My Seminary Life

College is a time for many things, including romance. I went to a college that was all about Ring by Spring. I could not get a date to save my life. Here is an honest reflection of the mistakes I made then, and things I still struggle with now, when it comes to relationships.

In this episode, I talk about the balance between being a major in Biblical Studies with a minor in Communications.  Hear the tale of me being a part of a failed internship, and staring in one of the greatest commercials ever created.  I also discuss how God used my classes to help me better understand Him as a near Father who cares about us.  Follow the show on Facebook and Instagram, @myseminarylifepod Contact the show, [email protected] Check out our new store, https://my-seminary-life-store.creator-spring.com/

This month on OneMoreThing, Joshua Noel of The Whole Church Podcast and Systematic Geekology is back to share some of his college stories.  From learning about his mental health, to beating up bushes, to getting chips and queso during a hurricane, Josh gives us the good, the bad, and the ugly moments of college.  He also reveals what his favorite energy drink is!  If you are new to the show, you can find My Seminary Life on Facebook and Instagram @myseminarylifepod and you can email the show at [email protected] You can check out what Josh is creating at systematicgeekology.org and https://the-whole-church-podcast.captivate.fm/

As we wait the start of a new class, join me over the next several weeks as I tell my stories from my college days.  Hear the good, the bad, the ugly, and the God moments.  In today's episode, I talk about why I chose Grace College and what it means to start a new journey.   You can contact the show at [email protected] Follow the show on Facebook and Instagram @myseminarylifepod

We've hit episode 50!  In this episode, we say goodbye to Ministry Administration(!), and hello to my new baby son!  I give some of my final thoughts on Administration, including a controversial statement on budgeting, and then I share my experience with the birth of our son.  Before we go, I highlight what is to come this summer with "College Stories" and "Ministry Communication", plus I announce the soon launching Patreon and merch store for the show!   You can find My Seminary Life on social media, @myseminarylifepod on Facebook and Instagram You can contact the show at [email protected]

In the "controversial" episode, I talk about why legal guidelines for a church is important, but I spend most of the time talking about why I don't understand why Christians feel the need to justify basic common sense ideas with Scripture.  This then gets more derailed as I talk about how Christians don't like utilizing wisdom because as humans we prefer "yes" or "no" answers.  Wisdom is an underutilized gift that is free given by God, stop trying to twist Scripture to justify things that make sense on their own. 

In this bonus episode, my friend/pastor/boss Scott Erwin joins the call to discuss what is professionalism, what role does it play in church ministry, and why is it seen by some to be a bad thing.  Scott also gives us an update on what he has been reading lately.  

Do you have a hard time getting volunteers at your church?  If that is the case, drop into today's episode where I talk about some of the keys your may be missing to get volunteers. From Ministry Fairs to polishing your pitch, you do not just have to make a desperate plea from the pulpit to get volunteers for your ministry. 

What is even going on in this class?  Ministry Administration is "teaching" us the importance of doing ministry efficiently so it can effectively get done.  One way they are teaching us is by having us flex our graphic design skills.  In this episode, I talk about some of these graphic design assignments I have had to work on, and then give my pitch for why every church needs to have a Digital Media Ministry.  

Worship projects for Lent are few and far between. Nathan Drake of Reawaken Hymns has filled that worship gap with his latest project Hymns of Lent. Nathan and I discuss how these songs came together and how they guide us during the Lenten season. Nathan also talks about some of his geeky hobbies too!

For class this week I had to take a quiz to determine my spiritual gifts.  In this episode, I react to my quiz results, state my opinion on spiritual gift quizzes in general, and spend some time wondering where in the world this concept even came from.  

We did it!  We've made it a whole year, and to celebrate, we've got a packed show.  First, a walk down memory lane of all the different ways I've opened the show.  Then, I talk the business, business, business end of things and how you all can help decide how the ministry will expend in 2022.  Finally, my wife Claire hops in the episode to discuss her experience with Lent this year.  Thank you all so much for making this show possible! 

What is administration?  Some people may see it as a dirty word from the business world that has crept into the church.  Other's may go as far as to idolize it for the sake of keeping the church running.  Today, in our kickoff to the class Ministry Administration, I will be doing a word study on the roots of this word to better understand its place in a church or ministry no matter its size.  

In this wrap up of Systematic Theology 2, I give my final thoughts on the class as a whole, do my own theology mental gymnastics talking at the Fall in Genesis 3, and give you the first update on Batmanpalooza.

There for a while, End Times Media like Left Behind was really popular in most Christian circles. In this bonus episode, Joe Dea of Buddywalk with Jesus joins me to discuss those medias, the affect they have had on Christianity, and what place eschatology should have in a believer's life.

Eschatology, the study of the end times, can be difficult.  In this episode, I break down my understanding of the vision given to Daniel of the 70x7's specifically looking at the six events listed in verse 24.  I also discuss some delicious Spanish food I had for dinner recently, and our ever exapnding social media empire! 

