Seminary Dropout

Here are the main points of this episode… My original intention was to pick SD back up in January, which is now just a few days away. Some of you may remember I did the same thing last year but then wound up not publishing until April. So in the last few weeks I’ve come to a cross roads in deciding what to do about SD. If you benefit from the content of SD, (which I assume you do if you’re listening to this), then don’t worry, I’m not planning on ending the show. However, I do have to make some changes. Seminary Dropout is time intensive. Because Seminary Dropout is time intensive, it takes time away from either working my day job, or spending time with my family and friends. As you may have guessed, I want to use Patreon to fund the next year of SD. Here’s how it’s going to work. I’m setting a goal of raising the dollar per episode amount from $66 to $100 per episode, and when we reach that goal, I’ll resume SD for 2018. So if you want to become a patron just go to supportseminarydropout.com and sign up. You can also go to that site if you want to see how close we are to the $100 goal. The amount raised will be show right on the front page. So there it is. Thanks for taking the time and if you want to become a patron today and fund SD into 2018, then please go to SupportSeminaryDropout.com and pledge today.

Hey Seminary Dropout listeners this is a very special episode in which I’m previewing the first episode of season 2 of OnRamp, my other podcast. If you’re not familiar, OnRamp is hosted by myself and my friend Kerri Fisher. It’s a podcast about issues surrounding race through the lens of Christian spirituality. It’s by no mean comprehensive in it’s scope and it’s not perfect in it’s execution. I by no means have these issues figured out. It’s just a conversation, and a conversation meant for those who want to understand these issues better, but don’t have a good place to start. This is meant to be a jumping on point or, an “on-ramp”. If you like Seminary Dropout then I think you’ll love OnRamp. You can help the show launch by 1. Subscribing in iTunes or your podcatcher of choice, and 2. Sharing this on social media. Thanks for listening and I hope that Christ meets you as you listen.  

*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org Our Sponsor: Sponsor a Child — At Compassion we take a committed, long-term approach to fighting child poverty. Our Holistic Child Development Model is made up of four comprehensive programs investing in children from the beginning of their lives until they’ve reached adulthood, and covering everything from prenatal care to university-level education. This Week on Seminary Dropout…   John Mark McMillan is something of an anomaly: an artist and Platinum-selling songwriter bending genres and defying categorization by carving out his own unique and independent path. With an ear for melody and a poet’s eye for metaphor, no topic has been off-limits. While each of his albums over the past decade have continued to explore new territory, it’s McMillan’s ability to give lyric and language to the human experience that many consider his greatest gift. Mercury & Lightning reminds us why we love great songwriters; The exceptional ones find a way to put new words to private musings and desperate feelings until the songs themselves begin to live in our bones. The vibe and tone from each song on Mercury & Lightning will mesmerize, but it’s McMillan’s voice that draws you in and makes you feel as though you’ve entered a conversation you want to stick around for. Recorded just outside of Portland, OR at Feng Sway Studios over 18 months with close friend Gabriel Wilson and longtime bandmate Jesse Proctor, this is the kind of record that your kid usually discovers before you do – something progressive yet accessible. Borrowing from their childhood influences, they bring elements of 80’s rock and 90’s R&B together, somehow making the record feel both modern and unexpected. -From johnmarkmcmillan.com If you liked this episode then you might also like… Seminary Dropout 94: John Mark McMillan on Making Money as a Christian Artist & More Seminary Dropout 51: Michael Gungor Talks Creation, Music, & Art. Subscribe/Rate/Review Seminary Dropout in iTunes

