{"id":2021,"date":"2018-10-24T14:01:33","date_gmt":"2018-10-24T19:01:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/?p=2021"},"modified":"2018-10-24T14:01:33","modified_gmt":"2018-10-24T19:01:33","slug":"alumnispotlight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumni Spotlight: Bob Kessler"},"content":{"rendered":"
Meet Bob (pictured with wife, Anne, a current GST student)! Read on to learn more about his time in the GST and how he is using both his masters in psychology and Master of Divinity(M.Div.).<\/div>\n
\"\"<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
What degree(s) did you pursue at ACU and what year did you graduate?<\/b><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I first came to ACU in January 2009 to earn a masters in psychology, which I completed in 2011. To make a long story shorter, I fell in love with church history and ministry while at ACU and felt called to pursue some formal education in Biblical\u00a0Studies. I finished my M.Div. in 2016. It is possible to complete an M.Div. and another ACU master’s degree simultaneously, but I did mine sequentially with a short break between the two.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

Where are you currently working and what is your role?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/b>I currently practice as a licensed psychological associate, using my master’s in psychology. I also volunteer at Highland Church of Christ where I serve on the Missionary Care Team and recently joined a team working to restructure the current small-group system. I also enjoy writing the curriculum for the church’s weekly small groups. I am currently in the process of applying to doctoral programs in clinical psychology where I hope to study pastor care and the integration of psychology and the life of the church.<\/p>\n

Do you feel like the GST prepared you for your current role? If so, how?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/b>Absolutely, yes! My time in the GST was challenging, but enjoyable and tremendously formative. I am a more competent, literate minister for having delved into the scriptures, developed a critical, informed theology, learned and practiced ministry under the tutelage of gifted, experienced ministers. I cultivated my passion for spiritual disciplines and the life of the early church and feel more aware of both my own church tradition and the ways I can competently serve<\/p>\n

What is one of the most valuable lessons you learned in the GST that served you well after you graduated?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/b>I learned a great many things in the GST. In addition to the obvious (biblical languages, history, theology, etc.) I learned what it means to be<\/i> a minister; to be continually formed and led by the Spirit. I was taught how to attend to those entrusted to my care and serve the church graciously and effectively. These lessons will continue to serve me as a follower of Christ, and I believe will serve those I am charged for in ministry.<\/p>\n