Today we take a deeper look at why we need unity among church denominations with special guest Josh Noel of The Whole Church Podcast.  Also in this episode, Josh shares his testimony, we discuss the need for online church media, and Josh gives his thesis on why we need a Captain Planet reboot! 

It seems like a no brainer, what is the church?  However, we often need to remind ourselves of the basics of what a gathering of disciples of Jesus is suppose to look like.  So in this episode, I talk about those basic roles and how the church got started in the first place.  I also briefly give highlights from last week's youth winter camp I was a part of.  

If God does all the heavy lifting in salvation, then why does He not make us perfect after salvation?  Why am I not perfect?  That's the big question I had to wrestle with this week in Systematic Theology II.  Also in this episode, I highlight this past week's Relevant Thursday article, and talk about local weather conspiracy theories. 

Total Depravity is one of those terms that you hear tossed around by pastors and theologians, but what does it really mean? Is it biblical? How does it effect my walk with Jesus? All this and more in today's episode!

Today we define what a soul and spirit is, try to wrestle how the two are different, and how that affects how we relate to each other and ourselves.

Today we are wrestling with the big philosophical question, what is a human? Do humans have to sin in order to be human? What do we learn from Jesus on what it means to be human?

Today, we are defining what theology actually is.

Systematic Theology is back for another round, and this week we returned to square one again of what is theology. I focus on how the study of theology is everyone and we need it for continued growth in the church.

Happy holidays everyone! Thanks for an incredible year! Join the party as I recap the year, look forward to 2022, share some of our Hanukkah traditions, and invite a special guest to talk about Advent!

In the conclusion to Discipleship Methods, I give my thoughts on the class itself, and highlight three great quotes from Greg Ogden's "Transforming Discipleship."

How do we shape the emotional life of a believer through discipleship? The first step is actually very simple! How high of a priority should Christians have on counseling? All this and more in this episode!

In this episode I discuss what pastors need to do to get biblical discipleship going at their church.

Should discipleship take place in a one-on-one setting or in a group? What does the Bible have to say about this? What can we learn from our personal experiences on this subject? Is this worth dying on a hill about? All this and more in today's episode.

It's one thing to study discipleship, it is another to take an honest assessment of your own home church in this area. In this shoot podcast, I give you my honest evaluation of my home church from an interview I conducted with our pastor.

What are the 8 hindrances to discipleship? Greg Ogden in his book "Transforming Discipleship" lays them out for us and I give some incite into how they affect the church.

In this episode I talk about what then is discipleship, and how does it work in the church today?

What is discipleship? All this quarter I am going to be answering that question. In this episode I discuss what discipleship is not to help us better understand what it is.

I conclude our study of Systematic Theology 1 with a look at demons and Satan, and how we need to better understand the Scriptures to learn about then.

In this episode I run down the five views on who "the sons of God" are in Genesis 6:2 and why this passage matters to our Christian life.

Spiritual gifts are a common source of confusion in the church. In this episode I take a simple look at four passages of Scripture to help us better understand the gifts of the Spirit

This week I take a closer look at Philippians 2:7 and how it relates to our understanding of the nature of Jesus.

What is hypostatic union and why does it matter to our faith? That's the topic we tackle in today's episode!

In this week's episode I sit down to discuss what the Trinity is in light of Scripture and how we can better illustrate this doctrine to others.

What is the Bible? How did the authors of the Bible write it? How did the canon of Scripture come together? These are all the questions that we wrestle with in today's episode!

The fall semester has begun and we are starting things off hot with an in-depth look as to why all Christians should be studying Systematic Theology and what it is exactly.

In the final episode in the Revisiting My Old Sermons series, I tell the story about the first time I got to preach at the Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago, and I run down a sermon that is full of Bible verses.

In this episode I tell you the story about a time I competed in a preaching competition, and give you some of my thoughts looking back at that event.

In this episode I revisit an old Sunday School lesson on the book of Jonah, and tell the bittersweet story of why I was available to teach that morning. Make sure to stay all the way till the end of this episode...

In this episode I revisit my first sermon, "My Savior, My God" and tell the story about a time when the youth group at my church lead the Sunday evening service.

Today I kick off our new series as we revisit some of my old sermons by sharing with you all my testimony and some encouragement from God's Word.

In this episode I discuss how if we are Edmund in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe then we must be Edmund in Prince Caspian and the rest of The Chronicles of Narnia.

This week I discuss what Lewis has written on miracles and their relationship to science and the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty. I also rant for a bit on why I think we don't see more miracles in the West.

Today we take an honest look at what Lewis wrote about grief, embarrassment, shame, and suffering.

Sit back, get cozy, for a poetry slam episode of MSL as we talk briefly on a number of topics that come up in the poems of C. S. Lewis. We also discuss the importance of art, creativity, and imagination in the work of the Kingdom.