The Semi-Seminarian

Here's the video to this song. Go listen to it first. Come back listen to me. Then, go back and listen to it again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px8dzYR3vGw What if the soul you’ve been ashamed of is the one God calls “good”? In this week’s Theology in Three Chords , Pastor Jim Wilhelm breaks open “Dings” by Mike McClure—a quiet Red Dirt gospel that preaches peace over performance and testifies...

He wasn’t praying. He wasn’t repenting. He wasn’t even alive. But when his body touched the bones of a long-dead prophet, he stood up. In this week’s episode, we enter one of the strangest miracles in scripture—2 Kings 13:20–21—where resurrection breaks out not because of faith, but because of legacy. This isn’t just a Bible story. It’s a confrontation. A reminder. A whisper from the graveyard: Go...

Charlie Robison’s “The Preacher” tells the story of a man who thinks his sins were buried with the preacher who knew them. It’s funny—until it ain’t. In this episode, Pastor Jim takes us line by line through this darkly comic, theologically misguided anthem to reveal the deeper ache beneath the swagger: a desperate hope for absolution through secrecy instead of grace. But the gospel doesn’t come b...

“God helps those who help themselves.” It sounds biblical—maybe even sacred. But it’s not in the Bible. It’s not from Jesus. It’s from Ben Franklin. And it might be doing more harm than good. In this episode of The Semi-Seminarian , Pastor Jim Wilhelm traces the surprising history of this popular phrase—from ancient Greek fables to colonial common sense—and holds it up against the actual witness o...

In this episode of The Semi-Seminarian , we crackle through the static to sit with one of the rawest outlaw ballads ever penned: Tom Ames’ Prayer , written by Steve Earle. This ain't your grandma’s devotional—unless she wore a pearl snap shirt to Wednesday night prayer meeting and whispered grace between drags on a Marlboro. We take a verse-by-verse deep dive into this Red Dirt gospel confession,...

The Great Disappointment: Why Jesus Didn’t Return in 1844 In 1844, thousands of believers climbed hills in white robes, waiting for Jesus to return. He didn’t. In this episode, Pastor Jim explores the story of the Millerites , the roots of Seventh-day Adventism , and what the Great Disappointment reveals about faith, failure, and holy longing. Featuring scripture from Daniel 8 , Matthew 24 , and L...

Join Pastor Jim Wilhelm in this episode of The Semi-Seminarian as we journey through Randy Crouch’s surreal masterpiece, The Epic. This deep dive into the heart of Red Dirt music blends cosmic storytelling, outlaw theology, and lyrical analysis in true Theology in Three Chords fashion. From alien campfires to winged horses, discover how this psychedelic country-western odyssey reveals sacred truth...

You’ve heard them—“God won’t give you more than you can handle,” “Money is the root of all evil.” But what if those verses don’t mean what we think? Pastor Jim digs into four of the Bible’s most misquoted lines and plants them back in their proper soil. No shame, just deeper grace. Where scripture’s misread, mercy rewrites the story.

In this episode of Theology in Music , Pastor Jim unpacks “Gallo del Cielo” by Tom Russell—a border ballad wrapped in myth, memory, and blood. This ain’t just a song about a rooster—it’s a gospel of exile, inheritance, and a man who tried to claw back the past with nothing but a picture, a prayer, and a broken-winged bird. From the land thefts of Casas Grandes to the dirt ring in Santa Clara, this...

Backed into a corner? Stuck with no way forward? Join Pastor Jim for a virtual seat at Wednesday night Bible study as we explore the Red Sea—not just as a miracle, but as a pattern. Grab a cookie, sip some strong coffee, and discover what God does when the road ends but the promise doesn’t.

What if Jeremiah came home and his mama asked where he’d been? What if Isaiah sat at the kitchen table and said, “You really wanna know?” In this episode, Pastor Jim Wilhelm unpacks Bob Dylan’s apocalyptic ballad as modern-day prophecy. We trace each burning image through scripture — from crooked highways to poisoned waters — with deep theological insight, social critique, and a thundercloud of gr...

Forget the fish story. This isn’t your Sunday School Jonah. In this episode of The Semi-Seminarian, Pastor Jim dives deep into the raw, radical grace at the heart of Jonah’s tale—a story not about punishment, but protest. What happens when God’s mercy shows up for the people we’d rather He left out? With full Scripture, gritty theology, and a few splashes of stormy humor, this is Jonah like you’ve...

Join Pastor Jim on a front-porch tour of Bob Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited,” where an iron-fisted God meets the dusty road of Jim Crow, sharecropper blues, and gambler’s gambits. We’ll unpack five verses of divine drill sergeants, vagrant evictions, hollow patriotism, and Armageddon ticket-sales—and discover bite-sized insights for choosing compassion over compliance and justice over junk. Pull up...

Welcome, come on in. You've joined a little Southern country church Wednesday night fellowship dinner and now, it time for the Bible Study... In this episode, Pastor Jim explores the profound event of Pentecost, where the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles, marking a pivotal moment in church history. He delves into the biblical narrative of Acts 2, connecting it to historical roots from Mount...

Our Sunday Funday Music and Theology Episode. The week, Paul Simon's "Graceland". Listen to it first (and listen to it after): https://open.spotify.com/track/51KKQAgYFoJHgVIuJWHdHb?si=4566cb1429a046e0

We know Easter and, maybe, we know about Pentecost; but what did Jesus do in-between?

We're All Family, Here On Trial: The Theology of Dark and Dirty Mile by Jason Boland https://open.spotify.com/track/7bPGQJdYhiIWRG4B4miJP2?si=febb7e0c10894559

Holy Breakouts: Bible’s Greatest Jailbreaks and Escapes

Rebrand #1

Ash Wednesday service.

Daniel 3

Daniel 6

Hiding Our Hurts.

The Wages of Sin.

Self-deception Pt. 1