education

The Necessity (or Lack Thereof) of Seminary

July 2, 2019 by Garrett O’Hara

Some no-longer-recent Twitter discussion on at least two different threads centered around the necessity or usefulness of seminary. As one who has gone through an entire Th.M. program without a call to ministry, let alone ever being employed by a ministry, I thought I might add my two cents in long form. Is Seminary Essential […]

Chuck Ivey

By God’s grace, Chuck Ivey grew up in a Christian home and came to know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at a young age. He has been married to his wife Ashley for 20 years. They have seven high energy children by adoption (yes seven), also by God’s grace. Chuck works full time in local law enforcement as an investigator and chaplain. He serves as a deacon and teacher at Beech Haven Baptist Church in Athens, GA. Chuck is a graduate of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where he earned a Masters of Theological Studies. Coffee and books are involved. You can follow hi...

George Alvarado

George Alvarado is an almost retired member of our Armed Forces (yes, he's older than he looks). He has a beautiful wife, a very tall son, and currently teaches at Pilgrim Bible Church in Washington. He is also an author, blogger, apologist, evangelist, and podcaster. He loves spending time with his family and friends, traveling, photography, and continuing his studies in linguistics and theology.

Garrett O’Hara

Garrett appears to have originated the term, but not the theology, "dispybapticalvinistic-expialidocious." He is a husband, a father of four children, a U.S. Navy veteran, and a semi-truck driver. He also holds a Th.M. in New Testament paid for mostly by the Post-9/11 GI Bill (don't tell Mikey Weinstein).

Allen Nelson IV

Allen S. Nelson IV is the pastor of Perryville Second Baptist Church in Perryville, Arkansas. He and his wife Stephanie have been married since 2006 and have 5 children. Besides enjoying time with his family, Allen loves teaching the Bible, reading good books, and time outdoors. He is the author of From Death to Life: How Salvation Works and Before The Throne: Reflections on God’s Holiness He is an avid Dallas Cowboys and Arkansas Razorbacks fan, which means he's always excited about 'next year.' You can follow him on twitter @cuatronelson.

Michael Coughlin

Michael Coughlin lives near Columbus, OH, and leads local outreaches to glorify our Lord and reach the lost with the gospel. Michael’s joys are spending time with his dear wife and children, programming computers, and studying and discussing God’s Word. He is a member of Covenant Bible Church.

Trying Times, Faithful God

I wrote recently about a difficult experience in my first pastorate that ended with me finding no other way out but to resign (See: Young, Restless, and Unemployed). My ideas of preaching the Word, seeing a church revitalized, and staying for the long-haul where dashed in only twelve months. In today’s post, I’d like to […]

The Line of the Promised One

If you had never heard of the book of Ruth before and then read it for yourself one day, you’d be forced to say it ends rather surprisingly. I’m not talking about the marriage of Ruth and Boaz, although that’s surprising enough in itself. I’m talking about how the book actually ends: with a genealogy […]

The Christian Letter Project – Augustine to the Lady Felecia

The Christian Letter Project at ThingsAbove is about exposing our readers to one of the greatest traditions in our Christian history: writing letters! It is our goal to publish one each Monday. We are not endorsing everything found in each of these letters nor every doctrine held by those who wrote the letters. We hope […]

I Still Believe: Official Movie Review (No Spoilers)

I Still Believe Jeremy Camp is a singer and songwriter who is popular in the Contemporary Christian Music scene. I believe his music is more Christ-centered and explicitly Christian than most of what is produced in the 21st century under the heading of “Christian.” To my knowledge, he hasn’t disqualified himself or brought public reproach […]

Uncle Tom (movie review)

Uncle Tom Movie Review From https://www.uncletom.com/ An Oral History of the American Black Conservative In a collection of intimate interviews with some of America’s most provocative black conservative thinkers, Uncle Tom takes a different look at being black in America. What’s It All About? Uncle Tom is a series of interviews in a documentary-style format […]

It Hurts Right Here

The Problem A few months ago I developed a tightness in my right Achilles tendon when squatting. When I would hit the bottom of a squat, I would feel a burning sensation where the tendon attaches to my heel. Realizing it was not correct, I stopped achieving full range of motion, and began to treat […]