I’m Nick.  I’m in my early 40s, and I’m trying to make sense of life as I find it.   My undergraduate degree was in secondary education in English and Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and after an odyssey of many years, finished my Masters of Divinity (M.Div) degree program at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.  I spent two wonderful years at Seminary previous to my time at TEDS at Denver Seminary, where my M.Div had a Philosophy of Religion specialization attached to it (there is no such specialization at TEDS).   I spent time formally studying many topics but never felt fully comfortable devoting myself to any single field of study.  In other words, I’ve been vocationally and academically schizophrenic.

I currently work full-time for the Seventh Day Baptist General Conference after nearly a decade at work solely for the Seventh Day Baptist Historical Society, stewarding the historical collection and archive of perhaps the smallest splinter group still alive in the world from the Reformation era.  It’s a heritage of which I’m very proud, and I enjoy my work.  My position with Seventh Day Baptists has expanded over time to include leadership responsibilities which have been something of an awakening, as unfortunately, matters which require the attention of denominational committees are not always the most uplifting things.  At different points now, I’m given cause to look long into the face of human fallenness inside the body of Christ.  My current position with my Conference involves both history and educational tasks, both of which excite me.  I’ve found my niche…what is left is working hard to fill it as best I can until God calls me to something else.

In addition to my responsibilities at work, much of my early pastoral journey has been ministering to (and being ministered to by) youth and young adults.  To those who have journeyed with me through that time, know I’m grateful, and that I gained much more by being with you than you probably did by being with me.

I grew up in the Upper Midwest, and enjoy autumn accordingly.  I revel in all four seasons.

I am blessed in my wife of 10+ years, even as we encounter the bumps and bruises of ministry life.  In early 2011, my wife gave birth to our first child, a daughter. In 2013, we added another daughter to our growing family.  We welcomed our third child, a son, in 2015.  We think we’ve completed our biological family with a fourth child, a son, born in 2017. Being a husband and parent is one of my greatest joys in life and as a disciple of Jesus.

I’m trying very hard to find a space where I can reflect in writing and speech about the way I see the people around me negotiating their lives in light of my studies and relationships.  I sincerely hope this is the place where all those pieces will come together.

To kill the suspense, I believe in Jesus Christ.  I affirm wholeheartedly the doctrines that have marked Christian orthodoxy for 2000 years, and have found their expressions in the creeds and confessions of believers over that span.  I simultaneously believe that the modern church who bears the name of Christ would in some very important ways be unrecognizable to Him.  I think the way to change that is to start at home, and I hope to reflect on my own efforts to be be conformed to His likeness.

You probably also ought to know that in the midst of my seminary experience in Denver, I fell into a deep depression which it took several years to get out of.  While I’ve always been a little on the introverted and melancholy side, fighting against depression to find joy in God and the fallen world is a regular struggle for me, though one that is easier these days.  If what you read here makes you think that the guy writing needs help, you’d be right.  Luckily for me, I’ve found peace in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the joy that comes from serving Him.  If you’re depressed as you read this: don’t give up.  There is hope, and your life can be reformed from the ashes of depression.

It should also go without saying here, but the opinions I express on this blog are solely my own and are not meant to exclusively represent or be a perfect reflection of what all Seventh Day Baptists believe.  SDBs are, true to their roots, Baptists through and through, and the only thing that all of us would agree on is that no one can speak for us on anything.  I don’t aim to try.  I speak for myself, and that is all, and even that is probably more than enough.

Soli Deo Gloria.