PhD Dissertation Defence Success!

On Wednesday evening this week I successfully defended my PhD dissertation. It was one of the more unusual experiences of my life, mainly because of how it happened: I finished eating supper in our dining room, walked to my closet, picked a nice shirt, sat down at my computer, clicked the Zoom link and "Voila!" I was instantly transported into a Zoom room with five examining professors and a sixth who chaired the meeting. Half the group were people I had either never met or met only once and the other half were committee members I had chosen three years ago. After being peppered with questions for close to two hours it came to an end and I passed!

I've been thinking about the people that helped me along the way. I doubt anyone finishes a PhD without an enormous investment from others. Here's a small selection of my supporters:

My wife and two kids. This degree should be awarded to them too. Their unwavering faith, patience, and profound kindness toward me while I was in the dark days of writing still astonishes me. 

Mom and Dad: My longest tenured fans. I had to say goodbye to my Dad at the halfway point of this venture. Mom is still cheering. When I was young they set me free to do whatever I wanted and believed in me. What a gift.

Doug: My brilliant Aussie supervisor. He knows more about everything than anyone I've met. Even though every one of his emails has at least one word I have to look up, he never made me feel dumb for my limited vocabulary and knowledge. He was exactly what I needed in a doctoral mentor.

Sam and Aleks. Two St. Mike's friends that are part of my PhD cohort. In person or on Zoom, their curiosity and jesting filled me with hope and laughter.

BMCC. The church my wife and I co-pastored throughout much of my program. What a gracious, warm, fun, and godly community. From Betty's cookies to conversations with Xavier, this community brought life and love to my family.

Bob. My chaplain supervisor. What an exceptional human. His kindness, understanding, compassion, and care gave me the space I needed to finish the research and writing. I could not have finished without him.

Friends. Too many to list. Friends from Owen Sound, the church in Hanover, and others along the way. Their words of encouragement and prayers carried me to the finish line.

Thank you to all who provided support and care along the way. We did it!