If this is your first time on my site, or if you simply want to better understand the guy whose posts you’ve been reading, here’s what you need to know: my name is Joshua Wingerd, and i am 28 years old. I became a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ when i was 18 while at a summer camp. I love writing, and i am currently working on sermons, technical essays, bible study blog posts, and several novels. I graduated from Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, MO in December of 2015 with a BA in Biblical Studies, and i moved back to Southern California in May of 2017. I am enrolled at Gateway Seminary in Los Angeles, CA, beginning classes August 24, 2020. I am engaged to be married this fall as well.
You may have noticed (in the above paragraph or in some of my posts) that i don’t capitalize the letter “i” if it’s not at the beginning of a sentence. I do it on purpose if it is not auto-corrected by a word-processor, and if it is not for a publisher or professor. Here’s my reason: English is different from the Biblical languages (Greek and Hebrew) in that it capitalizes the word “i.” As English writers we have gotten away from capitalizing pronouns that refer to “God”–the Lord of the Universe–but we’d better make absolutely sure we capitalize a one-letter word that refers to us; it’s pride–plain and simple. I’ll respect the “rules of the English language” when it comes to public writing, but my blog is private writing for the public’s benefit, so oftentimes “i” will be left lowercase. Rant over.
On a lighter note, what may come as a surprise to you is that there are other things i enjoy besides studying the Bible. Some of them have been hinted at throughout previous blog posts, but I wanted to take some time to further acquaint you with myself, so that you can better know me, and so that you can maybe better understand where my blog posts come from.
As you can tell from the picture heading this page, i truly adore cats. (I hate to say it, but for the most part dogs stress me out.) The little guy in the picture was my li’l buddy, Combo, who unfortunately passed away in July of 2017. Several more pictures may help to do him justice:
He was a gift from God at a time when i desperately needed companionship of any kind. While losing him hurt a lot, i was in a much better place when he was taken than i was when he was given; Combo in my life was visible proof that God doesn’t give us more than we are able to handle, and He always provides a way out when it otherwise would be too much (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:13).
In addition to cats, i love building. Legos have been a staple since i was a child, and i quickly got hooked on Star Wars Legos as a kid. It got to the point that i designed characters that represented me and my younger brother, complete with extragalactic weaponry and everything:
On my companion blog (which is more of a side project than this one) i am in the process of utilizing these two characters in a story that takes place in a galaxy far, far, away.
Since you know that i like writing, and i have now told you about cats and Legos, i guess the only remaining topics are (video) games and books.
I’ll start with the prior. I put video games in parentheses because i’d much rather play a board game or a card game than a video game, though I am by no means opposed to video games. When it comes to the latter, Battlefront II, Need For Speed, and MLB the Show are my favorites. When it comes to the former, i enjoy Bang, Catan, Ticket to Ride, Monopoly, Phase 10, and Risk (though i’ve never actually played a whole game of Risk). In my personal opinion, Christian fellowship can happen extremely well around a game board (and it can also teach much needed lessons in patience and self-control).
And then i come to books. I don’t think there is anything tangible in this world that i enjoy more than books. I pray my future wife feels the same way so that together we can bond over our mutual love for the written word–no matter the genre. (Edit: she loves reading, but she enjoys spending time together more, and i don’t disagree.) But i’d like to list here my top three favorite books, both fictional and biblically-related.
Biblical:
- Overcoming Sin and Temptation, by John Owen: this is a must read if you desire to better understand sin and its effects in your life, and want practical remedies on how to defeat it in your own life.
- Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan: this is a must read for an allegorical understanding of the Christian life; full of encouragement for down times and exhortation and rebuke for sinful seasons.
- What’s so Great About the Doctrines of Grace?, by Richard D. Phillips: this is a must read for anyone who either wants to learn for the first time about the five points of Calvinism, or even for a long-time Calvinist who wants some practical application for his theological system.
Fictional:
- The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne: while the historical setting may be slightly over-exaggerated in a negative light, the story is a powerful exposition of guilt and legalism, and the need for grace, confession, and repentance.
- Lord of the Flies, by William Golding: a powerful social commentary, yet at the same time a “more than likely unintentional” theological explanation of the practical consequences of Adam’s fall into sin.
- The Testament, by John Grisham: a fast-paced story about a lawyer and a fortune and a missionary in South America.
Well that’s about it. I hope you enjoyed reading about my hobbies, and i hope you continue to benefit from the posts on this page. If you just stumbled across this blog and have not done so yet, i would be honored if you would follow this blog. If you are interested in more tangible things (books and music), check out my store here. And finally, if you’re interested in seeing what i’m hoping to read in the near future, my Amazon Wish List is found here.
Soli Deo Gloria
live in Love; find your true reward 