Who is Tim Brister?
In a sentence, I am moved by the glory of God to make disciples by the power of His Spirit, living on mission for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And now for the backstory . . .
In 2005, I was a student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. It was my desire to keep in touch with family and friends back home and share with them the things I was learning. Instead of creating an email newsletter, some friends encouraged me to create a blog (blogspot to be exact). What I did not realize at the time was a blog was available to the entire world. Over time, the luxury of my obscurity changed as my blogposts garnered the opportunity to be on “blogroll’s” and RSS feeds.
Why Provocations and Pantings?
Of all the philosophers and thinkers I studied at the time, the one individual that I resonated most was Søren Kierkegaard. His collection of spiritual/devotional writings, called Provocations, revealed his desire to “provoke” and stir up the church in Denmark from spiritual lethargy. In a similar sense, I sense the Spirit stirring in my heart a desire to provoke the church today toward spiritual vitality and challenge status quo.
In a similar sense, I also developed a love for Puritan literature. I gleaned from their white hot devotion to God and love for both doctrine and devotion. In their terminology, these were men who “panted” after God, and their writings, more than any other outside of the Bible, shaped my thinking as a Christian. They have been a great means of grace to cause me to seek God passionately and serve others practically.
So together, Provocations & Pantings, you get in one title a summary of my spiritual predisposition and purpose for writing.
Twelve Year Silence
In 2012, I stopped blogging for various reasons, not the least of which is the realization I was known online by a lot of people but known very little offline by my neighbors and community. I had to make a change and devote my time and attention being present to those Jesus called me to know, love and serve – my church, neighbors, and community.
Over the past 12 years, God has allowed me to start a non-profit organization, called Gospel Systems, Inc. where we create delivery systems for the gospel in various contexts around the world, in particular Haiti and South Asia. Additionally, I started an insurance agency to assist individuals, families, and small business with their benefits needs.
What has not changed throughout the past two decades is my love for the gospel, my passion to make disciples, and my desire to encourage and equip fellow believers to live on mission where they live, work, and play. My little spot on the internet is here to inspire and equip you to leverage life between Sundays to make much of Jesus. Toward that end, I hope to lean in to whatever opportunity God gives me to serve His people and see others come to treasure Him.
