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Hello
My name is Josh Vajda, and I am the Wandering Baptist. I chose this name for myself years ago, as I was trying to decide where I fit after seminary. I originally created this space to be a place to think out loud without worrying about what people thought of me. I signed my posts “WB.” This year I’ve decided I need a fresh start. I’ve wiped this particular slate clean because I want to go a different route. I’m ready to own the name “Wandering Baptist” and to stand by what I post here. I had another blog that I used for “my” writing on occasion, and I’m repurposing…
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The Spiritual Life
I first started thinking about going back to my seminary notes not on a whim or out of despair for all I had forgotten. It started because I’ve been fighting my way out of a dark night of the soul. After a few years of rich intimacy and joyful service, I found myself tired and angry. I knew intellectually that God loves me, but He had come to feel so distant. Often—sometimes each new day—I would have to fight once more to stand and claim the place Christ had purchased for me. As I tackled one illusion after another, tugging at one part of the knot and then the next,…
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Seminary Retrospective
I recently noted that I’ve been back in Michigan for five years, which hardly seems possible. But it only just hit me that I first started seminary over 10 years ago. 10 years! I guess that’s part of the bargain you strike when you spend five years in grad school. Anniversaries like this sneak up on you quickly. 10 years ago right now my first year was already in the rearview mirror and I was diving into summer courses. I didn’t want to take a break. I don’t remember wanting to get ahead, but I distinctly remember wanting more. It’s hard at this point not to dwell on everything that’s…
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Five Years in GR
It’s hard to believe it, but this weekend marks 5 years since we moved from the Southwest to West Michigan. Since we lived in Dallas for 6 years, it’s hard to believe that we’ve been gone almost as long as we were there. It was such a formative part of my life, and by contrast our time here in Grand Rapids has been something of a blur. I want to reflect on that today and in the process catch you up on our lives. Our first five years in Dallas saw us living in two homes, attending two churches, but ultimately living in the consistent and structured pull of seminary…
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ETS 2018 in Review
Thanksgiving is almost upon us…which means it’s time for my annual review of the ETS conference. This year’s Evangelical Theological Society annual meeting was held in Denver, Colorado. After spending 6 years in downtown Dallas and visiting 8 other conference sites, including Baltimore, Chicago, and New Orleans, it turns out there were more panhandlers in Denver than anywhere. But the city was fairly nice, public transportation was very helpful, and the weather gorgeous for mid-November. The Rockies were only visible to me on the train ride in and out of town, but overall it was a nice venue. The theme for the meeting was the Holy Spirit. While I only…