📧 “Reconnecting – Podcast on Paul, Power, and Service” (ignored)

Hey Esau,

I hope you’re doing well—it’s been a while since our St Andrews days, but I’ve followed your work with real admiration. I’m reaching out with an invitation I think might resonate with you personally and professionally.

I’m putting together a podcast series tied to the paperback release of God Is a Grunt, a book that uses what I call a “martial hermeneutic” to make Scripture more accessible to soldiers, veterans, and military families. One episode focuses on Paul and his use of Roman citizenship, and I’d love to include your voice in the conversation. Given your work on race, power, and Scripture—not to mention your own experience as a military spouse—I think your perspective would be invaluable.

Would you be open to a short recorded conversation sometime this summer? I’d handle all the logistics and work around your schedule.

Hope to reconnect and talk more soon.

Peace

20250723

Dear Esau,

I hope this finds you well. I wanted to follow up on my earlier invitation regarding the podcast episode on Paul and citizenship for the Grunt God series. I know schedules can get intense, and I understand if you’re juggling a lot. Still, I wanted to gently underscore why your voice in this conversation matters deeply—not just to me, but to the broader story we’re trying to tell.

As a military spouse, your insights are uniquely valuable in this exploration of a martial hermeneutic—especially in light of Paul’s Roman citizenship and the implications for believers today navigating identity, power, and belonging. But beyond your professional and theological contributions, I also see you as someone personally connected to this work.

Back when we were all in Scotland, my partner watched your kids so that both you and Mandy (a commissioned-officer) could serve and teach. It was an act of solidarity, the kind that often goes unseen—but it’s that same solidarity I’m now trying to cultivate through this project. This is about lifting up the voices of those in and around military life, especially when faith and justice are on the line.

I truly hope we can still make this conversation happen. Your participation would mean a lot. Here’s my Calendly link again in case there’s a time that works for you. And if the timing just isn’t right, I understand—I’d just appreciate knowing either way.

With respect and hope,