The Little Engine That Could, the Good Samaritan, and the Inborn Law of Love

September 24, 2010

Have you ever noticed that the classic children’s story The Little Engine That Could bears a remarkable resemblance to The Good Samaritan?  There are many recensions in its long history and several layers of morals involved, but the version I read to Judah on Tuesday night speaks volumes to a fundamental matter of the human psyche and the human condition. The little … More The Little Engine That Could, the Good Samaritan, and the Inborn Law of Love

The End of the Last Word

September 22, 2010

One interesting (and horrible) thing about the endless tidbit discussions encouraged by contemporary written media is that the wonderful concept of the last, striking, unanswerable word is virtually unattainable.  We’ve reached, at least in some settings, the end of the last word. You know that 15-comment Facebook discussion packed with lowercase one-liners where everyone’s channeling their inner debate team champion and … More The End of the Last Word

Kind-of Confessions

September 15, 2010

Yesterday afternoon former USC running back and 2005 Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush took the unprecedented step of forfeiting the award for the best college football player of the season and returning the trophy to the Heisman Trust.  I can still picture some of his spell-binding runs during that captivating year that culminated in the … More Kind-of Confessions

Homeless, Human, and the Breaking of the Dawn

September 13, 2010

On Saturday morning 61 students from Boyce College headed out to the Jefferson Street Baptist Center in downtown Louisville to engage the homeless, serve the center, and learn more of the gospel.  This homeless shelter has roots reaching back to 1888 and the post-conversion ministry of former riverboat gambler Steve Holcombe.  It’s now run by a Southern Seminary … More Homeless, Human, and the Breaking of the Dawn

Notes from the Ph.D. (1)

September 10, 2010

I’ve been deliberating about how to share the twists and turns of my Ph.D. journey without turning this site into an academic center.  One of my solutions is to regularly share collections of notes, snippets, and observations from my seminars and studies.  If an experience prompts more full-orbed reflection, so be it.  But most often I will simply … More Notes from the Ph.D. (1)

See You at the Top

August 23, 2010

My Good Friend, At many points in our academic journey together, we will meet surprises, obstacles, setbacks, and disappointments.  Some will be merely annoying.  Others will be devastating.  We will be overwhelmed, overworked, and overworried.  We will theorize about “balancing life” and will do our best, but such balance will remain an ideal, a mystery, … More See You at the Top

The Classroom and the Crucible

August 16, 2010

My semester class schedule is now finalized.  I’ve already completed the initial online course consisting of nine brief online lectures introducing us to the Southern Baptist Convention and its main funding mechanism, the Cooperative Program.  On Thursday I completed the helpful Graduate Research Seminar, the introductory course for all doctoral and Th.M. students which centers on research and writing.  And Friday, … More The Classroom and the Crucible

Full of Blessing

August 12, 2010

Once again I sit upstairs beneath the vaulted ceilings of the Honeycutt Center on the campus of Southern Seminary.  The room is still a bit warm from the day’s heat, the lounge has mostly emptied, and the friendly cleaning guy is bellowing hello to the few remaining students as he cleans tables and empties trash cans.  For the past … More Full of Blessing

New Kid on the Block

August 2, 2010

I’m sitting in the sprawling Honeycutt Center on the campus of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.  It’s around 11:30pm Eastern Time, the majestic campus has been hushed by nightfall, and the crickets have picked up where the cicadas left off.  This is my first post from “Loua-vull,” and if this new Ph.D. program … More New Kid on the Block

The Incredible Journey

July 20, 2010

Three weeks ago, we were packing up the last of our belongings, saying final goodbyes to friends and co-workers and church family, madly finishing up projects to prepare for the new Dean, and preparing for our cross-country move into the next season of our lives.  Three weeks from now, I’ll be exploring a brand new … More The Incredible Journey

The World Cup and the Wonder of Humanity

June 30, 2010

Like some of you, I watched the United States’ national soccer team on its hair-raising journey into the quarterfinals of the ongoing 2010 World Cup.  By allowing opponents to score within the first ten minutes of every game, the team ensured a tournament journey filled with tension and drama.  Yet by producing comeback after comeback, … More The World Cup and the Wonder of Humanity

Training Young Pastors to Shepherd Women

June 25, 2010

A couple months ago I was informally asked to give my thoughts on how seminary professors can train their seminary students to lead in areas that are theologically and practically important for women.  In other words, how can (male) pastors learn how to better shepherd the women in their congregations and to provide healthy and relevant guidance to their … More Training Young Pastors to Shepherd Women

Gunner at GAP

June 21, 2010

There are some things you just never dream of doing.  There are other things that you’ll only do if opportunity beats down your door with a sledgehammer.  And sometimes both kinds of things hit you all at once. So what happens when you combine the cost of living in Southern California, the upcoming bill for a … More Gunner at GAP