Please share a piece of advice for current students.<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/b>Always ask how what you are learning can be applied in ministry. Whether systematic theology, an ancient language, your text classes, etc., aways ask “What does this mean for the church today?” and “how can I be formed as a person of faith through this course of study?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Also, check out a video where Bob outlines important factors to consider when choosing a seminary here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Meet Bob (pictured with wife, Anne, a current GST student)! Read on to learn more about his time in the GST and how he is using both his masters in psychology and Master of Divinity(M.Div.). What degree(s) did you pursue at ACU and what year did you graduate? I first came to ACU in January […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12095,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alumni"],"yoast_head":"\nAlumni Spotlight: Bob Kessler - ACU Graduate School of Theology<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Bob Kessler graduated from ACU with both a Master of Divinity and a Master of Psychology. Find out where he is using the tools he learned at ACU & the GST.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Alumni Spotlight: Bob Kessler - ACU Graduate School of Theology\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Bob Kessler graduated from ACU with both a Master of Divinity and a Master of Psychology. Find out where he is using the tools he learned at ACU & the GST.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ACU Graduate School of Theology\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-10-24T19:01:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/files\/2018\/10\/Bob-Anne-Oak-Island-NC-490x368.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Emily Childers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Emily Childers\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Emily Childers\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/#\/schema\/person\/b68d50d21d68163c8da6afda32aca991\"},\"headline\":\"Alumni Spotlight: Bob Kessler\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-10-24T19:01:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/\"},\"wordCount\":497,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/files\/2018\/10\/Bob-Anne-Oak-Island-NC-490x368.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Alumni\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/\",\"name\":\"Alumni Spotlight: Bob Kessler - ACU Graduate School of Theology\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/files\/2018\/10\/Bob-Anne-Oak-Island-NC-490x368.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-10-24T19:01:33+00:00\",\"description\":\"Bob Kessler graduated from ACU with both a Master of Divinity and a Master of Psychology. Find out where he is using the tools he learned at ACU & the GST.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/files\/2018\/10\/Bob-Anne-Oak-Island-NC-490x368.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/files\/2018\/10\/Bob-Anne-Oak-Island-NC-490x368.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Alumni Spotlight: Bob Kessler\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/\",\"name\":\"ACU Graduate School of Theology\",\"description\":\"Join us as we grow in knowledge and understanding, in greater service of the church.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/#organization\",\"name\":\"ACU Graduate School of Theology\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/files\/2017\/12\/GST-Logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/files\/2017\/12\/GST-Logo.png\",\"width\":1422,\"height\":703,\"caption\":\"ACU Graduate School of Theology\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/#\/schema\/person\/b68d50d21d68163c8da6afda32aca991\",\"name\":\"Emily Childers\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/544cccd1c2f5a6c89d519fd63936ef3faf4b1bcac1d86bad78544ba40c5fd473?s=96&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/544cccd1c2f5a6c89d519fd63936ef3faf4b1bcac1d86bad78544ba40c5fd473?s=96&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Emily Childers\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/author\/ejg14a\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Alumni Spotlight: Bob Kessler - ACU Graduate School of Theology","description":"Bob Kessler graduated from ACU with both a Master of Divinity and a Master of Psychology. Find out where he is using the tools he learned at ACU & the GST.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Alumni Spotlight: Bob Kessler - ACU Graduate School of Theology","og_description":"Bob Kessler graduated from ACU with both a Master of Divinity and a Master of Psychology. Find out where he is using the tools he learned at ACU & the GST.","og_url":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/","og_site_name":"ACU Graduate School of Theology","article_published_time":"2018-10-24T19:01:33+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/files\/2018\/10\/Bob-Anne-Oak-Island-NC-490x368.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Emily Childers","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Emily Childers","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/"},"author":{"name":"Emily Childers","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/#\/schema\/person\/b68d50d21d68163c8da6afda32aca991"},"headline":"Alumni Spotlight: Bob Kessler","datePublished":"2018-10-24T19:01:33+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/"},"wordCount":497,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/files\/2018\/10\/Bob-Anne-Oak-Island-NC-490x368.jpg","articleSection":["Alumni"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/","name":"Alumni Spotlight: Bob Kessler - ACU Graduate School of Theology","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/files\/2018\/10\/Bob-Anne-Oak-Island-NC-490x368.jpg","datePublished":"2018-10-24T19:01:33+00:00","description":"Bob Kessler graduated from ACU with both a Master of Divinity and a Master of Psychology. Find out where he is using the tools he learned at ACU & the GST.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/files\/2018\/10\/Bob-Anne-Oak-Island-NC-490x368.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/files\/2018\/10\/Bob-Anne-Oak-Island-NC-490x368.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/alumnispotlight\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Alumni Spotlight: Bob Kessler"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/","name":"ACU Graduate School of Theology","description":"Join us as we grow in knowledge and understanding, in greater service of the church.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/#organization","name":"ACU Graduate School of Theology","url":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/files\/2017\/12\/GST-Logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/files\/2017\/12\/GST-Logo.png","width":1422,"height":703,"caption":"ACU Graduate School of Theology"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/#\/schema\/person\/b68d50d21d68163c8da6afda32aca991","name":"Emily Childers","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/544cccd1c2f5a6c89d519fd63936ef3faf4b1bcac1d86bad78544ba40c5fd473?s=96&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/544cccd1c2f5a6c89d519fd63936ef3faf4b1bcac1d86bad78544ba40c5fd473?s=96&r=g","caption":"Emily Childers"},"url":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/author\/ejg14a\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12095"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2021"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2021\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2027,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2021\/revisions\/2027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/acugst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}