How do we ignite a passion for prayer in our lives, and how do we sustain it over the course of a lifetime? In other words, how do we start praying and then never stop? This 12-hour course will integrate insights from the narrative arc of Scripture, the Lord's prayer, Jesus’s prayer life, the desert mothers and fathers, and the medieval mystics, all from the perspective that God can and will meet us dramatically in our day to day lives through prayer practices. Students will feel inspired to enter the place of prayer and will be equipped to sustain an ongoing practice of prayer for many years. Topics include hunger for God, silence and solitude, fasting, intercession, Sabbath, and cultivating a praying community. Please email me to request sample notes & sessions.

How do we know with certainty what God has called us to do? This 12-hour course is designed to help us discern how God is inviting us to participate in His redemptive mission in the world. The word vocāre is the Latin word for “call” and is where we get the English word “vocation.” This represents the primary thesis of this course — that are callings are heard, not willed or chosen. We will lean and in and listen to the call of God on our life through on the many call narratives of Scripture, our personal stories, our unique identities and giftings, and our sense of the Holy Spirit’s ongoing guidance in our life. Topics include a biblical theology of vocation, vocational discernment practices, hearing God in our stories, the role of community in vocational discernment, and how our vocation fits in the Great Commission. Please email me to request sample notes & sessions.

It’s no secret that we are in a crisis of biblical literacy in the West. This 12-hour course is designed to lead students into an encounter with God through Scripture that will equip and empower us to think in Scripture-saturated ways. Topics include how the Bible came to be, who wrote it, the translation process, how the Bible has been interpreted by various traditions and streams throughout history, as well as theological themes such as the imago dei, the mission of God, covenant, kingdom, authority, identity, obedience, exodus, exile, temple, and power. We will then apply the story of Scripture to think theologically about contemporary ethical questions such as biblical sexuality, missions, and other topics. Please email me to request sample notes & sessions.