Joel

5/16/2026  1226

Here is my 4-minute version of my sermon. I have kept the raw, authentic energy of my original words, expanded on my philosophical and military background to give the speech more weight, and maintained the single-sentence paragraph structure so I can use it as a natural pacing guide when speaking.

Good morning, everyone.

For those who don’t know me, my name is David.

I am a disabled Marine Corps veteran, a student of clinical mental health counseling, and, by nature and training, a professional philosopher.

I am also someone who recently walked through the doors of New Life Creation Church, and I have firmly decided to stay as a permanent member.

When you spend time in the trenches, both literal and metaphorical, you learn very quickly to look for things that are built to last.

You learn that surviving the heavy burdens of life requires a foundation that will not crack under pressure.

When I first introduced myself to Pastor Joel a few months ago in January of 2026, I didn’t come with a polished, easy testimony.

I didn't have a simple, wrapped-in-a-bow story of an overnight spiritual transformation.

Instead, I came to him as an agnostic Christian and a utilitarian philosopher.

I came as a man who has wrestled fiercely with a heavy, deeply academic career in sociology and psychology.

I spent years dissecting the human condition, looking for a cure to our collective pain in textbooks, clinical theories, and empirical data.

But that relentless, cold analysis eventually led me to the tremendous, deeply felt affliction of something terrible called nihilism.

For those unfamiliar, nihilism is the exhausting belief that absolutely nothing matters.

It is the whispered lie that there is no inherent purpose to our suffering, our joy, or our existence.

It tells us that we are all just spinning in a dark void, destined to dissolve into the dust from which we came.

I don't just know the textbook definition of that nihilistic darkness and the hell it brings; I have lived in it.

When you live in that void, every single day is a grueling battle against the crushing weight of absolute pointlessness.

But something compelled me to step out of that academic isolation and into this building, this church, and this sanctuary.

I wasn't looking for cheap answers or emotional manipulation.

Over the last few months, I’ve been sitting in these pews, watching this congregation closely.

As a philosopher, a sociologist, and a psychologist, I am trained to look past what people say and look directly at the fruits of their community.

I look for tangible evidence of life.

Recently, I had the privilege of riding in a car with Pastor Joel and his family.

I watched his four children, noting their discipline, their kindness, their respect, and the effortless order of their family dynamic.

It wasn't a forced obedience; it was a natural rhythm built on mutual respect and profound love.

Seeing that dynamic instantly reminded me of the biblical standards for family outlined in the Book of Timothy.

It is the exact same standard of devotion, structure, and leadership that served as the foundation of my own wedding vows to my Proverbs 31 wife.

In a world that increasingly celebrates chaos and deconstruction, seeing a family and a church operating with that level of genuine grace and peace is a massive testament to the truth being lived out here.

I just want to say that while Pastor Joel might know the concepts of the dark from a theological textbook, he also knows how to build a house of light.

And building a house of light takes infinitely more strength and truth than simply cursing the darkness.

I am still the philosopher.

I still ask the hard questions, and I probably always will.

I still challenge the boundaries of theology, and I still scrutinize the human condition.

But I am here because I recognize that what you have built in this small congregation is undeniably real.

You have built an authentic sanctuary against the void.

I am no longer using my training to deconstruct meaning; I am using it to recognize truth when it is standing right in front of me.

I am practicing the art of showing up, sharpening my tools, and engaging with a truth that is vastly bigger than myself.

Thank you, Pastor Joel.

And thank you all for welcoming a guy from the trenches into your peace.

part 2

I don't just know the textbook definition of that nihilist darkness, and the hell of darkness; I have lived in it.

But something compelled me to step into this building, this church, this  sanctuary.

And over the last few months, I’ve been watching this congregation closely.

And as a philosopher, sociologist and psychologist, I look at the fruits of a community.

 Recently, I had the privilege of riding in a car with Pastor Joel and his family. I watched his four children—their discipline, their kindness, their respect, and the effortless order of their home.

(reference book of timothy as my wedding vows to my proverbs 31 wife)

To see a family, and a church, operating with that level of genuine grace and peace is a massive testament to the truth being lived out here.

I just want to say;

Pastor Joel might know the concepts of the dark from a theological textbook, and he might knows how to build a house of light.

I am still the philosopher. I still ask the hard questions, and I still challenge the boundaries of theology.

But I am here because I recognize that what you have built in this small congregation is real. You have built an authentic sanctuary.

I’m practicing the art of showing up, sharpening my tools, and engaging with a truth bigger than the void. Thank you, Pastor Joel, and thank you all for welcoming a guy from the trenches into your peace.

 to you?