The Five Ways I Hope These Articles Will Be Helpful

For several years now I have been asked if I have a blog. Up until this moment, the answer was an unequivicoble “no.” Why? Because, I assumed there were many others who can say much better anything I would be tempted to write about.

So what has changed? Essentially I realized that, though this may be true, my unique experiences and ways of framing certain issues may benefit others. And so I decided to start writing. “Blog” seems to indicate more musings, but I want to write in a bit more detail to outline the contours of Christian thought on a range of issues. Therefore, while I may occasionally refer to these posts as “blogs,” I will usually refer to them as articles. 

My hope is to offer a relatively short post each week–I’ll shoot for 1000-2000 words (I find it very hard to do justice to a topic in under 1000 words). Yet since the average person reads about 250 words per minute, my posts should only take five to ten minutes out of your week!

Yet I’ll try to write relevant articles on issues that matter to us all as followers of Christ (in the 21st Century in the North American context–my limitations). More specifically, there are five ways I hope these articles will be helpful to others:

(1)  Learning to be a life-long learner, following Jesus’ greatest command to continually love God with all our minds. Much is written about loving God with all our soul, strength and heart, but somehow the mind is often left out in (not always, but often). I hope these articles will be part of correcting this imbalance, thereby opening exciting new vistas in your spiritual life.

(2)  Thinking Christianly about our work (sometimes referred to as “vocational stewardship”). Loving God with our minds naturally has implications for all we do, but we are tempted to bifurcate what we believe and how we do our jobs. This leads to emaciated spiritual lives and less-than-fulfilling work lives. I hope to share ways I see biblical truth informing our work.

(3)  Understanding the foundational issues undergirding contemporary debates. My academic training is in understanding these underlying philosophical issues. My hope is to translate this into applicable insights related to contemporary issues Christians often struggle with, helping you think and respond well.

(4)  Preparing students to flourish during their university years. I have spent the past 30 years in campus ministry, both among students and faculty, in the US and around the world. Through the years I’ve learned a few things helpful to those seeking to grow in their faith in the academic context. I hope some of what I’ve learned is helpful to you, your children or your grandchildren. [Update: Since I wrote this I’ve started a podcast specifically on how to flourish in both heart and mind during the university years—the College Faith Podcast. Check it out!]

(5)  Encouraging readers on the same journey by being honest about my own struggles and insights as a husband, father, ministry leader, and seeker of all that is True, Good and Beautiful. Proverbs 17:17  encourages us that “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

I am a deep believer in community— we need one another. Therefore after each article there will be an opportunity to respond—with a different point of view, a pushback on a point of disagreement, or a question or issue for further consideration. I hope the conversations which develop further sharpen us all.

Lastly, many topics will require more than one post. Therefore, if you are not interested in a particular issue that I’m currently posting on, please do check back in a few weeks for the next topic.

Welcome to the conversation!