As a college freshman, Scott Burns was my Resident Director. Scott was a 6’5″ man’s man who knew everything about hunting, fishing, poisonous insects, and indigenous bushes. When he walked the halls, guys flocked to him. But above all these things, “Burns” was known for one particular quality. I later heard that he had committed to pray consistently … More What Every Young Man Needs
For a kaleidoscope of reasons, we often assume that lament implies doubt. We assume that crying out to God in our pain is somehow an inherent indictment against his character and our faith. We’re fearful or ashamed of expressing our frustrations, our complaints, and our sorrows to him — for a tapestry of reasons that … More Trusting God Enough to Lament
Each week, it seems, I experience a class session that seems magical — filled with intellectual tension, unbridled curiosity, stimulating questions, rich spontaneity, and seemingly life-shaping learning. I inevitably walk away with my mind racing over fresh terrain and new ideas, rejoicing in my God-given role as lead learner. Of course, growth is mainly measurable over time, … More The Magical and the Mundane
The satirical Babylon Bee could and does write handfuls of articles about worship leaders. Apparently there’s a lot of material to work with. They’re mocked for their skinny jeans, their black-frame glasses, their chronological snobbery, their hipster tendencies. Or they’re knocked for their old-guard mentality, their antiquated ways, their refusal to get with the times whether … More The Sacred Teaching Task of the Christian Worship Leader
Consider this reflection a heap of stones piled purposefully along the path as a memorial to the faithfulness of God. The email reads: Dear David, We received your follow-up documentation, and we have processed a refund in the amount of $246.46, which we believe represents your reasonable expenses. The check will be mailed via U.S. … More He Always Provides: $246.46 and the Faithfulness of God
In Colonel David Hackworth’s tome of a military memoir, he sums up the leadership philosophy of Colonel Glover S. Johns from a farewell speech in the winter of 1962. Hackworth’s memoir is pagan through and through, and not a book I would recommend across the board. But his 25-year, 110-medal military career illustrates countless principles gleaned … More The Leadership Principles of Colonel Glover S. Johns
Bryan Baise is a beloved professor at Boyce College, soon-to-be PhD in philosophy, husband to Danielle and father of three, and my friend and office neighbor. When I was in Student Life, students talked constantly about his classes, and I always found him deeply compassionate and wise when we worked together to help students who … More “He Withholds No Good Thing from Us”: Marriage, Miscarriage, and the Goodness of God (by Bryan Baise)
ASKED: A New Feature This semester I’m teaching 230 students in four biblical counseling classes at Boyce College, the undergraduate school at Southern Seminary. CN101a: Introduction to Biblical Counseling CN101b: Introduction to Biblical Counseling CN201: Methods of Biblical Counseling CN481: Counseling Skills Development I Depending on time and topic, students ask 10-20 questions per class, and many … More ASKED: Should a younger Christian ever correct an older Christian?
Last night I got some terrible news about a close friend. After the phone call, there was nothing to do but pray. We gathered our kids downstairs, told them what had happened, and did what Christians do when death, sorrow, and pain lacerate the soul: we spoke to God. Three of the kids wanted to … More The Prayers God Loves
Father of all light, Son of all wisdom, Spirit of all power, Humbly we come before you, our Creator, and humbly we confess our double blindness: sin and ignorance. You are wisdom, but we are folly. You are truth, but we are error. You are light, but we are darkness. Send us rays of your … More A Trinitarian Prayer for Learning
Welcome to the blank page of your next chapter. Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life. Welcome to Southern Seminary and Boyce College. Our campus is abuzz this morning. The graduate students were getting oriented all day yesterday, and hundreds of you new college students and your families are preparing to blitz … More A Blank Page and a Good Father: Welcome to Southern Seminary and Boyce College
Every generation of Christians must study and apply the Scriptures afresh in order to hear the voice of God speaking by his Spirit to his church through his Word. Wisdom does not neglect past interpreters, teachers, and authors; we lean on them for insight and wisdom as we dialogue with the dead. But we must always “bake … More Book Review: A Commentary on the Psalms, Vol. 3 (90-150) by Allen Ross
It can be hard to be productive with all the productivity tools flying around us. Everyone has a seven-step process for prioritization or an intriguing taxonomy of tasks or a S.M.A.R.T. way of doing things. I appreciate these tools and benefit from many of them, but there reaches a point where addition becomes distraction. You can spend so … More Aim Straight and Chip Away
What makes ministry effective? How are people changed? What has the greatest impact? In the annals of war, certain leaders and strategies and weapons get the most attention: the tanks and the bombers, the gold and the generals, the noble sacrifices that rightly earn chests of medals and leave loud legacies ringing out to the far … More Seven Secret Weapons in Ministry
Dear Boyce College Graduates, It’s nearly midnight on the eve of your graduation. Your families, friends, and professors will soon awake with excitement as we prepare to watch you flow into Alumni Memorial Chapel in full regalia. You’ll enter to pomp and circumstance, with heads high and smiles broad, before rightfully receiving the sacred symbols of … More Join the Dawn: A Charge to the Graduates of Boyce College
Last Saturday I ran my first half-marathon: 13.1 miles through downtown Louisville with 12,234 other sweaty and soaked participants of all ages, genders, shapes, and speeds, some running the full 26.2-mile course and others, like me, taking the easy route. The gun fired at 7:30am, and the sneakered masses flooding the lettered corrals on Main Street … More The Long Run: Reflections from a Half-Marathon
davidagundersen.com 