Saturday, August 25, 2007

Good (non-musical) Listening

Maybe it's because of a long daily commute or the introduction of the iPod into my life, but I've spent a lot of time over the past year downloading and listening to podcasts, lectures, sermons, and other non-musical things. It may also be an indication that I am boring, but if I have to be boring I may as well go about it in an exciting way. So here are some links to websites that (in my humble opinion) have really good stuff to offer to help keep us all sharp:

Center for Christian Study (University of Virginia, Charlottesville). If you are ever driving through Virginia, make sure to stop in Charlottesville and at Center for Christian Study which is nestled into UVa's "grounds" (http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifas they insist upon calling them). Their bookstore is heavenly. For now, download some of their lectures.

Intercollegiate Studies Institute. My employer (up until yesterday). For the more conservative, libertarian, and agrarians among you, their extensive lecture library is online and downloadable in audio and video formats.

The Gospel Coalition
. Check it out. This is a great site. Enough said.

Tim Keller Resources (from Steve McCoy at Reformissionary.com). If you have never listened to a Tim Keller sermon, you're missing out. I can't tell you how much these sermons have shaped the way I think and (I hope) the way I live the Kingdom lifestyle.

Veritas Forum Media. This is a great organization doing good work on top college campuses across the country. The lectures range from extremely dull and dry to captivating. I recommend John Stott, N.T. Wright, or Bill Edgar on Jazz and Rock.

Second Presbyterian Church Sermon Podcast. I'm not sure how to link to an iTunes podcast, but you should definitely listen to Sandy Wilson.

I haven't really needed to download sermons from my very own home church. Since tomorrow is my last Sunday there for a while, though, I plan on starting. You should consider it too.

I think that's enough for now. Hope you take a look at some of these. What podcasts do other people listen to all the time? Let me know.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007


Well it's been a little while since my last blog post. Between vacation in Ocean City with my family and vacation in Jackson Hole with Rebekah's family, there hasn't been much in the way of extra time. On top of all of that, there's been a pretty significant change in my "career development" that has happened so quickly that I've barely had time to take it all in.

On August 30th, I will begin a position as an Undergraduate Admissions Counselor at Wheaton College. So that means I'll be leaving my job at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute and the City of Brotherly Love and moving back to Chicagoland after a little over two years away. It is at once very exciting and a little overwhelming for me and Rebekah. She is working on lining up a job in the Wheaton area (any leads would be much appreciated!) and we both have a lot of work to do in the next two weeks.

Funny-ish sidenote: During a phone interview with the director and assistant director of admissions, I was in Wyoming at a MUCH higher altitude than usual. The air was a little thin. So on top of the usual interview jitters, I occasionally sounded like I was running up stairs with a pile of cinder blocks on my back while trying to answer their questions.

Anyway, that's what's up. It will be sad to leave my family, my church, my Philadelphia friends, and my youth group kids. But even though it's hard to leave, I have seen God's hand of guidance through this whole process. This is the right move to make. I'll try to be a bit more regular about posting on this site. In the meantime, call or email me if we haven't talked for a while and please pray. More to come soon!