My Seminary Life

It's that time again! It's Fish Frydays! In this episode, Joshua Noel of The Whole Church and Systematic Geekology joins the show to discuss what Pope Francis had to say for this year's Lent. Josh and I wrestle with what the Pope is encouraging the Catholic church to do this season, and we also give our thoughts on the homily versus the standard low-liturgical style of preaching Whole...

This is it folks, the final paper.  In this episode, I discuss my final paper on how the church can better love the LGBTQ+ Community.  I discuss the differing views on the topic of homosexuality and transgenderism, what the word "agape" means, and how the church can begin to show love to a group of people that they do not agree with.   Website: https://myseminarylife983333216.wordpr...

It's a very Irish edition of Fish Frydays!  Happy Saint Patrick's Day!  As we are all enjoying our corned beef and cabbage while listening to some Irish punk music, let's discuss who this man is that we are remembering today.  In this episode, I discuss who Saint Patrick was, how he was indeed a real person and not a myth or a leprechaun.  I go over the known history of Saint P...

We did it! We have made it to the 100th episode of My Seminary Life! It has been an incredible journey over the past two years to get to this point.  In this episode, I am joined by Joshua Noel of The Whole Church Podcast and Systematic Geekology to discuss what to do when you face roadblocks when you want to be serving in ministry.  Specifically, how to do ministry when you cannot get t...

Time to talk about one of the biggest ongoing topics within the church, social justice.  What place, if any, does social justice, Critical Race Theory, and being Woke have in the church?   What role does justice play in the active life of a believer?  In this episode, I begin a very introductory conversation that points out many of our flaws in how we think about these topics.&...

Should we fast?  Why should we fast?  In this episode of Fish Frydays, we look to Scripture to better understand why fasting is an important part of our spiritual growth.  We take a tour through Scripture to see how fasting is not only expected, but provides intimacy with God and growth for the believer.  I also discuss how fasting and Sabbath rest have been dismissed by Christ...

We live in a new world, and the church needs to be ready to minister in this new world.  In this episode, I reflect on Bob Whitesel's book "Growing the Post-Pandemic Church" to see what he thought ministry was going to be like beyond 2020.  What adjustments would the church need to make to keep ministry alive and meet the needs of their communities?  Find out in today's episode!&nbs...

It's Fish Frydays! Starting a forty day fast can seem a little overwhelming, that's why it is important to get prepared ahead of time!  So, how do I get prepared for a forty day fast?  What do I need to think through logistically before giving up something I love for a long period of time?  And what's up with Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras?  I talk about all of that in this week ep...

As we talk about modern issues in the church here on Local Church Ministry, one topic that always seems to going around the church is worship music ministry.  In this episode, I am joined by my brother Unofficial Producer Bradley to discuss his experience with being a worship director.  He gives us insight into some of a difficulties facing churches in this area, resources that have help...

It's Fish Frydays! Throughout the Lenten season, I will be sitting down each Friday to discuss what Lent is and how it shapes our faith.  In this episode, I address the question of what is Lent?  Is this just a Catholic church thing?  What practices and disciplines are done during Lent?  How did we get this practice since it is not taught or observed in Scripture?  All tha...

A few weeks ago I hosted the first ever MSL livestream hangout on Facebook.  There were some technical difficulties, mostly user error, and so the audio version of the special ended up being very different from the actual livestream itself.  So, consider this a special Extended Edition of the livestream, featuring roughly seventeen extra minutes of me talking about current events!  ...

The early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 felt a lot like the wild wild west.  There was much uncertainty as information changed frequently and science took a while to catch up with our needs.  In today's episode, Pastor Will Rose joins the show to discuss three things that he learned about ministry from those early days of the pandemic.  Will and I also discuss some of our fa...

Welcome to Local Church Ministry! The final class is here! In this episode, I kickoff this series by discussing how this class is different from the version I took in undergrad.  I also discuss the general differences that exist between the many generations and how the church can generally think about these groups and how to best minister to them.  I also highlight what other topics are...

Should we be praying persistently for justice?  How should the church be engaging justice?  How should I be praying for justice?  In today's sermon out of Luke 18:1-8, I walk through the parable of the persistent widow to help us understand that we believe in a God who cares about justice and wants us to pray to Him for it.  I also address some ways you can begin to pray for justice in your prayer...

How do we bring the whole family together to sabbath?  In today's finale to Roots of Sabbath, Brandon is joined by Rachel Fahrenbach of Simply Sabbath to discuss ways to bring the family together to rest in a way that glorifies the Lord.  Rachel shares her story of feeling burnout and how that lead her to research sabbath rest.  She also shares with us additional resources, her Five...

After several episodes on the theology and philosophy of Sabbath rest, what should we do now?  In today's episode, I discuss the basic practices that we can adopt into your lives to have a healthy Sabbath rest.  How can we Sabbath worshipfully, restfully, and with fun in mind?  How can we bring the whole family into the resting process?  And what have I been up to on my Thursda...

In today's episode, I slow things down to discuss why bother talking about Sabbath at all. If we are no longer required to keep the Law, then why does it matter to observe a Sabbath rest? I discuss why keeping a Sabbath is a lost spiritual discipline and I discuss how the Ten Commandments is a construct.

If keeping a sabbath day is so important, then what happens if we don't keep it?  Why does keeping a sabbath day matter to people who are under grace in Jesus not under the Law?  In today's episode, I explain what happens when we don't take a sabbath rest.  Not taking a sabbath shapes our identity in a way that God did not intend for us to be shaped, find out more now!  Website...

What is time? In this episode, we continue the Roots of Sabbath series by discussing our relationship to time.  Is time a currency to spend or invest?  I also discuss how taking a day off allows us to find more fulfillment in the work that has been done, and reframe our thinking on our relationship with our work and on God as our provider.   Website; https://myseminarylife983333216....

What is Sabbath?  In this episode, we kickoff our brand new series Roots of Sabbath by taking a stab at a beginning definition of what Sabbath is.  Here I introduce three aspects of what Sabbath rest entail that has nothing to do with not mowing your lawn on Sundays.  Over the course of the month, we are working to find a fuller, healthier, more biblical understanding of what it mea...

What do you say when you know this is goodbye?  In this sermon on the Great Commission, I discuss what Jesus had to say to His disciples one last time before He ascended.  We look at the meaning behind some of the details that we often skip pass in this passage, and I dig deeply into the words of Jesus and how they are for all believers and not just missionaries.  Website: https://m...

It is time to celebrate!  It is the My Seminary Life 2022 Holiday Party, featuring The Whole Church and Systematic Geekology's very own Joshua Noel!  He is here to talk about why he thinks they celebrate Christmas in Narnia.  What significance does Christmas play in the story of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe?  Why do Christians now seem to have a problem with Santa but...

Does the plain reading of Scripture really makes the most sense, or are there times when our cultural mores affect how we read and interpret Scripture?  Can two different cultures read the same story but draw different conclusions from the story while still being faithful to the text?  In this episode, I discuss these questions and more as I reflect on the book "Misreading Scripture with...

How do you love your neighbor? Does loving your neighbor look different in each culture? Also, what's a case study?  In this episode, I run down a few of the case studies I had to work on for my intercultural ministry class and the next steps that I think the church needs to take as a result.  We need to learn how to love in a multi-cultural way.  Website: https://myseminarylife9833...

What is it like in Uruguay?  What are some of the cultural differences between the US and Uruguay?  What is God doing over there?  In our second missionary interview, I talk to my old college buddy Nate Harley about what it has been like for him serving in Uruguay as an Associate Pastor for the past five years.  Nate walks us through some of the challenges and advantages of the...