Davidson College made us take a class that served as an introduction to academic writing. My professor was fantastic. One thing she continually reminded us has stuck with me. Here’s my faithful paraphrase… “Present your opponent’s argument in words they would use. Present it in such a way that, if they heard you, they would nod their head in agreement.”…
Since completing my M. Div. program I’ve been often asked what I found most helpful or impactful. My response is always the same, and it’s always met with some surprise: church history. Studying church history has been the most spiritually formative exercise of my seminary program, outside of regular Bible reading. Here are four things that happen when we look…
Let us pray.Almighty God, source of wisdom and truth, giver of all good gifts,We humbly ask you to guide and bless the men and women of this Legislature,That they may lead our beloved state as servants; Servants who care for the least of these, Servants who honor and respect all people made in your image;Servants who are peace-makers, truth-lovers, promise-keepers, bridge-builders, and…
Exodus is a masterpiece. Its epic narrative has gripped hearts and minds for untold generations. No story has been more foundational for Jewish identity, and no story points more dramatically to the coming redemption in Jesus, the Christ. As Christians, then, we look back at Exodus through the cross of Christ and mine its depths to learn more of the…
The recent death of a Christian missionary on a remote Indian island has garnered much attention from news outlets and sparked a bit of a firestorm on social media. If you’re unfamiliar with the story, you can learn a bit more about it here. I’m not particularly interested in defending John Chau’s presence on a restricted island among the Sentinelese…
I never leave the country and return the same. On a basic, anthropological level, travel changes us. New people, new cultures, and new ideas confront us in profound ways when we leave the safe confines of familiarity. But the Lord has repeatedly used cross-cultural experiences in my life to do more than broaden my cultural horizons. This afternoon, exhausted from…
Several years ago the Mountaineer basketball program was in a rough spot. Having failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons, Coach Huggins knew he had to do something to restore pride in the program and return to national relevance. And that something, as Mountaineer folklore goes, would be the full-court press. If you were going to beat West…
These are exciting days in the life of our church. On Sunday, September 9, we’re moving to the Capitol Theater in downtown Charleston and beginning the process of planting our first parish, Risen City Church, on the West Side. We’ve been laying theological, missiological, and ecclesiological foundations for the life of our church over these last several weeks. If you’re…
The Lord has been faithful over the last few years to guide our church into health and growth. Today I’m excited to share a vision for multiplication and some exciting developments to that end. One of our deepest desires at Rez is to plant new churches from new believers. We want our church to grow, but more importantly, we want…
Finals, papers, etc. for the seminary semester are finished, so I can turn my attention to writing that won’t be graded. (At least not by professors…) A few weeks ago I introduced the paradigm shift our church has undertaken. We’ve been moving from a “come and see” paradigm to a “go and tell” paradigm. Check out my last post for…