As a professor I have two major professional requirements: I have to know my subject area, and I have to be able to teach that subject to others. My love for the New Testament—my chosen subject—was the primary force which drove me to enter academic ministry, and it continues to be a source of excitement for me in my day to day life.

When I first came to seminary from the University of Georgia, I had intended to pursue ministry as a pastor. I grew up attending fairly small churches, and most of them had a limited staff: usually a pastor, a youth minister, and a music minister. My entire conception of how to serve God with my life was oriented around that three-role paradigm; it was really all I knew. Based upon what I knew about myself and what I knew about those roles in ministry, I felt that being a pastor was the best choice for me.

The academic year is quite different from other calendars. First, most all academic matters are based on a year that runs from summer to summer. For example, at DTS where I teach, our academic year begins with a faculty retreat which takes place in mid to late August. When the notices go out about carpooling to Pine Cove, I know that the fall semester is about to begin. On the other end, once commencement takes place in early May, I finally feel like the year is done. Unfortunately, I usually still have lots of grading to do, so it tends to drag on a bit!

As a junior faculty member at DTS with just a little over three years teaching experience, I am still getting my sea legs when it comes to classroom teaching, researching, grading, and all those other tasks that come with the job. I have found some elements of my work to be more difficult than I anticipated, while other things come easily. Some aspects of my work have been personally trying, while others have brought great joy. Thankfully through it all the Lord has been gracious to me, and I have seen him work both in my life and the lives of my students for his glory.