From the Pastor's Desk for August 2026

Lighthouse Church:

Debbie and I in the last week of July began an educational and spiritual journey at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky about twenty miles west of Lexington. I began my Doctor of Ministry program with a week of residency. Each summer I will return for a week for another two years. There is a class each semester plus writing a dissertation of 40,000 words. My area of concentration is Preaching and Leadership. I plan to write about leadership in the context of the congregation.

My expectation is to finish in summer of 2028, but sometimes the dissertation takes longer. As with my master’s degree, the studies should expand my knowledge of Scripture and enhance my spiritual life. I pray the Holy Spirit will sustain me and bring benefit to all of you. Classes are online through the semesters so I will be here almost all the time, except the summer residency.

You may have seen the news that the United Methodist Church will no longer accept a degree from Asbury for ordination. This is based solely on Asbury’s refusal to delete a proviso in its mission statement that marriage is between one man and one woman. I am proud of the Asbury Seminary to uphold this biblical standard even in the face of pressure from our former denomination. Yet another example of the wisdom of our disaffiliation.

This semester I will be studying Inductive Bible Study. Inductive Bible, a practical method of digging into Scripture that uses three core steps: observation, interpretation, and application. Instead of starting with a topic and hunting for matching verses, you let the text speak for itself.

The Three Core Steps

Observation (What does it say?):

• Slow down and read the text closely without rushing.

• Look for the 5 W’s and an H: who, what, where, when, why, and how.

• Spot repeated words, key phrases, contrasts, and connections.

Interpretation (What does it mean?):

• Discover what the original writer meant to say to the original audience.

• Check the historical and literary context.

• Let clear passages help explain difficult ones, and use cross-references.

Application (What does it mean for me?):

• Figure out how the truth fits into your daily life and choices.

• Ask what specific changes, commands, or encouragements God is showing you