really articulate that well I think at a place that is interdenominational, it helps you kind of fortify those answers better. >>Doug Sweeney: Emily, how about the question lots of people have about affordability? I mean, that’s a real concern that people have. And my biases are going to come through in the way I pose the question. That at Beeson we still do theological education right. We still ask people to move to Birmingham and join our community and do life with us for a few years at a time. And that’s expensive. So, to students who know that’s true and they’re counting the cost and they’re trying to figure out is this feasible? What advice do you have? >>Emily: First of all, that’s just a really personal question. Because my husband and I were in seminary full time at the same time. So, for a solid two and a half, three years. So, the question of affording tuition when we don’t even have one full time income – that’s something that we balanced. And I think we really did count the cost. And realized we would not make a different decision at all. It’s been completely worth it in terms of our ministry formation, but then also like as spouses – there was a question of do we wait and let one person go first or the other and just the ways that it really blessed our marriage and formation together is just worth kind of any amount of money. (laughs) Beeson has a lot of scholarship opportunities and so all of our full time students receive a scholarship of some kind. There’s a lot of specifics within that. Every student is going to receive a baseline of at least 30% of tuition for an MDIV or an MA in theological studies. And we just take the big kind of ask of moving here and doing life with us in person really seriously, like you said. And I know that our team does everything that we can to create the best scholarship package for each student in their life circumstance. >>Doug Sweeney: And to take really good care of students as they’re moving to town, as they’re getting used to Beeson. I mean, one advantage to this life together way of doing theological education is you have brothers and sisters in Christ who want to get to know you and love you and help take care of you and have your back in times of crisis and so on. It doesn’t mean you don’t have times of crisis, but it sure does make them more edifying experiences than they would have been otherwise. >>Emily: I mean, Dallas and I lost both of our jobs during COVID. I can name multiple ways that Beeson specifically just contributed to our wellbeing in a scary time. But I also think there’s a lot of good resources, even beyond scholarships that with things like being a part of Samford University we have federal aid opportunities. We have a lot of Work Study opportunities even at Beeson. And across Samford’s campus ... that really make a lot of sense. A lot of our summer job as admission people is helping students find jobs. And local churches really want to hire Beeson interns. It sometimes feels like we don’t have enough interns to provide our local churches. And so if they want to be in ministry, we have a lot of great paid opportunities. But then my husband worked retail as well and just really enjoyed even being in a non seminary non church setting for work while he was in seminary. So, I think every student and every financial situation is different. But we’re doing everything that we can as a team to make that offer as good as possible. And I’ll also say this – when you’re running the numbers among our sister seminaries, Beeson is incredibly affordable when you’re comparing things like tuition rates and scholarship rates and things like that as well. >>Doug Sweeney: Caleb, another question that I face from time to time. I bet you face it more than me, from perspective students, has to do with degree of difficulty of the curriculum at Beeson. I think people who know about us have heard it’s not an easy school. It’s a rigorous school. The professors take their relationships with their students very seriously. So, anonymity is virtually impossible at Beeson. So, you’ve got to be all in. You’re counseling students all the time. You see them every term as they think about what classes they’re going to take. I think you do a fair amount of counseling with them as they worry about classes and feasibility and so on. What advice would you give, not to a current student but to a prospective student who is worried that this is going to be too hard for me. I can’t get through this. And is wondering A) should I dive in anyway or would it be foolish of me? And then B) are there ways I could be preparing that would make life better for me at Beeson once I arrive? >>Caleb: That’s a great question. Well, a few thoughts come to my mind. It is rigorous. For my personal experience, I came here from a top research institution and it was challenging my first semester here, a little bit more than I think I anticipated it would be. But not to get too educational and nerdy about this but one of the very first people who ever studied college students and college student support, undergrad and graduate, really the very first theory of educational support was that for students to be most successful they need an optimal balance of challenge and support. I think about that all the time at Beeson, because the curriculum itself is very challenging, but there is just an immense amount of support available from peers, from faculty who really do want to know you, who are extremely available. And from the Lord! So, I would say if you’re intimidated, if you’re worried about the rigor of it, it will be rigorous, but there’s just a lot of grace and support here as well. I would say if you’re thinking about how to prepare well, something that was told to me I think by you, actually, Dr. Sweeney, when I was coming in, was just the importance of just reading regularly as well. Especially if you’re not as ... if you didn’t come from an undergrad background in theology, maybe getting your hands on some kind of theological work, you recommended some Edwards to me (no surprise). (laughs) And that was helpful, just to spend the 30 minutes to an hour a day, get into a rhythm of reading some theological works. >>Doug Sweeney: Get yourself back into the rhythm/routine of school. >>Caleb: That’s right. And along the lines of rhythms, I think of course like your regular spiritual disciplines as well. Being in a good rhythm with things like your prayer and time in the Word are good things to have down before you get here. >>Doug Sweeney: All right, guys. We want to encourage prospective students who are thinking, all right, maybe I should take the next step with folks at Beeson. So, let’s