Meet the Captain

Welcome to Cap'n Salty's voyage aboard the Marmoset.  Since you're aboard you probably want to know who we are and where we're bound.  My real name is Dave Spotts.  Cap'n Salty is a small wooden figurine but don't tell him that.  H'd be insulted.  Cap'n Salty is a kind of rough, sometimes grumpy old salt who will kindly remind students that if they are out of line they might just become shark bait.  Of course, his desire is to keep everyone aboard, being productive, and moving together toward their destination in good order.  

I've been engaged as a teacher of Greek, Latin, and a smattering of other related subjects at Christian schools since 1995.  You can find links to the school I'm currently working with in the right hand column of the blog.

A few years ago a dear friend introduced me to the idea of historic confessional Christianity as exemplified by the Law/Gospel distinction which is so very important to Lutheran theology.  As we started studying confessional Lutheranism the whole idea of the solid foundation of liturgical worship in which each element of the worship service points toward Christ and what he does for his people seemed like a breath of fresh air.  We're becoming convinced that this is what is really right.  We think it's what our society needs more of.  In an age when do-it-yourself religion is creating a Christian culture which is virtually indistinguishable from the surrounding secular society, it's time to give people something which is different.  

Starting at the beginning of the Christmas season in 2008 (and that begins on December 25, contrary to what retailers would have you think), our family is going to be attending a church affiliated with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, the largest of the biblically conservative Lutheran denominations in the United States.

I have been contemplating a move to Fort Wayne, Indiana, home of Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne (www.ctsfw.edu) and possible future pursuit of a seminary education and placement as a pastor if they will take an old geezer like me.

We'll use this blog for personal and family reflections.  My other blog, where I use the name of "Alex Kirk" (which means "nurturer of the Church") consists of devotional comments I write based on readings from the lectionary - a fancy name for a Bible reading schedule.  I invite everyone to watch both blogs and see where we are in our journey.  Maybe some of our travels can be an encouragment to some of our readers.  Maybe some of our readers have been on similar journeys and want to encourage us in some way.  Whatever the outcome, may it be to bring praise to the Lord of all, Jesus Christ.