Another Class I Missed in Seminary...

Apparently I missed a lot of classes in seminary. For example, the day I was supposed to learn to read a blueprint for a new building or a remodel- I missed that day. Another day I missed- how to help the mentally ill. I am currently working with some that have been diagnosed as bi-polar. I have read some of the literature and have some understanding of the disease. But where was I the day my professors discussed how to share my faith with folks who are afflicted with this disease? Where was I the day my professors talked about helping these people deal with the side effects of the potent drugs they often are prescribed?
These past few days I have been privileged to work with some mentally ill folk. Helping them is exhausting. They are under a doctor's care, though like many, they insist on self-medicating. It is wearying work.
I must have missed the day the class discussed leading a church in transition. My people are wonderful and they have put up with several false starts on my part. Trying to chart a course through the cultural environment must have been covered on one of those days I missed.
Now, I am not complaining about my seminary education (well, just a little perhaps). I received an excellent education at Golden Gate and am learning more than I ever wanted to know about Turabian at Southern Seminary (honestly, I have enjoyed my interaction with my professors and staff at Southern and have learned much about my self and the field of study represented in my doctoral project). I do wonder sometimes if we as Southern Baptists are adequately preparing men and women for ministry in the real world. I know a couple of the presidents of our seminary's personally and truly believe that they have a genuine passion to help students learn of God and His ways. I also realize that no seminary education can truly prepare one for all that a person might encounter along life's path.
The longer I am in ministry the more I realize I have yet to learn. At least my seminary education taught me how to be a life long learner. So, I've got some catching up to do on mental illness...(that which others have...my own mental state is a perpetual state of confusion...!)
Steve