walk them through what are the next steps supposed to look like for them? Kyle, maybe I’ll start with you. How do you walk students through from their initial email to you, phone call with you, conversation with you, to the time when you welcome them to town and you welcome them to Beeson? What’s the process of getting from Point A to Point B like for most of our people? >>Kyle: Sure. I think for a lot of people it depends on at what point in the process they start. So, some people are coming to us a year or two years in advance of when they think they would like to start. And in those cases, we encourage everyone to visit if they can, visit campus – we encourage them to have conversations with alumni or with current students. We want them to kind of experience to see what it would be like here. Emily talked a lot with students, initial conversations and continued conversations. Just about should I apply? And then once it comes time to apply for the term in which someone wants to enroll, you would start an application online. So, we do ... www.BeesonDivinity.com/apply. And you create an account and that will bring up a checklist on an application with all of our different requirements for the application. Those involve a few references. It involves an essay – at least one essay. We also have a scholarship essay for those applying for our more competitive academic scholarships. An additional essay. We obviously want things like transcripts and background information. We also have an interview and so this really is ... the interview is a great opportunity in a lot of cases, probably with at least half of the students ... we’ve already met them before their interview. Either they’ve come for a campus visit or they’ve met with someone for coffee, or they’ve come to a Preview Day. But for someone who we haven’t met who just starts an application, this gives us an opportunity to talk with students before they kind of submit their application and finish it. And so that interview ... Emily and I will just ask some additional questions, getting to know them a little bit better, learning about their interest in Beeson, their fit for Beeson ... typically about within a month after the admission deadline ... So, there’s a committee of people who review all of the applications. Once those are all reviewed and the votes are in, then we’ll begin sending out admission and scholarship decisions. Then we ask people within about another month to either accept or decline their offer of admission and scholarship. >>Doug Sweeney: All right. So, Emily, I’m thinking about young people I have known over the years who are very bright, very earnest, godly people. But they majored in business or social work or something in undergrad that wasn’t essay intensive. And they listened to Kyle talk about there may be an essay or two you have to write. With students like that in mind, address us a little bit. Give us a little advice. Are these really difficult essay assignments? If you weren’t an English major or a theology major as an undergrad are you at a disadvantage when it comes to writing these assignments? Do people at Beeson give any help when it comes to thinking through how to write these essays? How scary is this? >>Emily: Not scary. Not scary. Kind of the demographics you’re describing of people who have studied something other than theology is the majority of applicants. Whether those are people straight out of college or people who have been in some other vocation or in vocational ministry. A lot of people didn’t study biblical studies or theology. So, you’re in a lot of good company there, I think, applying to Beeson. And even some of our brightest students here at Beeson did/does not have a background in theology or the things that you have described. So, we really want to lay that concern to rest early I think in the application process, because I think seminary is really for people from a lot of different backgrounds. With the essays specifically, we love to give advice. I was an English major and Kyle was a History major and so we do kind of enjoy writing and we enjoy kind of talking with students about their different communication styles and things like that. I think we do see a variety within the essay of communication styles because even if you didn’t learn how to write a three paragraph essay, or whatever, in college – you did learn some kind of communication style or communication philosophy about clearly communicating or arguing ideas. And so really each essay is going to reflect your background accurately and that’s going to help us assess your application accurately. It’s not ... no one’s is a PhD dissertation in theology. That’s not what we’re looking for. We’re really just looking for an accurate representation of how a student thinks through using sources or analyzing sources, describing and synthesizing ideas. And everyone has those skills in some capacity. So, we lend some of the most common books on the Apostles Creed that we still have in our libraries, we’ll lend them to students who need a book or two, or to be pointed in the right direction. We’ve got a lot of good recommendations for things like that, too. So, I would just say talk to us. I mean, with any question that people have, they really should talk to us because we not only applied to Beeson, we hear these questions all the time and really want to help address those. >>Doug Sweeney: And as I recall, Kyle, help me get this right ... when students are about to be graduated and it’s the day that we spend doing the walk-through of the commencement ceremony with them, isn’t there a time on those days where you pass out the essays that you wrote on the Apostles Creed? Because you know it’s going to be funny, because everybody has grown so much since that time. >>Kyle: Yeah, I started out ... so, our main essay is really just more of a reflective essay on kind of describe your call to ministry, describe how you came to faith, describe what you’re looking for in seminary. And that’s the one that everyone writes. And then those who are applying for more academic scholarships, competitive academic scholarships, will write the additional essay on the creed. So, usually I pass out that first essay, that’s a little bit more of the reflective. I actually started doing this a couple of semester ago, thinking, oh, this will be a really special way to reflect on what I was thinking. But a lot of people- >>Doug Sweeney: I’ve been there, I’ve heard all the moans [crosstalk 00:34:44]. >>Kyle: I pass out their application essay and they’re like, “Oh, I don’t want to see that. I’ve grown so much since then.” So, yeah. And to add on to what Emily was