@ninaschmidgall

Master of Ministerial Leadership, check! Scores of books read, thousands of words written, hours of class discussions. Done! This specific program (Executive MAML) was built for seasoned pastors. Because of that, our engagement with the material and our class conversations were were so rich. This small group of us were assembled by the incredible @alanehler just at the start of the pandemic. It was the Lord’s perfect timing! We wrestled together during a critical moment in the history of the church. We had to re-learn how to lead under new conditions. We shared heartbreaks and victories. I have never been more encouraged for the future of the church, led by people who love the Lord so fully. It wasn’t without challenges. Our kids were home learning for the first year of the program and our team was adjusting to pastoring with our doors closed by local ordinance. My program included quite a bit of travel which is what made our relationships in the cohort so connected. But it meant Joel had to manage the homefront without me each time. He took one for the team so I could take this on during a challenging season. We have a sign on the wall of our home that says, “In this family, we do hard things.” One motivation for pursuing the degree was that my kids would see me through a new challenge. My family saw me pull very late nights, miss opportunities with friends, complete papers and projects that stretched my thinking and skill. Over the past few days of commencement, so many people have shared kind words, saying, “I am so proud of you!” I am proud of me too! Hearing those words so many times reminded me of their power. I resolve to declare them to others in my life more frequently. When you do your next hard thing, I am going to celebrate big! I will be so proud of you too! #dcschmidgalls @seuniversity