*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org Our Sponsor: Sponsor a Child — At Compassion we take a committed, long-term approach to fighting child poverty. Our Holistic Child Development Model is made up of four comprehensive programs investing in children from the beginning of their lives until they’ve reached adulthood, and covering everything from prenatal care to university-level education. This Week on Seminary Dropout… Amena Brown is an author, spoken word poet, speaker, and event host. The author of five spoken word albums and two non-fiction books, Amena performs and speaks at events from coffeehouses to arenas with a mix of poetry, humor, and storytelling. She and her husband, DJ Opdiggy, reside in Atlanta, GA.   Your soul holds a massive record collection: melodies, rhythms, and bass lines. Memories that ask you to dance and memories that haunt you in a minor key. Lies that become soundtracks to your days while truths play too softly to be heard. Spoken word poet Amena Brown’s broken records played messages about how she wasn’t worthy to be loved. How to Fix a Broken Record chronicles her journey of healing as she’s allowed the music of God’s love to replace the scratchy taunts of her past. From bad dates to marriage lessons at Waffle House, from learning to love her hair to learning to love an unexpected season of life, from discovering the power of saying no and the freedom to say yes, Amena offers keep-it-real stories your soul can relate to. The hurtful words of others and the failures of your past often determine what record you play the most in your mind. Those painful repetitions can become loud at the most inopportune time, keeping you from speaking up, pursuing your dreams, and growing closer to God. Recognize the negative messages that play on repeat every day in your mind. Learn how to replace them with the truth that you are a beloved child of God. And discover how to laugh along the way as you find new joy in the beautiful music of your life. -From the Publisher If you liked this episode then you might also like… Seminary Dropout 100: Jo Saxton on Post-Christendom, Discipleship, and Being a Woman of Color in Church Leadership 132: Jonathan Martin, Author of “How to Survive a Shipwreck: Help Is on the Way and Love Is Already Here” Subscribe/Rate/Review Seminary Dropout in iTunes

*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org Our Sponsor: Sponsor a Child — At Compassion we take a committed, long-term approach to fighting child poverty. Our Holistic Child Development Model is made up of four comprehensive programs investing in children from the beginning of their lives until they’ve reached adulthood, and covering everything from prenatal care to university-level education. This Week on Seminary Dropout… Tara Beth Leach is senior pastor of First Church of the Nazarene of Pasadena in Southern California. She is a graduate of Olivet Nazarene University (BA, youth ministry) and Northern Theological Seminary (MDiv). She is a regular writer for Missio Alliance and has contributed to other publications such as Christianity Today, Christian Week, The Jesus Creed, The Table Magazine, Reflecting the Image Devotional, Renovating Holiness, and most recently a chapter in The Apostle Paul and the Christian Life. She has two beautiful and rambunctious sons, and has been married to the love of her life, Jeff, since 2006. Throughout Scripture and church history, women have been central to the mission of God. But all too often, women have lacked opportunities to minister fully. Many churches lack visible examples of women in ministry and leadership. Tara Beth Leach, senior pastor of her denomination’s flagship church, issues a stirring call for a new generation of women in ministry: to teach, to preach, to shepherd, and to lead. God not only permits women to minister; he emboldens, empowers, and unleashes women to lead out of the fullness of who they are. The church cannot reach its full potential without women using their God-given gifts. Leach provides practical expertise for how women can find their place at the table, escape imposter syndrome, face opposition, mentor others and much more. Women who read this book will be inspired to use their gifts to edify the body of Christ and advance the kingdom of God. Men who read it will be inspired to embolden the women in their midst. When women teach, preach, lead, evangelize, pastor, and disciple, the church’s imagination expands to better reflect God’s story and hope for the world. -From the Publisher If you liked this episode then you might also like… Seminary Dropout 171 – Mandy Smith, Author of ‘The Vulnerable Pastor’ and Director of SheLeads 2017 Seminary Dropout 157- Tish Harrison Warren & Jonathan Warren: A Biblical, Historical, and Pastoral Defense of Women in Ministry Subscribe/Rate/Review Seminary Dropout in iTunes

