My Journey to Seminary
My reason for enrolling in seminary was a combination of two things, really. Over the past ten years working as a studio potter, I have travelled across the Upper Midwest with my small business, teaching, hosting pottery events, and sharing my testimony through my wheel demonstrations. During this time, the Lord began revealing to me some deep truths about his sovereignty, my relationship with him, and the transformative work he wanted to do in my life. The act of creating pottery became more like a spiritual discipline for me––a form of reflection and worship. From wedging, centering, and shaping clay, God began showing me some profound connections between a Christian’s journey of faith and clay.
The second part of my reason for enrolling was a lingering question that I just couldn’t shake. Who is the Lord going to raise up, among women across our Church of the Lutheran Brethren (CLB) congregations, to teach, encourage, and exhort the next generation of young women? This question started waking me up at night in the fall of 2022, so I decided to start praying about it and asking the Lord for answers. He reminded me of all the incredible women leaders in my life who have helped guide and shape my own walk of faith. I reached out to a few trusted mentors to discuss the direction I felt like the Lord was leading me. As it turned out, God was cultivating a call in my life.
My entire life has been impacted by the ministry of the CLB. I was born and raised as a CLB pastor’s kid in Cooperstown, North Dakota, where my father, Rev. Willmore Gundersen, served as head pastor for nine years. My mom, JoAnn, also a CLB pastor’s kid (Rev. Joseph and Alice Aarhus), served as a CLB missionary nurse to Cameroon, Africa. Along with my six siblings, I attended Hillcrest Lutheran Academy in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, and later served for a year in Noshiro, Japan, to teach English as a second language through Lutheran Brethren International Mission (LBIM). I met my husband Dan Lawson, also a CLB pastor’s kid, while attending college in Moorhead, MN, where I graduated with a B.S. in Art Education. We got married in 2006, and five weeks later moved abroad to Sendai, Japan, to teach English, again. We now live in Fergus Falls, where we are raising our four children and my husband teaches 7th grade math at the local public school. This year, I have embarked on two new experiences. In the fall, I started at Lutheran Brethren Seminary (LBS) as a graduate student in the Master of Theological Studies (MTS) program. Most recently, I accepted the position of Administrative Assistant to the President of LBS.
By pursuing an MTS at LBS, I have chosen to take a deep dive into examining and interpreting the Bible in its parts and in its whole. While in school, I will be learning how to articulate and apply biblical knowledge to the doctrinal teachings set out in Scripture and in the CLB’s Statement of Faith. Upon completion of the MTS, I intend to write women’s Bible studies for our CLB congregations and be involved in teaching, training, and equipping women of all ages for leadership across our denomination.
While I have been poured into by those around me, I have also had a lot of opportunities to minister to others. Every Thursday morning at 7:30 am at our local public school, I meet with a group of eight high school freshman girls for a 30-minute Bible study before their school day begins. We enjoy some kind of delicious breakfast food and open the Bible together. We read portions of Scripture out loud and discuss a few questions. We pray together, share concerns, and end our time. It is a real joy to see them growing in their knowledge, understanding, and relationship with Jesus. Since we meet at a public place, it’s easy for them to invite their friends and feel comfortable doing so. Spending my energy equipping, mentoring, and encouraging this next generation of young women (my daughters and their peers) is something I feel very passionate about.
As a Christian potter, I have seen God open many doors of opportunity to connect with a wide variety of people, businesses, and organizations in both the private and public sectors. Taking the next two years to study God’s Word allows me time (and space) for the Holy Spirit to speak new life into me. It will no doubt impact the way I demonstrate and communicate the correlation between the process of creating pottery and a Christian’s journey of faith. Through the lens of pottery, we can see our Creator (God), his purpose for us, and the process he uses in shaping us to become more Christ-like.
“Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand” (Isaiah 64:8).
Clay is ordinary and unremarkable. However, placed in the hands of a seasoned potter, it has the potential to become extraordinary. To work effectively with clay, it must become soft, pliable, and responsive to the creator’s touch. As a potter prepares to wedge the clay, impurities and irregularities are removed to make the clay workable and ready for “centering.” For believers, this is like aligning their lives with Christ, who provides stability and direction.
“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17).
The next step is crucial. As the wobbly clay begins to take shape, pressure is applied―stretching, molding, and refining begin to happen. This process can be uncomfortable, but necessary, in order for the vessel to take on its intended form. Simultaneously, a water-cleansing process is taking place, allowing the clay to move easily in sync with the direction of the potter’s hands. Christians often experience trials and challenges that test their faith, teaching them to lean on the Creator for direction, guidance, and reassurance.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).
Once the vessel has taken shape, the Creator refines flaws and imperfections, enhancing its beauty and the uniqueness of the form.
Finally, the vessel is ready for the firing process, where its durability and functionality will be established for pouring, serving, or holding. This beautiful transformation takes place in the concealed, isolated, intense heat of the kiln. All the vibrant characteristics, qualities, and features the Potter chose to display in us, his creation, must wait for―as we trust―the Creator to bring it to completion.
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Corinthians 4:7).
It is God alone, the Master Creator, who can shape us. I pray you can see his wonderful craftsmanship in your life today.
