JT Holderman

I had the wonderful privilege of taking Jim Singleton’s Pastoral Ministry course this semester at Gordon-Conwell. As a Th.M. student in Homiletics I wasn’t supposed to take anything outside my field, but I convinced my advisor that this class was a good idea for me in preparation for pastoral ministry. It was a true gem of a course. As a Th.M. student I had some extra requirements to fulfill to elevate the M.Div. level course to Th.M. caliber. One of these requirements was to

Discouraged I stood up and began the short walk from the pew to the pulpit. There was a sour taste in my mouth and words of discouragement in the back of my mind, “This is a poor sermon; it is not worth preaching, give up JT.” Doubt had slithered into my mind like a snake. Preachers repeatedly experience discouragement; it is an inevitable reality. How often we plant our feet one after the other as we climb the steps to the pulpit and hear a nagging word of doubt regarding o

The child sits in the desert, feeling far from God and the warmth of His Son Life seems to regress and our faith feels like it’s cracking The feet do not always fall upon lush ground, but rather parched pavement The desert has become both a physical and a spiritual place But some animals adapt to the lack of moisture and learn to survive Some children learn a new way to cry out to God in their barren faith Who would desire the desert? Who would want to watch faith evaporat

1) My biggest hope for the year is for my relationship with God. The seminary has been very clear that this is also a hope for them as well. President Hollinger spoke at Convocation about this very topic. It is his wish that Seminary would be a place for personal growth in relationship with God. I agree. If my relationship with God has not grown or matured within my year here, it will have been a failure. This is my deepest hope for the year, that I would come to love God mor