*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org Our Sponsor: Sponsor a Child — At Compassion we take a committed, long-term approach to fighting child poverty. Our Holistic Child Development Model is made up of four comprehensive programs investing in children from the beginning of their lives until they’ve reached adulthood, and covering everything from prenatal care to university-level education. This Week on Seminary Dropout… Kelley Nikondeha is codirector and chief storyteller for Communities of Hope, a community development enterprise in Burundi, and cofounder of Amahoro Africa, an ongoing conversation between theologians and practitioners within the African context. In this compellingly readable book Kelley Nikondeha—adoptive mother and adopted child herself—thoughtfully explores the Christian concept of adoption. Her story and her biblically grounded reflections will give readers rich new insights into the mystery of belonging to God’s big family. -From the Publisher If you liked this episode then you might also like… 168 – Jared Patrick Boyd, Author of “Imaginative Prayer: A Yearlong Guide For Your Child’s Spiritual Formation” 5 Lessons Learned through Foster Care to Adoption Subscribe/Rate/Review Seminary Dropout in iTunes

*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org Our Sponsor: Sponsor a Child — At Compassion we take a committed, long-term approach to fighting child poverty. Our Holistic Child Development Model is made up of four comprehensive programs investing in children from the beginning of their lives until they’ve reached adulthood, and covering everything from prenatal care to university-level education. This Week on Seminary Dropout… The Welcome Wagon is a married couple, the Reverend Thomas Vito Aiuto and his wife Monique, who execute a genre of gospel music that is refreshingly plain. Their hymns are modest and melodic takes on a vast history of sacred song traditions, delivered with the simple desire to know their Maker—and to know each other—more intimately. Light Up The Stairs, continues The Welcome Wagon’s tradition of sacred material, while adding more songs that incorporate original lyrics. The album is an urgent, lively endeavor, largely made so by the work of producer Jeremy McDonald. If you liked this episode then you might also like… Seminary Dropout 112: Sara Groves on Depression, and Her New Album FLOODPLAIN Seminary Dropout 97: Jon Foreman on His Solo work, Switchfoot, and Fatherhood Subscribe/Rate/Review Seminary Dropout in iTunes

*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org Our Sponsor: Sponsor a Child — At Compassion we take a committed, long-term approach to fighting child poverty. Our Holistic Child Development Model is made up of four comprehensive programs investing in children from the beginning of their lives until they’ve reached adulthood, and covering everything from prenatal care to university-level education. This Week on Seminary Dropout… Dennis hails from New York City, by way of Washington, DC. He’s a learner and a teacher, a husband and a father, a pastor and servant. His BS degree is from Cornell (chemical engineering), his MDiv from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and both his MA and PhD (in Biblical Studies) are from The Catholic University of America. He has been in urban ministry for more than 2 decades, having started churches in Brooklyn, NY and Washington, DC and currently serving a congregation in Minneapolis, MN. He’s also been an adjunct seminary instructor for several years. Dennis is a Leading Voice for Missio Alliance. He likes to lift weights, ride his bicycle, play racquetball, play around on his saxophone and flute, eat, and read. And he has no witty thing to say as the final sentence of this bio. 1 Peter (The Story of God Bible Commentary) A new commentary for today’s world, The Story of God Bible Commentary explains and illuminates each passage of Scripture in light of the Bible’s grand story. The first commentary series to do so, SGBC offers a clear and compelling exposition of biblical texts, guiding readers in how to creatively and faithfully live out the Bible in their own contexts. Its story-centric approach is ideal for pastors, students, Sunday school teachers, and all who want to understand the Bible in today’s world. SGBC is organized into three easy-to-use sections, designed to help readers live out God’s story: Listen to the Story; Explain the Story; and Live the Story. -From the Publisher If you liked this episode then you might also like… 173 – Dennis R. Edwards, Part 1: on the Struggles of Being a Black Person in a Predominantly White Seminary as a Student & Professor, and the Difficulties of Truly Multicultural Churches Seminary Dropout 159 – Efrem Smith, Author of “Killing Us Softly: Reborn in the Upside-Down Image of God” Subscribe/Rate/Review Seminary Dropout in iTunes