The second part of my reason for enrolling was a lingering question that I just couldn’t shake. Who is the Lord going to raise up, among women across our Church of the Lutheran Brethren (CLB) congregations, to teach, encourage, and exhort the next generation of young women? This question started waking me up at night in the fall of 2022, so I decided to start praying about it and asking the Lord for answers. He reminded me of all the incredible women leaders in my life who have helped guide and shape my own walk of faith. I reached out to a few trusted mentors to discuss the direction I felt like the Lord was leading me. As it turned out, God was cultivating a call in my life.
My entire life has been impacted by the ministry of the CLB. I was born and raised as a CLB pastor’s kid in Cooperstown, North Dakota, where my father, Rev. Willmore Gundersen, served as head pastor for nine years. My mom, JoAnn, also a CLB pastor’s kid (Rev. Joseph and Alice Aarhus), served as a CLB missionary nurse to Cameroon, Africa. Along with my six siblings, I attended Hillcrest Lutheran Academy in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, and later served for a year in Noshiro, Japan, to teach English as a second language through Lutheran Brethren International Mission (LBIM). I met my husband Dan Lawson, also a CLB pastor’s kid, while attending college in Moorhead, MN, where I graduated with a B.S. in Art Education. We got married in 2006, and five weeks later moved abroad to Sendai, Japan, to teach English, again. We now live in Fergus Falls, where we are raising our four children and my husband teaches 7th grade math at the local public school. This year, I have embarked on two new experiences. In the fall, I started at Lutheran Brethren Seminary (LBS) as a graduate student in the Master of Theological Studies (MTS) program. Most recently, I accepted the position of Administrative Assistant to the President of LBS.
By pursuing an MTS at LBS, I have chosen to take a deep dive into examining and interpreting the Bible in its parts and in its whole. While in school, I will be learning how to articulate and apply biblical knowledge to the doctrinal teachings set out in Scripture and in the CLB’s Statement of Faith. Upon completion of the MTS, I intend to write women’s Bible studies for our CLB congregations and be involved in teaching, training, and equipping women of all ages for leadership across our denomination.
While I have been poured into by those around me, I have also had a lot of opportunities to minister to others. Every Thursday morning at 7:30 am at our local public school, I meet with a group of eight high school freshman girls for a 30-minute Bible study before their school day begins. We enjoy some kind of delicious breakfast food and open the Bible together. We read portions of Scripture out loud and discuss a few questions. We pray together, share concerns, and end our time. It is a real joy to see them growing in their knowledge, understanding, and relationship with Jesus. Since we meet at a public place, it’s easy for them to invite their friends and feel comfortable doing so. Spending my energy equipping, mentoring, and encouraging this next generation of young women (my daughters and their peers) is something I feel very passionate about.
As a Christian potter, I have seen God open many doors of opportunity to connect with a wide variety of people, businesses, and organizations in both the private and public sectors. Taking the next two years to study God’s Word allows me time (and space) for the Holy Spirit to speak new life into me. It will no doubt impact the way I demonstrate and communicate the correlation between the process of creating pottery and a Christian’s journey of faith. Through the lens of pottery, we can see our Creator (God), his purpose for us, and the process he uses in shaping us to become more Christ-like.
“Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand” (Isaiah 64:8).
Clay is ordinary and unremarkable. However, placed in the hands of a seasoned potter, it has the potential to become extraordinary. To work effectively with clay, it must become soft, pliable, and responsive to the creator’s touch. As a potter prepares to wedge the clay, impurities and irregularities are removed to make the clay workable and ready for “centering.” For believers, this is like aligning their lives with Christ, who provides stability and direction.
“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17).
The next step is crucial. As the wobbly clay begins to take shape, pressure is applied―stretching, molding, and refining begin to happen. This process can be uncomfortable, but necessary, in order for the vessel to take on its intended form. Simultaneously, a water-cleansing process is taking place, allowing the clay to move easily in sync with the direction of the potter’s hands. Christians often experience trials and challenges that test their faith, teaching them to lean on the Creator for direction, guidance, and reassurance.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).
Once the vessel has taken shape, the Creator refines flaws and imperfections, enhancing its beauty and the uniqueness of the form.
Finally, the vessel is ready for the firing process, where its durability and functionality will be established for pouring, serving, or holding. This beautiful transformation takes place in the concealed, isolated, intense heat of the kiln. All the vibrant characteristics, qualities, and features the Potter chose to display in us, his creation, must wait for―as we trust―the Creator to bring it to completion.
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Corinthians 4:7).
It is God alone, the Master Creator, who can shape us. I pray you can see his wonderful craftsmanship in your life today.
Christine Lawson is a student at Lutheran Brethren Seminary while serving as Administrative Assistant to the President of LBS.
Posted in Faith and Fellowship Magazine, Lutheran Brethren Seminary
Posted in 2025-01, Lutheran Brethren Seminary
Posted in 2025-01, Lutheran Brethren Seminary
1 Comment
I am so very proud of my daughter-in-law and thrilled that God has called her to serve him in such a unique and special way! Looking back on her journey its clear that in all the many paths she has wandered down God remained faithful and has lead her in way that she should go.