I call my blogging home Faith Improvised because it represents what I do as a student of the New Testament. I observe a body of texts that improvise upon the faith of Israel in light of the reality of Jesus Christ.
It also captures how I regard being Christian. The way of Jesus as depicted in the New Testament is both radically new and in complete continuity with the way of the God of Israel and his aims to claim a people for the redemption of the world. In the same way, Christian faithfulness is always shaped by its many pasts and is always reconfiguring and adjusting in order to meet and redeem new situations.
Faith Improvised is a space for me to think out loud and in community about pretty much anything and everything, but mainly about books I’m reading, movies, sports, biblical studies, and politics.
I teach New Testament here:
I earned my Ph.D. from here:
My hometown:
My tragic life-long sports devotion:
My favorite TV show for which I block out life and demand silence:
If I could only play one golf course for the rest of my life, it’d be here:
The movies I watch over and over and through which I envision life and relationships:
Faith Improvised 
Nijay Gupta
Welcome, brother.
Daniel Doleys
Just when I thought the Internet could not get any better!
Brian LePort
Welcome to the blogosphere!
Don
I look forward to reading this . . . when I’m not sending someecards or playing facebook Texas Hold’em
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brianfulthorp
wanted you to know I very much appreciate your blog and ministry to the church. blessings, -Brian
Jamey Miller
I just finished reading the “The Drama of Ephesians.” Great book. I’m starting a new series on Ephesians here at our church in Fort Worth and there are a number of things from your book that will make this reading/preaching of Ephesians fresh and important for us. Thanks. 🙂
–Jamey
PS–After I finished the “transforming the imagination” chapter, I probably had more words highlighted than not. Loved it. Words like expansive and possibilities and undiscovered continents come to mind. 🙂 Way to go.
Phillip Marshall
Hi Tim! Nice to see your blog here. I didn’t know you were at GRTS and had left Cedarville. Blessings on you, your family, and your ministry.
Phillip
Mike
Who is the artist in the painting in the Faithfulness of Jesus Christ blob .
timgombis
Caravaggio.
Eric Redmond
Tim,
I read your Evangelicals and the Bible, parts 1 – 3, with great interest. Can you give me 2 or 3 examples of things you have said in class that have raised the “That’s sounds unbiblical” eyebrows from evangelicals? I have heard this sort of thing when it comes to discussing social reform from the Scriptures.
Thank you.
ECR
timgombis
Hey Eric,
I heard it on a range of issues there aren’t in the standard set of things that evangelicals hear about. The prophetic critiques of Israel’s self-promoting and acquisitive ways of life, the role of the powers and authorities in Paul’s theology, the fact that Jesus’ death deals with God’s cosmic enemies in the NT every bit as much as it deals with personal sin(s), that Jesus wasn’t omniscient during his time on earth and developed through the ‘normal’ stages of human development — all these and more, topics that shake up and alter a received theology.
Sometimes it’s an appreciative tone, but filled with wonder that they haven’t heard such things before. Sometimes it’s disappointing and disconcerting.
tg
Gareth J M Saunders
The University of St Andrews crest has disappeared from your website. It looks like you were hot-linking to it and a recent restructure of the website code has broken the link.
You can grab it again from here: http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/media/styles/main-website/images/crest/header_crest_white.gif
and I suggest that you upload it to your blog and link to it from there. That way it won’t break again when the Divinity website is restructured/redesigned next.
I hope that helps.
Gareth J M Saunders
Web Architect (and graduate of St Mary’s College)
University of St Andrews
theoldadam
As long as the Cubs are not contenders, we know we have some more years down here to do our work.
When they field that championship caliber team…the end is nigh.
John burnett
can’t figure out a way to subscribe! so i’m just commenting here so WP will notify me of new posts and comments.
timgombis
Hi John,
I think you can hit the “follow” button to subscribe.
John burnett
Looked again, but i’m just not seeing any such button. I did manage to subscribe though, by following from my previous comment.