*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org Our Sponsor: Sponsor a Child — At Compassion we take a committed, long-term approach to fighting child poverty. Our Holistic Child Development Model is made up of four comprehensive programs investing in children from the beginning of their lives until they’ve reached adulthood, and covering everything from prenatal care to university-level education. This Week on Seminary Dropout… Dennis hails from New York City, by way of Washington, DC. He’s a learner and a teacher, a husband and a father, a pastor and servant. His BS degree is from Cornell (chemical engineering), his MDiv from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and both his MA and PhD (in Biblical Studies) are from The Catholic University of America. He has been in urban ministry for more than 2 decades, having started churches in Brooklyn, NY and Washington, DC and currently serving a congregation in Minneapolis, MN. He’s also been an adjunct seminary instructor for several years. Dennis is a Leading Voice for Missio Alliance. He likes to lift weights, ride his bicycle, play racquetball, play around on his saxophone and flute, eat, and read. And he has no witty thing to say as the final sentence of this bio. Be sure to listen to part 2 next week as we talk about the commentary he’s authored, 1 Peter (The Story of God Bible Commentary). If you liked this episode then you might also like… Seminary Dropout 159 – Efrem Smith, Author of “Killing Us Softly: Reborn in the Upside-Down Image of God” Subscribe/Rate/Review Seminary Dropout in iTunes

*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org Our Sponsor: Sponsor a Child — At Compassion we take a committed, long-term approach to fighting child poverty. Our Holistic Child Development Model is made up of four comprehensive programs investing in children from the beginning of their lives until they’ve reached adulthood, and covering everything from prenatal care to university-level education. This Week on Seminary Dropout… Michelle Ferrigno Warren is the advocacy and policy engagement director for the Christian Community Development Association. She is an immigration, education, and human service policy specialist and is an adjunct faculty member at Denver Seminary. With over twenty years experience working in Christian community development, Michelle is a part of the national Evangelical Immigration Table and helps consult for the National Immigration Forum. She is a founding staff member of Open Door Ministries, a large community development corporation. Michelle, her husband, David, and their three children live in an immigrant neighborhood in Denver, Colorado. Noel Castellanos has worked in full-time ministry in Latino, urban communities since 1982, serving in youth ministry, church planting, advocacy and community development in San Francisco, San Jose and Chicago. He is chief executive officer of Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) and was the founding pastor of Chicago’s La Villita Community Church. In addition to being a popular speaker, Castellanos mentors young leaders across the United States and directs the CCDA Institute, training emerging leaders in the Christian Community Development philosophy. He was appointed to serve on President Obama’s Council for Faith and Neighborhood Partnerships and has served as the chaplain for the Chicago Cubs. He has a deep passion to serve and invest in the lives of leaders committed to serving the poor. Noel is the coauthor of A Heart for the Community and New Models for Urban and Suburban Ministry and has contributed to various other books and publications including Deep Justice in a Broken World, A Heart for the City, and Crazy Enough to Care. He and his wife, Marianne, have three children and make their home in the barrio of La Villita in Chicago. We can see evidence of injustice all around us, whether in continuing incidents of racial inequality or in the systemic forces that disenfranchise people and perpetuate poverty. It’s important to learn about the world’s inequities and to be a voice for the voiceless any way we can. But in an age of hashtag and armchair activism, merely raising awareness about injustice is not enough. Michelle Warren knows what is needed. She and her family have chosen to live in communities where they are “proximate to the pain of the poor.” This makes all the difference in facing and overcoming injustice. When we build relationships where we live, we discover the complexities of standing with the vulnerable and the commitment needed for long-term change. Proximity changes our perspective, compels our response, and keeps us committed to the journey of pursuing justice for all. Move beyond awareness and experience the power of proximity. -From the Publisher   If you liked this episode then you might also like… Seminary Dropout 170 – Russell Jeung, Author of “At Home in Exile” on Living in Solidarity with the Poor and Taking his Children Along for the Ride Seminary Dropout 158 – David P. Leong, Author of “Race and Place: How Urban Geography Shapes the Journey to Reconciliation” Subscribe/Rate/Review Seminary Dropout in iTunes