I wear many hats. I am a mom. I am a wife. I am a student. What you may not realize, though, is that I actually have another job that you may not be aware of. I have gotten quite good at it, and I’m thinking that maybe I should expand my client base and make a little money at it. What is my job, you wonder? I call it Seminary Support Service…or SSS for short.

You see, not only is my husband a seminarian, but my best friend, Amy, is also currently in seminary. Everyone gives their kudos to the seminarians themselves. It’s a hard thing to do. Hours upon hours of theology, leadership classes, reading, studying, and not a lot of sleeping. However, I want you guys to know that I have put in many SSS hours.

When you’re writing a paper on Hope Focused Marriage Counseling and you’re drawing a blank, what do you do? You call on your wife to lend a little SSS, and she helps you get some ideas for your paper at ten o’clock at night. You’ve been up since four o’clock in the morning, you have a paper due in a few hours, your kids have to be taken to school, you haven’t eaten a proper breakfast, and you’re starting to freak out, what do you do? You call for some SSS from your best friend at six in the morning, and she prays with you to help calm you down. You’re tired, you’re burnt out, and you’re overburdened with the end of the semester, what do you do? You request some SSS in the form of a neck rub, a little small talk, and then someone to listen to you talk through your term paper frustrations. You have a Martin/McGee exam coming up, and you need someone to quiz you/listen to you, who do you call? You call your SSS provider, that’s who.

Friends, seminary is tough, and not just for the seminarian. I have listened to church history till my mind has went literally numb, and my head automatically nods and my eyes fight to not glaze over. I’m sure you just had a twinge of sympathy for me, but, friends, let me elaborate on that point a little. My husband goes to a Baptist seminary. My best friend goes to an Assemblies of God seminary. They both need to talk about their denominational history classes. Are you following me? Chris is Baptist. Amy is Assemblies of God. I am listening to both Baptist AND Pentecostal history. I can tell you about the differences between Southern Baptists, Freewill Baptists, and General Baptists, turn around, and tell you about the Azusa Street Revival. All in the name of being a good wife and a supportive best friend.

My seminary support services go beyond just being a listening ear and a late night study partner. I can do one thing that may even be more valued than a shoulder rub. I, my friends, can read. Yes. I can read.

Last week, as Amy dropped off her kids and drove to her school, I read aloud over the phone one of the last two chapters of the book she had to read before her class that day. She joked that she was going to send me copies of all of her books she had to read. Today, because he’s a slow reader and needed a break, I read aloud a chapter of Chris’ book he is reading for one of his classes. That is SSS at it’s finest. Chris sighed a happy sigh when we finished, and said he got more out of that then when he reads to himself. He said that he would buy all of his books as audio books if they were available and not so expensive.

It was then that a light came on. I could start my own Seminary Support Service business. I could make a ton of money reading to poor, tired, overworked seminarians. I could even record myself. I could make my own audio recordings. Yes! I could be the originator of the Audio Book Black Market!

Someone has to help the seminarians.

It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.