Psalm 1: The Minister as Stability, Dr. Dave Bland

Dr. Dave Bland walks through Psalm 1 to encourage ministers to provide stability while many church members feel disconnected, anxious, and confused as we deal with Coronavirus.

Key take-aways:

• In the Psalm, the wicked are busy, described with many action verbs. The righteous are at peace, meditating, standing like a tree as the wicked are blown by the wind.
• Prosperity in this Psalm is stability and a relationship with God that stands firm when the storms come.
• The righteous are those who disadvantage themselves for the sake of advantaging others. The wicked are those who advantage themselves for the sake of disadvantaging others.

Dr. Dave Bland is Professor of Homiletics (preaching) and Co-Director of our Doctor of Ministry program. Bland has over 30 years preaching experience and has published numerous books and journal articles. He serves as a section editor for the journal Homiletic, responsible for reviewing recent books published in the field of preaching. Besides homiletics, another of his areas of expertise is wisdom literature and in particular the book of Proverbs. He has been at HST since 1993.

Harding School of Theology (HST), a seminary in Memphis, TN, has been equipping ministers since 1958. Accredited by the Association of Theological Schools, and offering degree programs at the master’s and doctoral levels, HST equips Christian leaders to higher standards of ministry scholarship and challenges them to a deeper faith in God. Combining academic rigor and interpersonal connections, HST emphasizes student engagement in ministry as they study. HST is associated with Churches of Christ, is part of the Stone-Campbell Movement, and is part of Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas.