I'm Going to Seminary!

Jul 18, 2025

Dear friends, I am thoroughly over the moon to share that I’ve been accepted into Bethany Theological Seminary’s Theopoetics & Writing Program!

I have been prayerfully considering a return to academia for three years now and am at last taking the dive. I am eager to receive a formal education in theology (something which, I’ll admit, has been self-led and hodgepodged up to this point) and to gain clearer sight of how my work in literary arts can be a tangible means of peacemaking in Cleveland.

As I shared earlier this week on Notes, I have been feeling very wearied in my work and writing lately. It is from this wobbly stance that I look at the labor ahead and feel wholly fragile. I hope to cradle this tiny Psalm in the palm of my hand as a humble prayer, that I might be kept from both hubris and crippling inadequacy in these new endeavors.

My heart is not proud, Lord,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
But I have calmed and quieted myself,
I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content.
— Psalm 131:1-2 (NIV)

It may go without saying, but my activity on Substack will look different with this life change. I hope to be able to share with you writings (both academic and poetic) from my coursework and what I’ve enjoyed reading lately. With that said, I am almost certain that any other writing will have to be set aside so that I might be faithful with what is at hand.

I want to thank you all, dear readers, for spending any level of your time and attention with me on this cozy little space I truly cherish. Whether you consistently read each of my posts or jump in every so often for an edition of Bookends, your company is not considered lightly. Your support of my writing has been an affirmation as I’ve discerned this tug towards seminary.

If you feel so inclined to accompany me in prayer in this transition, here are some considerations weighing on me:

For bodily and cognitive strength to work my 40-hour day job and edit for The Clayjar Review all while returning to academics
For continued vocational guidance and orientation towards my local community, my parish, and my family
For protection against scrupulosity and OCD-related anxiety as I am immersed in theological study
For deep spiritual enrichment and edification detangled from academic anxiety
That I may not grow desensitized to the beauty of the written word

For now, I am in the lull before the whirlwind, anticipating and planning and unsure. I will continue to rest and pay attention and absorb so that August will find me brimming.

Peace to you all,

Caroline