Jeremy L. Berg

[Cover Photo: My theology lecture notes.]

For my 4.5 regular readers out there, I feel like an explanation is in order. My writing activity has waned of late, and I’m glad to share its not because I’m idle or depressed. (You can often tell the state of my emotional health by my writing output.) No, my energy and intellectual bandwidth is being funneled into all the teaching and college lectures I’m preparing each week.

This spring semester (beginning in January) I actually have a full course load between North Central University (M/Th) and Solid Rock Discipleship School (Weds). I’m teaching a survey of the New Testament History and Literature course for the first time at North Central University, which requires lecturing through EVERY book of the New Testament. This morning I did a whistle stop tour through Paul’s magisterial Epistle to the Romans in 60 minutes! Epic. Challenging. No small feat. The biggest challenge is not mastering the material, but keeping students awake for an 8AM ancient history class!! (Yes, a tall order.)

After my 8AM New Testament class, I literally run across campus, down the streets of Minneapolis at North Central’s city campus, to teach Systematic Theology with just 15 minute in between. Yes, I’m the stereotypical professor scurrying through the door at the last minute, hair disheveled and throwing off my coat as I ramble off an obscure quote by some 4th century theologian as I approach the front. Actually, that’s not really how it goes. I usually get to class with about 6 minutes to spare, just enough time to queue up a clip from The Late Low with Stephen Colbert where he is jabbing Bill Maher or Ricky Gervais about their atheism and defending the Christian faith.

On Wednesdays I drive a 4.5 hour roundtrip out west to Lake Beauty where I teach a tight knit group of delightful students for 4 hours, also walking through the basics of Christian Theology: doctrines of God, Trinity, Creation, Sin & Evil, Christian Anthropology, Christ, Holy Spirit, Salvation, Church & Sacraments, and Eschatology (Final Judgment, Heaven & Hell). Wednesdays is a FULL day, but my favorite as the travel time allows me to plow through books and my own audio lectures.

Add a bunch of administrative work, endless student emails begging for mercy, late nights grading papers and preparing lectures, and leading MainStreet on top of that, and its a busy but exciting season for me. Dr. J, the itinerant teacher of the Kingdom, traveling this way and that where ever I can find a captive audience. I consider these 70+ students an extension of the “flock” I pastor at MainStreet, more minds to draw deeper into the Kingdom of Jesus. I’m filled to the brim with Kingdom passion and biblical wisdom, and I’m just looking for people anywhere who want to drink from the fountain and grow. In the church. In the classroom. In the culture. Through pastoral letters. Through a podcast. Through writing.

Jesus’ image of “the sower” casting seeds of kingdom truth far and wide, hoping to find some receptive soil, is a centering metaphor for my vocational life these days.

This fall I add another college to my profile as I will be teaching THREE sections of a class at the University of Northwestern–St. Paul called, “Christian Thinking and Living.” What a jaw-droopingly beautiful campus. I snapped a selfie with the giant portrait of Billy Graham in Nazareth Hall, who was the 2nd president of the school back around 1950. I think a version of this class would be ideal to teach at MainStreet and other churches. I also have Crown College knocking on my door, with possible opportunities as well in the near future. (Come on, Bethel, where is the love?!).

Finally, another big vocational update: in this my 12th year of pastoring MainStreet Covenant, I will enjoying a sabbatical this summer from mid-May to mid-August. The plans for how I will spend this sabbatical are still in the works, but I am grateful for this gift! Keri and I will kick off the sabbatical (God-willing) with a trip to Australia to celebrate a dear friend’s wedding in May, leaving three squirrelly kiddos behind for a week. :)

That’s a little update on me. Grace and peace!