Jeremy Pierre

“Our faculty hold you to a high standard, but they walk with you as you meet it.” — Dr. Ayman Ibrahim, Director of Doctoral Studies A PhD should be demanding. At Southern Seminary, you’ll know the path from your first seminar to your dissertation defense, and who is guiding you at every stage. Our PhD students complete their degree at more than twice the rate of our peer institutions, and more Southern Seminary PhD graduates teach at ATS-accredited schools than those of any other evangelical institution. The standard is high because the calling is high. Learn more at sbts.edu/phd

For Prof. Trevor Coleman, worship leadership is about more than planning a service. The songs a church sings shape its affections, its understanding of God, and its identity in Christ. In the classroom, Prof. Coleman teaches worship leaders to think carefully about how God’s Word informs the songs they choose and the services they lead. But one priority rises above the rest: learning to love the people they serve. That love should shape how worship leaders care for their congregations, especially through seasons of change. Get to know Prof. Coleman, whose teaching points worship leaders back to the people standing in front of them and the Christ they have gathered to worship.

“The churches that sing best are the churches where the senior pastor deeply cares.” Last week, hymn writer Keith Getty joined Jeremy Pierre and Trevor Coleman at The Bookstore at Southern to talk about singing in the life of the church. His charge to future pastors was simple: take responsibility for what your people sing. Give them songs that span the whole counsel of God, sing with them, and care about it. As Getty put it, a great song “you will have with you the rest of your life.”

It’s good (and difficult) to remember that we aren’t called to solo pursuits, rivalry, jealousy, and man’s approval. We should only be faithful to the callings God has put in front of us: our walk with him, family, church, neighbors, and work. We plant and water; he grows. And even the soil and water aren’t ours.

Game over. The Tampa Bay Rays outlast the #Guardians 7-3 in Game 6 of the ALCS to advance to the World Series. Cleveland's magical ride and season comes to an end.

For Dr. Brian J. Vickers, ministry begins with knowing and rightly handling the Word of God. Whether students are preparing for pastoral ministry, missions, counseling, or teaching, their ministry will be shaped by how they understand and communicate Scripture. Dr. Vickers wants his students to leave the classroom with tools they can use for the rest of their lives, from careful exegesis and biblical interpretation to sound theology. Yet beneath it all is a deeper conviction: Scripture is the living Word of God, exposing our hearts and driving us back to Christ. Get to know Dr. Vickers, a teacher committed to passing on what he has received and helping students build their ministry on the Word of God.

Kindle Deal: The Dynamic Heart in Daily Life by Jeremy Pierre (@jeremypierre). challies.com/kindle-deals-fo…

Scripture introduces Jesus Himself as the Living Word. Join us as we help equip Christ’s church to care faithfully for people with His Word. Give here: biblicalcounselingcoalition.…

There’s something special about bringing our online students together on campus. This week, students joined Dr. Jonathan Pennington for "The Parables of Jesus", Dr. Paul Akin for "Introduction to Missiology", or Dr. Jeremy Pierre for "Biblical Counseling and Personal Ministry of the Word" for three days of in-person study, fellowship, chapel, and campus life through our Experiential Modular courses. We’re thankful for another great week with our online students and the opportunity to welcome them into the life of Southern Seminary. Want to join us for a Spring Modular? Registration opens October 31.

The silver lining to being a Browns fan is that one day I will die.

I reread this every year. I cry like a baby every year. Todd Beamer died a father, husband, and hero. Todd: Hello… Operator… listen to me. I can’t speak very loud. This is an emergency. I’m a passenger on a United flight to San Francisco. Our plane has been hijacked. Lisa: I understand. Can they see you? Todd: No. There are three that we know of. They have knives — razor knives, like box cutters. Someone announced from the cockpit there was a bomb. It sounded fake. Lisa: Your name?Todd: Todd Beamer. United Flight 93.Todd: They killed one passenger in first class. They forced most of us back. Fourteen of us here. Five flight attendants. The guy with the bomb ordered us to sit on the floor. Lisa: Are you okay? Todd: We’re going down… wait. No. We’re leveling off. We changed directions. We’re flying east again. Todd: A guy named Jeremy called his wife. She told him two planes hit the World Trade Center. Lisa, is that true? Lisa: I have to tell you the truth. It’s very bad. Both towers are gone. A third plane hit the Pentagon. Our country is under attack. I’m afraid your plane may be part of their plan. Todd: Oh God. Lisa, will you do something for me? Call my wife and my kids. Promise me you’ll call. Lisa: I promise. Todd: Our home number is… You have the same name as my wife. Lisa. We’ve been married ten years. She’s pregnant with our third child. Tell her I love her. I’ll always love her. We have two boys — David, he’s 3, and Andrew, he’s 1. Tell them their daddy loves them and he is so proud of them. The baby is due January 12th. I saw an ultrasound. We still don’t know if it’s a girl or a boy. Lisa: I’ll tell them. I promise, Todd.(Lisa patches in the FBI.) Agent: Todd, your plane is on a course for Washington. Best guess is the White House or the Capitol. Todd: I understand. I’ll be back. Todd: Everyone knows this isn’t a normal hijacking. We have decided we will not be pawns in their plot. Lisa: What are you going to do? Todd: Four of us are going to rush the one with the bomb. Then the cockpit. A stewardess is getting boiling water. We’ll take them out. Todd: Would you pray with me?They pray the Lord’s Prayer. Then: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Todd: God help me. Jesus help me.Are you guys ready? Let’s Roll.