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Emily
Hi Tim,
I have been fascinated by the work you have done so far on your Faith Improvised podcast. I have since been in a bit of an intense debate with a friend that has dedicated themselves to evangelism on a college campus. They have written me a pretty comprehensive email that I would like to forward you for your opinion if possible. I feel like it is beyond my own scope of expertise. Please let me know if you would like to look it over.
Thanks so much,
Emily
timgombis
Hi Emily,
You can send it to me at faithimprovised@gmail.com. I do try to stay out of debates with people, but I can certainly take a look.
tg
Rob Wegner
Dr. Gombis,
I’d like to request the article you mentioned on household codes. Apologies for leaving this as a comment. I wasn’t able to locate your email address. By the way, Chicago is my hometown, but I’m a south side kid. Go Sox’s!
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carlos and Kimberley Belez
Hello my dear Bro, sorry if I sound super informal and kind of disrespectful. I am not trying to.
My name is Carlos Belez and my beautiful Queen is Kimberley. We are missionaries here in the Dominican Republic and in one of our many trips in the island we were listening to the Vox Podcast: Power in Weakness, and immediately I told Kim – “there is my new bro”.
I just love the way you talk about the Cross, the interaction among the family of Christ, and the gospel in general.
The reason why we are reaching out to you is that we are going to be back in Grand Rapids in June and we would really love to have a chance to talk to you.
Thank you so much for the way you are leading the Holy Spirit to shine his light through you my dear bro.
Blessings.Carlos & Kimberley Belez
Shannon Gordon
I checked out your podcast after hearing you on The Holy Post. I usually don’t have an hour to devote to one person’s musings, but you may have convinced me. I enjoy the whole thing. Today, I listened to your take on professional sports and it was aligned with some research I’m doing. I’m reading 19th century German-American newspapers articles railing against Base Ball, not just the professional trend, but the competitiveness, fighting, gambling, and the moral decline brought on by the very existence of the game. I think they are decrying, to use your terms, both “taking the sport seriously” and the sport becoming “serious”. That gives me a new insight into my reading.
Thanks,
Shannon
Chuck
Hi Tim –
Thank you for your podcast. I listen to it while walking. Accordingly, I had nothing to write with when you said I could email you to receive your notes on Romans with all the highlights and comments. I looked and couldn’t find an email address online. If I could, I would like to get a copy of Romans. What address can I reach you at?
Thank you.
Hannah Elias
Tim-
I heard you first on Voxology and was curious about this podcast—faith improvised. I like how your podcast is less of a performance and more like “a chat you might have with a friend”. Lastly, I have found that your podcast is great to listen to as I fall asleep because your voice is very calming—also I do not follow sports. So, if I have a hard time falling asleep, I turn on your podcast and am asleep by the time you are finishing up the sports section!
Thank you for your knowledgeable, calming, and informative podcast!
Ed Paredes
I first heard you from the Eikon Podcast with Michael Burns. I have begun to look you up on other podcast because I am intrigued with your interpretations on the gospel of Mark. I have not heard this before and it does make more sense to me now. I really like your idea of reading the Bible like reading it like your read it for the first time without preconceived understanding of the scriptures. My paradigm has been changing and remaining open myself to the new things I will discover upon reading and listening to other teachers.
Ryan Maroney
Tim,
I couldn’t find your email so I thought I’d try here. Can you email me the Lectio Divina resource you mentioned on the podcast?
Paul Wirch
Hi Tim,
You mentioned on your podcast that you had a chiastic structure of the Bible that you were willing to share. Let me know how I can get a copy.
Thanks,
Paul
David Cartledge
Hi Tim, I would like you to send me the handout for the Big Story as I am about to start episode two. I’ve also just started reading your book The Drama of Ephesians. Thanks.
timgombis
Hi David, send me an email at faithimprovised@gmail.com and I’ll happily send it along!