Writer Introduction – Terry Delaney

Today we continue our writer introductions with Terry Delaney.

Terry, how did you come to know the Lord?

The short, short version is that one of my close friends’ girlfriends would not shut her mouth about going to her church for this play. In order to shut her up, we decided we would go to the play. It was there that God showed me that I was not what I thought I was. The play was called “Heaven’s Gates, Hell’s Flames” and will always have a special place in my heart as that was the means by which God showed me mercy.

So, why did you decided to go to seminary?

Quite honestly, I decided to go to seminary because I was told to. I finally graduated college when I was 29 (I was married with 2 kids at the time) and had my resume out to hopefully pastor a small church in my home town of St. Louis. Everyone kept telling me I had to go to seminary because I “just didn’t have the experience” to pastor. So, I confess I came to seminary with the mindset of “playing the game” in order that I might somehow qualify to pastor a church. While my attitude was not the greatest when I decided to attend seminary, God has blessed the decision beyond measure.

What has been the hardest part of seminary for you?

Balance. The hardest part of seminary is finding a proper balance between school, ministry, work, and family. The fact that I list family might be more telling than I care to admit. I find that it is very easy to allow the family to be back burnered. Rather than maintaining a nice balance, I usually feel like I am running back and forth on a plank that is supposed to be balanced on a fulcrum but I keep running from one end of the other so that neither end will touch the ground.

What has been the most rewarding part of seminary for you?

I would say watching God bless the decision beyond my wildest imagination. Being able to become friends with a couple of the professors has been nothing short of amazing. To see how God has allowed me to have some ideas that are being implemented on campus in the coming months is truly a testament to God’s grace and mercy.

How’d you start blogging and Why do you Blog?

I started blogging because everyone in the leadership at the church I was attending at the time was blogging. I also enjoy writing and have found it a great outlet for many of my thoughts and ideas. I continue to blog for a couple of reasons. First, in regards to the diary, I find that I can’t not write in it. To be able to have a record of how God has worked in mine and my wife’s life since we made the decision to attend seminary is priceless. Second, the ability to sharpen my writing skills and be a blessing to others is a nice bonus.

Believe it or not, I also continue to blog because of the encouragement that has come from many areas of my life. One guy has told me that my blogging is being used by God to bless him and his family. One lady told me that it helps her to pray for my family. I will be honest; I am selfish when it comes to prayer. If someone wants to pray for me and they are able to do so more effectively because of a blog, then by all means, I will blog!

Finally, I would not have met many of the men and women I have met. I was able to help a guy move and another to attend a conference from blogging. I have become friends with a pastor in my hometown because we both blog. More than likely, I would have never met any of these people.

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Written by
Ryan Burns

Ryan Burns is a past Marketing Manager at Faithlife and now works at Redemption Hill Church in Richmond, VA.

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Written by Ryan Burns
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