Weekly Email: July 13, 2026

Weekly Email

Jul 13

We are now in Week 7 of the Summer term. This week I want to share some reflections on the mercy of God that came out of my morning devotions. I also want to point you to our Preview Courses, a way for someone you know to experience a seminary course before they ever apply.

In this email:

Student Tip: Reflections on the Mercy of God
Program News: Preview Courses

Student Tip: Reflections on the Mercy of God

This is one of those weeks where I've been thinking about something to write and there have been different categories of thoughts that I want to share with you. Some insights from books I've been reading but nothing is seeming to land. I'll probably chew on them for a few more weeks while I figure out exactly what I want to say.

But maybe it's for the best because during my devotions this past week I was reading through Spurgeon's Morning and Evening, which is my primary devotional material and has been for several years. I particularly like the one that has been revised and updated by Alistair Begg and published through Crossway. But that's neither here nor there. I just find this one easy to read. I resonate so much with Spurgeon's thoughts on different passages and so often it's a word I just need to hear at that exact moment. He has a way of speaking to the soul at just the right time.

I was drawn to the morning entry for July 9th, where he reflects on Psalm 103:2, "My soul, bless the Lord, and do not forget all his benefits. He forgives all your iniquity; he heals all your diseases. He redeems your life from the Pit; he crowns you with faithful love and compassion. He satisfies you with good things; your youth is renewed like the eagle."

I don't know why this one struck me the way it did. As Spurgeon says, "Let us review our own lives. Surely in these we may discover some happy incidents, refreshing to ourselves and glorifying to our God. Have you had no deliverances? Have you passed through no rivers supported by the divine presence? Have you walked through no fires unharmed? Have you had no manifestations? Have you had no choice favors?"

Part of me wonders, what in my life is going on that something like this is sticking out? Maybe it's that I haven't been drawing close to God, that through some difficult times here recently I've cast my cares upon God but I've also tried to go through on my own strength. And maybe it's just a reminder to revisit those "happy incidents" and glorify God for the things he's done, to renew my focus and set my eyes upon him again.

Maybe that's something that you're feeling this morning.

During seminary it can be easy to try to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and do it all ourselves. And we can oftentimes forget all the benefits that our great God has given us. And so maybe you need to hear this too.

Are there places that you're relying on your own strength as you read this?

As Spurgeon says, surely the goodness of God has been the same to us as to the saints of old. He goes on: let our souls produce music as sweet and exhilarating as came from David's harp while we praise the Lord whose mercy endures forever.

What better reflection than that? That even in the midst of a life that often feels like it's dragging us down, where so many things are coming our way. And you're probably feeling it this morning. The family obligations. Kids pulling you in multiple directions. Things at church probably not going exactly the way that you want them to. Maybe you feel like you should have "arrived." But you're still scraping along. Whatever it is. Let's give praise to the Lord who has brought us this far and continue to rely on him through this week.

So I just encourage you, whether it's relying on your own strength for your seminary studies or relying on your own strength for other things, that we pause, that we reflect, and that we don't forget all his benefits.

Program News: Preview Courses

You probably know someone who has been curious about seminary but isn't sure it's for them. Maybe it's someone at your church who keeps asking good questions, a friend who wants to expand their biblical and theological knowledge, or someone who has been circling the idea of seminary for a while. It's hard to know what seminary is actually like from the outside.

That's what our Preview Courses are for. They're the entire course experience, including all the lectures, from courses like New Testament I with Dr. Jonathan Pennington, Intro to Biblical Counseling with Dr. Jeremy Pierre, and Church History I with Dr. Michael Haykin. There's no obligation to apply or enroll in classes. Our hope is twofold. First, to share helpful resources with the church. Second, to give people a taste of seminary so they can see whether formal theological education is right for them.

So if someone came to mind, send them the link. That might be all the nudge they need.