Harbor, Pepperdine Bible Lectures

Mitch Wilburn: The Gospel of Miracles (Part 1)

Christians can fall into a life of practical deism. We should be aware that the Gospel is the message of Jesus and should be accompanied by the power of Jesus.

Dr. Carl Toney: What is Love? Baby Don't Hurt Me (Living Out Jesus’ Simple Love Commands in a Complicated World)

With the love commands to love God (Deut 6:5) and neighbors (Lev 19:18), Jesus distills the heartbeat of God’s will for flourishing relationships. We’ll look at how these commands are reflected in prayer life and embody the ten commandments. We will learn some challenging and surprising things about these commands. For example, Jesus wasn’t the only one who believed this – according to Luke 10:25-28, it was his opponent, the lawyer, who brought these two commands together when testing Jesus. We’ll also see how Luke illustrates these commands with the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37) and the story of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42). 

Jack Williamson: The God Who is With Us: A Reflection on the Holy Spirit

When we consider God, we often think in terms of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. However, growing up in our Restoration Heritage, I rarely heard teaching on the Holy Spirit. This third person of the Trinity was a mystery and a concept I rarely gave much thought to. When it did come up, it seemed to be more eery and something we were leery of. This class will take a practical, biblical look at how God reveals himself to us and within us through His Spirit.

Eric Wilson: The Brush of the Human Soul: African American Christian Contemplative Practices for All

This workshop will equip participants with Christian contemplative meditation practices derived from the African American experience that can enrich everyone's intimacy with Christ.

Rudy and Osharye Hagood: The More Excellent Way: Marry the Person You Want to Spend the Rest of Your Life Forgiving

Boundaries are not barriers to love—they give relationships shape and direction, allowing room for clarity, respect, and life-giving connection. Yet many Christians struggle to set limits because of confusion about forgiveness, self-sacrifice, or what “loving like Jesus” really requires. In this 50-minute session with the Boone Center for the Family’s Relationship IQ Program, we will explore how boundaries function across the major relationships of life. Using Scripture and insights from Dr. Henry Cloud’s Boundaries framework, we’ll explore how unhealthy dynamics can lead to harm, and how wise, loving boundaries bring clarity, protection, and growth. Attendees will gain practical tools to recognize unhealthy patterns, communicate limits with grace, and distinguish Christlike love from codependence.

Amy Kaltenbach: The Power of Love: The Most Demanding and Transformative Path of All!

Love is often misunderstood as passive or permissive, yet Scripture presents it as the most demanding and transformative path of all. This session reframes biblical love as the foundation for faithful presence, resilient relationships, and gospel-centered influence. Discover why love remains God's chosen way forward—especially when the path is costly.

Jamey Gorman & Nick Zola: Restoring the First-Century Bible? Alexander Campbell’s New Testament Translation Turns 200

Why do we create new translations of the Bible? This workshop will bring out rare Bibles from Pepperdine’s Special Collections (including the first edition of Campbell's 1826 version) for an interactive discussion on how translations not only affect the way we interpret the Bible, but are acts of interpretation themselves. Join Jamey and Nick as we celebrate the 200th anniversary of Alexander Campbell’s New Testament translation and explore how we shape the text even as the text shapes us.

Bryan Fojtasek: Faith in Action: Helping Our Churches Walk the Walk of Faith (Part 1)

Many of our churches seem to be operating with a flawed assumption: if we just tell people everything they need to know, they’ll figure out the rest and eventually become mature disciples of Jesus. But most leaders recognize that more information doesn’t always lead to a transformed way of life. While Biblical knowledge is essential, knowledge without action doesn’t produce maturity. So how can we help people walk the walk of faith?

 

This session explores how you can adapt your existing ministries, sermons, small groups, and relationships into action-oriented discipleship opportunities that help people turn their faith into action. We’ll discuss strategies you can use at every level of your church’s discipleship process: congregational, small group, and one-on-one.

Laura Estes: Reading Like the Early Church: Ancient Christian Methods of Interpreting Scripture

Ancient Christians were careful and creative readers of their Bibles. Using Genesis as a case study, this class will introduce several different methods that early Christians used to interpret Scripture--historical/literal, typological, allegorical, and moral--and consider how these methods might enrich and inspire churches today.

Doug Foster: The Spirituality of Churches of Christ in the 20th and 21st Centuries: Scriptural Authority and Doctrinal Purity

Jason Thompson & Doug Peters: Leading Together: Elders and Ministers in Partnership

Josh Graves & Joss Ross: Why Character Matters Today (Part 1)

Learning to Navigate Forgiveness, Shame, and Rhythm.

DJ Iverson: Staying Power: The Role of Pastorial Friendships

JK Hamilton: Provision Without Pause: Nature’s Witness, Our Confidence (Part 1)

This lectureship explores the unbroken pattern of God’s provision as revealed in the details of creation and experienced in the life of the believer. From the feeding of the birds of the air to the clothing of the lilies of the field (Matthew 6:25–34), Scripture presents nature as a living testimony of God’s sustaining care. What God continually does for creation, He faithfully extends to His people.

 

Through a careful study of key biblical texts (Psalm 104; Matthew 6:25–34; and other texts), this class will examine how creation functions as theological evidence—declaring God’s character as Provider, Sustainer, and Faithful Keeper. Participants will consider the consistency of divine provision (“without pause”) and how it confronts human anxiety, strengthens trust, and calls believers to deeper dependence on God.

 

The session will also address practical implications: how observing God’s care in nature reshapes our perspective on lack, worry, and faith in uncertain times. Attendees will gain both a richer theological framework and a renewed personal confidence that the same God who sustains the world is actively and reliably providing for them.

