My wife and I got married December 7, 2002. January 1, 2003 we moved a thousand miles away from everyone we knew to pursue a degree at Boyce College.

In my ignorance to college life and how it works, I applied to school for an AA degree. I thought you finished the AA and then went for the BA or BS after you finished the first. Last Friday, I graduated with an AA in Biblical and Theological Studies from Boyce College the undergraduate school at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Did I? Is an AA legitimate? Is it something to be proud of? I have thought a lot about that. As I sat in the chapel last week during rehearsal I realized I had to be crazy to think otherwise. Yeah, it took five and a half years. Yeah, I am thirty three (almost thirty four) and only have an AA degree. You know what? We did it. Five and a half years, two kids, and a couple of wild jobs later, we did it.

It’s a first step. It’s a milestone. More than the schooling it is a milestone for us as a family. It’s been a lot of hard work, hours, and sacrifice. But we did it. I have plenty of life ahead of me and I really look forward to getting back to school and working further. In the meantime, we are grateful to God for his grace and mercy. I am going to focus on serving the church for a while. I miss just praying with folks.

Without further delay…the “piece of paper.”