Some personal news…
As an MDiv senior at Princeton Theological Seminary in 2010, I was serious about pursuing a career in higher education. Earning a PhD in my desired field was a necessary qualification for such an endeavor, but I did not really know where to start to get into a competitive program. I supposed that attending the Society of Biblical Literature conference in Atlanta, GA would be a move in the right direction. There, I reasoned, I would be able to have conversations with potential future mentors and people that might be influential in the doctoral application process.
At the conference, some of those conversations happened, and some were more significant than others. What was most significant about that trip, however, was a conversation that was completely unexpected.
For some reason that I cannot currently recall, on one of the days of the conference that I cannot remember, I was waiting in the lobby of one of the conference hotels. There, I recognized a professor waiting in the same lobby who had studied at a university that was of interest to me. I timidly approached her to inquire about her PhD experience at this university.
That conversation turned into a longer, sit-down discussion through which I became deeply interested in the goals and mission of her institution: Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. This brief conversation led to more introductions to people at the institution, which turned into continued communication with several of the faculty members during the years of my PhD studies, which resulted in discussions over cups of coffee or meals at conferences as I transitioned into the professorial world. As correspondence continued, I was elated to develop these relationships with people who shared many of the same professional interests and ministerial goals that I had.
I have stayed in touch with my friends from Talbot over 10 years now. Thus, when the chance arose for me to transition into a professional position at Talbot, it was a matter of course for me to seriously consider the opportunity. I already felt like I was a peripheral member of their community without ever having been employed there.
In just a few weeks, I will transition out of my current academic position to begin a new appointment as an associate professor of Old Testament at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. Our family sees a unique opportunity to contribute to the Talbot/Biola community and hopefully to invest in English- and Spanish-language biblical and theological education in the greater Los Angeles area.
Please pray for our family as we transition to Los Angeles, CA. Please pray for all of the details associated with such a big move to work out. Please pray that our family would focus on our shared goals and draw closer to one another. Please pray that our children would flourish in their new environment. Most importantly, please pray that God would be honored during the move and glorified as a result of it.
