Why “Three Things”?

My previous blog was called CODEX: Biblical Studies Blogspot (you can explore its content here). I understood the name “CODEX” as both a nod to the many biblical manuscripts that are in codex form (i.e., like modern books) and (at least in my head) it sounded kind of techie. The focus of that blog reflected my interests when I was a professor of Bible & Theology.

The new name for my blog and website is “Three Things.” I picked this name as it represents what I believe are the “three things” that are most important to me and I believe should be most important to everyone who considers themselves to be a follower of Jesus: Loving God, loving one another, and loving neighbour. These “three things” represent the essence of the Christian life and faith.

These “three things” also reflect my current role as pastor at Greenfield Community Church. While I can “nerd out” with the best of them (just explore some of my previous posts on textual criticism), I now have a renewed focus on the essentials of faith. I hold to a generous orthodoxy that is centred on Jesus, and a lived-out faith that is centred on love. I will be the first to confess that I often fall short of this ideal, but that is what I strive toward with God’s help.

I should note that the various images in the main banner are different biblical manuscripts of the commands in Scripture to Love God (The Leningrad Codex of Deuteronomy 6:4; and Codex Sinaiticus of Mark 12:29-31); Love your neighbour (The Leningrad Codex of Leviticus 19:18); and Love One Another (John 13:34 from P66).

I hope you enjoy reading.

New Beginnings

I’ve decided to resurrect my old CODEX Blog under a new name and a slightly different focus. A lot has changed in my life since I was blogging under CODEX. The college where I taught for a dozen years closed. I moved to The King’s University with a four-year teaching contract, which ended in 2013. Since July 2013 I have served as the lead pastor at Greenfield Community Church and have continued be involved in academics as a faculty mentor through Taylor Seminary/Kairos University and occasional adjunct teaching at King’s.