saying, the writing is important but we do look at the application holistically. And we know, if someone has come from a background in the humanities where they’ve done a lot of research and writing, they may have a little bit stronger writing sample than someone else. But we’re not ... there have been cases ... I think some people need to hear, hey, really put forth your best effort. You best writing here. But then some people probably need to hear, “Don’t go over the top. Don’t cite 40 sources,” if you’re doing the creed essay. So, we want it to be clear, concise. >>Doug Sweeney: All right, real quick. Just in case there are any pastors listening, or people who have already done an MDIV and maybe they’re in some form of ministry and are thinking about going back to school for a little bit, we want to announce again ... we’ve done this 20 times on the podcast already but ... we’re starting a PhD program in Theology for the Church. We’re starting a ThM program as well that requires and MDIV before you get into it. So, for people thinking about that, pastors who may be listening and thought they were listening, for the sake of people who go to their church who are thinking about seminary and they want to be helpful pastors, but now all of a sudden we’re addressing them because we’re aiming at them and this PhD program in Theology for the Church. Give them a little bit of advice about what that’s going to look like. How hard it is going to be to get into it. And what the process is going to be like for applying for admission to the PhD program. >>Kyle: Yeah, so we plan to open applications for our first round, the admission term will be in the spring ... so January of each year. January 2024 is our hopeful first admission round. Applications will open around May. And the application will be a little different than what we have for our masters level. Some of the pieces will be the same. We’ll have a church endorsement. We’ll want two academic recommendations. And then they will instead of writing those essay prompts that we provide, they’ll give an explanation of their motive and purpose for the degree. We’ll want to see an academic writing sample from within the past five years. >>Doug Sweeney: Like a paper somebody has done for a class? >>Kyle: Right. And then an essay kind of detailing their research interests. So, we’ll have all of these listed out on the website. But they will apply in the same way that students do to our masters programs. It will be online. They can upload documents to their application and submit it. There’s actually a different committee that will be reviewing those applications. Whereas we interview every candidate who applies for admission, interviews will be kind of a second stage of the process with the PhD program. So, those who kind of make it to some of the final stages will be invited to an interview. That application term will close out I think in September. It will be, we imagine the summer months will be when people are kind of applying. Depending on, I mean, we’re looking at admitting maybe a handful of students each year. And so it has the potential to be very competitive. But we’re also very excited about what the Lord will do in and through the program. >>Doug Sweeney: Thanks. These are exciting days at Beeson Divinity School. Not least because of the ministries of the three people I’m sitting with right now. We’re about to conclude, friends. But we always like to end, as you know I think, with a personal edifying word for our listeners. We like to ask our guests what the Lord is doing in their life these days, what they’re learning these days, what God is teaching them right now. So, I wonder, Kyle, since we’ve got you warmed up from having answered the last question, do you want to take this one first? >>Kyle: Sure. Yeah, I think it is a very busy season right now. And so the Lord continues to remind me that I am human and I need rest. And then also ... [Doug: It’s a good lesson to learn] ... and one I will probably always be learning. I don’t rest very well. But it is really important. And then also just gratitude. I mean, I think I really am grateful to work with this team here and with such great colleagues. Even telling people about what I get to do. I mean, I get to work at a place where there’s people who feel called by God to share, to teach his word, and share the gospel. And it’s just such a rich environment to work in and have friends in. So, just want to be grateful for that in the season, and thankful to God for that. >>Doug Sweeney: That’s great. How about you, Caleb? What’s the Lord doing in your life these days? >>Caleb: Something that’s been on my mind just even in the past few days has just been the uniqueness of I think each person that God has made. That’s something that’s kind of special to reflect on in my role, because I get to talk to each student on what they’re thinking through, or dealing with. And just the way that the Lord has brought them here and what they’re thinking about for after. But also just that he works in each person’s life individually and it’s a good reminder I think for ... sometimes we joke, Emily and Kyle will say they get them here and I try to keep them here or whatever. But that’s really the Lord’s work. And that’s something that I’ve been reminded of a few times this semester. He does that uniquely for each person. >>Doug Sweeney: Wonderful. Emily, you get the last word. >>Emily: I think the Lord has just really been renewing my sense of the importance of prayer. Not just articulating the things that are on my heart to God, but also just sitting and resting in his presence. And I think just the Lord encouraging me to bring all of those things, all of the complexities of life, the difficulties, and the joys before Him. And yeah, I’ve just felt very renewed in that kind of sense recently. >>Doug Sweeney: You have been listening to Kyle Young, Emily Knight, and Caleb Craft. They are in charge of everything from admission, to enrollment, to alumni relations. They are wonderful people who are eager to be of help to you or someone you love who may be thinking about divinity school, seminary life. Thank you, friends, for being with us. Thank you, listeners, for tuning in. We love you. We ask you to pray for us. And we say goodbye for now. >>Rob Willis: You’ve been listening to the Beeson podcast; coming to you from the campus of Samford University. Our theme music is by Advent Birmingham. Our announcer is Mike Pasquarello. Our engineer is Rob Willis. And our show host is Doug Sweeney. For more episodes and to subscribe, visit www.BeesonDivinity.com/podcast. You can also find the Beeson Podcast on iTunes and Spotify.