 

Key Emphasis:

If God’s provision for creation is constant and intentional, then our assurance in His provision for us can be confident and unwavering.

Lin Beaty Ottenweller & Julie Landi: Without Vision Women Perish

In this deeply honest and hope-filled message, Lin and Julie invite women into a sacred conversation about vision—not as a nice idea, but as a lifeline when everything familiar has been shaken. Rooted in Proverbs 29:18, Scripture, and their own lived stories, they speak about what it feels like when a woman loses sight of who she is, what she is here for, and whether the dreams God once whispered to her heart are still possible. With openness and tenderness, they share about the wilderness moments where faith felt thin and hope felt fragile—and how God met them there, not just to soothe their pain, but to gently and powerfully breathe vision back into their lives. Out of Julie’s personal journey of healing and reawakening,  Live Your Vision was born—not as a polished plan, but as an act of surrender and obedience. It became a place where women could come as they are, be seen and restored, and rediscover that God is still writing their story, and that their next chapter can be filled with purpose, courage, and life again. This message weaves Scripture, story, and spiritual insight to show that vision is not just about goals or success, but about hope, identity, and alignment with God’s purposes.  “For Without Vision, Women Perish” calls women to lift their eyes beyond disappointment, beyond limitation, and beyond fear, and to once again believe that God is not finished. It is an invitation to remember, to dream, and to step into the next chapter with clarity, confidence, and trust in the One who still gives vision for the future.

Doug Peters: Your Church and The Law

Doug Peters will interview attorney Mike O'Neal, a Church Legal Specialist, about the most important legal best practices for church leaders. Attendees will receive a free church legal resource document. There will also be time for Q&A and an opportunity for leaders to schedule a free confidential 1-hour appointment with a Heritage21 attorney during Harbor.

Stacy Jones: "Don't Miss the Moment!" - A Data Driven Analysis of the Need for Intergenerational Ministry (Part 1)

Don't Miss the Moment explores post-quarantine data trends revealing the greatest opportunities for church growth through intentional intergenerational ministry. This workshop equips leaders with practical, data-driven insights to help congregations reclaim momentum, strengthen discipleship across generations, and build a sustainable future.

Nathan Guy: Christian Ethics & Human Dignity: A More Excellent Way

Someone once said, 'we will never be able to say anything more true than the claims our living make.' This is a call for embodied testimony. What is the true, good, and beautiful story of our counter-cultural witness, reflected in how we view and treat people made in the image of God?

Tim Spivey: Same River, Separate Banks: The Tragedy of Proximity Without Communion (Part 1)

This class honestly examines the divide between Churches of Christ and Christian Churches, what it has cost us, what is possible, and what Scripture demands of us. We will name the obstacles clearly and explore practical paths toward the unity Jesus prayed for in John 17. Come ready to reckon with our division — and to imagine what a shared future could actually look like.

 

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Tim Spivey - ”Then, Now, Next”

Fri May 9, 2025 - 11:00 AM
Presenter(s): Tim Spivey

This sermon emphasizes the importance of Matthew 25, particularly the parable of the sheep and the goats, highlighting the call to compassion and service to others. Tim suggests true service comes from one's identity as a follower of Christ rather than fear of judgment. Service to the needy should be motivated by the understanding of being served by Christ during our times of need. Christians serve the poor and marginalized as a natural extension of their faith, rooted in their identity as followers of Christ. Believers should live out a Kingdom Christianity that integrates both personal faith and social responsibility, engaging actively in good works as a reflection of their faith.

Bob and Liz Perez - ” The Soil I Live in: A Parable of the Kingdom”

Fri May 9, 2025 - 9:45 AM
Presenter(s): Bob & Liz Perez

Come and explore the Parable of the Sower from the perspective of the three gospels. Digging deeper into the scripture, we will tether back and forth between Matthew's focus on the soil, Mark's emphasis on the seed (the Sower), and Luke's take on perseverance. Thomas Long calls this "a 3-D reading of the gospels." Wow, so much to plow through. So, come with your 3-D lenses (metaphorically speaking) and ask God to open your heart to what He wants you to dig up during this experience. We hope you walk away asking, "What soil am I living in?"

John Alan Turner - ”The Five Problems Every Church Has”

Fri May 9, 2025 - 9:45 AM
Presenter(s): John Alan Turner

Alan and Sharon Beard - ”A Tale of Two Churches”

Fri May 9, 2025 - 9:45 AM
Presenter(s): Alan and Sharon Beard

A married couple serving as leaders of two churches share what they've learned about simultaneously investing in an aging legacy church of Christ while planting a new one on Pepperdine's campus.

Rudy Hagood - ”Kingdom Race: We Haven’t Won Until We Are All One”

Fri May 9, 2025 - 9:45 AM
Presenter(s): Rudy Hagood

This session will discuss what I call the four stages of racial integrity. Although we will be discussing unity, unity does not happen merely because we discuss it. Christian unity only happens when we are on mission. My friends, we haven’t won, until we are all ONE. Jesus made unity with us his mission. That is the only reason we are unified with Christ. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” ~ John 1:14. We experience His grace and truth, because the Word (Christ) took the intentional step to dwell (tabernacle), with us. Jesus made residing and relating with us his mission. The truth just may be that the only way to be unified, is for us, like Christ, to make unity our mission as well. I fear that a lack of racial unity, is ultimately a lack Christian integrity. My hope is that we will all be ONE, showing that we have finally WON.

Scott Lambert - ”Four Decades of Conversations: What I Have Learned to Value the Most in a Life of Ministry”

Fri May 9, 2025 - 9:45 AM
Presenter(s): Scott Lambert