Welcome to Out of the Blocks Blog! My name is Joel. I am self-employed in business, and am working toward an M.A. in Biblical Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. I currently serve in ministries at my church where I frequently meet new Christians that are eager to learn more about their Christian faith. I encourage them to read their Bible and get into a Bible study group through church, both of which are vital for Christian growth. There are many great books to read, as well as sermons available online. But sometimes, the vast abundance of resources can become overwhelming. Not everyone has the time to read books and listen to sermons. My purpose for creating this site it to provide information you can use to help you get started in "running the race," and to keep running it well.
The key to running a good race is getting a strong start out of the blocks. My first experience with starting blocks didn't go well. As a 13 year-old aspiring sprinter, I had spent a great deal of time practicing my sprints, but had never practiced with starting blocks. At my first track meet, I set my feet in the blocks and immediately felt awkward. At the signal, I stumbled out of the blocks, stepped out of my lane, and was disqualified from the race (I also didn't know to stay in my lane!). It seems my coach assumed I would just know these things intuitively, but the lack of instruction led to my disqualification from that race.
In the same way, all Christians need instruction to run the race well. The best resource for instruction is the Bible. Read it, study it, and mediate on it. And make it a practice to pray. God promises that if we seek him we will find him.
The theme for this site is taken from Hebrews 12:1-2:
"Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith" (ESV).
My aim is for you to know Jesus Christ, and to grow in your relationship with God. Let's run this race together, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith!