Originally, almost 10 years ago now, I was going to go to Bethel University. Our parent church back in California ( Emanuel Faith Community Church in Escondido, CA ) and the church we ended up at in MN ( Clarity Church a church plant in Brooklyn Park, MN ) are both associated with the Converge Conference family of churches. To me this meant Bethel was the obvious choice – In theory… When we arrived in Minnesota, I explored going to Bethel. While the location was good, the cost was out of reach at the time. ( and still might be… )
A few years ago, I applied for and received a partial scholarship to Colorado Christian University. With that scholarship I attended for a year to see if that would work out. The 100% online curriculum of their distance learning program, was both flexible and well designed. However, it was not a good learning environment for my learning style. In general, I can work with an online class, but I need an in-person group ( cohort ) to discuss the lessons and concepts with in order for me to fully absorb the info.It has been a couple of years since I was officially a student, but once again I feel the tug on my heart to teach and propel the effort found here at CalebStrong.Org into “The Strong Foundation” ministry ( and possibly “Foundations Church ) it should become. However, I feel the need to earn a theology degree for the purpose of leading a church or christian organization. While I feel I am informed and prepared to teach, I still am aware that there is much I need to learn before I submit myself to the process of ordination. Additionally, though I have experience starting businesses and even running them, a non-profit ministry is a completely new animal for me to handle.
So Here I Am, counting the cost of building this tower, in pursuit of a plan. I have evaluated some Universities and Colleges and have decided to give it an, “all in”, wholehearted try. I looked for a school that is local so that distance wasn’t an excuse. I wanted to find a cohort so that accountability wasn’t excuse. I searched for a program that wasn’t filled with classes like literature 101, so that relevance wasn’t an excuse. I even found a program that was a combination of online and night classes so that time and schedule were not an excuse. Finally, I found a program that allows me to earn a certificate, then an 2 yr ministry degree, then a 4 year, etc… so that length of the program wasn’t an excuse…My only obstacle is now financial. It will cost me between $8,000 and $16,000 a year after all fees and books and tuition. This is a big range only because what I can afford determines the program I can pursue at this time. If I go for the certificate program first it’s about $8k.
I have learned a lot about myself in the last few years: – I have learned that I am damaged emotionally and I have many scars. – I have learned that how I coped with this in the past has not healed those wounds, but I’m able to heal when I help others. – I have learned that I come alive when I get to come along side others as they learn the Foundations for family, work, and life in community. – I have learned that I am at my best when I am helping others create a Strong Foundation in Jesus. But I have also learned, ( and if you know me at all, you probably already knew this ), that I have a problem asking for help. – So this is kind of new for me. –We are constantly told by scripture, that we are not suppose to do life alone. We are built for community. And I realize I can’t do this without support. I am asking for help to make this happen.
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– I’ll need help creating a plan. – I’ll need help with financial support. – I’ll need help with emotional and family support. – I’ll need help with driving my two teenagers (our son and our international student) when I have to be in class or take on another consulting gig so we can afford to pay the bills AND tuition. – I’ll need help studying and talking about what I have learned or I am trying to learn. I want to build something that will last, but I need to learn how to do it. Please help, if you can. Thanks for reading. May Jesus have His way with your day – Gary C –Gary Cartagena is a dedicated husband and father Founder of the Men’s Leadership site: CalebStrong.org Co-Founder of the online Bible study app: BibleCounts He is Founder and consultant for Tek Management
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