As maybe some have noticed, I haven’t written a post for a pretty good amount of time. That is not because I haven’t been involved in study. In fact, quite the contrary, I’ve been engulfed in study. I’ve been reading continuously and doing my best to prepare for CIA, CrossExamined Instructor Academy. CIA is a three day class that is put on by CrossExamined for individuals to become better familiarized with Christian apologetic material and to learn how to better articulate these concepts when speaking about your faith or defending your faith to anyone.

CrossExamined is headed up by Dr. Frank Turek, who has authored the books, “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist”, “Legislating Morality”, and “Correct, Not Politically Correct”. In addition to his successful books, Turek has been a powerhouse in the Christian apologetic community by going to secular universities and presenting this material and answering difficult questions from skeptics, and believers, in the audience. He has been the foundation for this organization since its beginning and has made tremendous headway in the field of Christian apologetics by shining light on the need for it in today’s progressively failing church.

While it may sound a tad cliché, these last three days have been a blast! The guys that were teaching are guys that I’ve looked up to for years. I’ve read their books. I’ve listened to their podcasts. I’ve watched them on YouTube. These are men that have indirectly mentored me for years! After years of being exposed to their teachings, I was able to talk with them face-to-face. Ask them questions. Talk to them like human beings. We all, maybe even subconsciously, have an expectation of people that we look up to that we’ve never met. We expect them to be as admirable in person as they are over the radio, TV, or in their book. None of my instructors disappointed and they were the Godly men that I expected them to be.

As it says in Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” This class was an embodiment of that verse. Lucky for us students, we were being sharpened by the sharpest iron. The men that facilitated the class are considered as being in the top tiers of Christian apologetics. Their skill sets are vast and range from prominent cold case homicide detective J Warner Wallace to Biblical archeologist Ted Wright to brilliant students of philosophy Dr. Richard Howe and Greg Koukl. All the men, not just the few that I mentioned above, all share the passion for Christ and have polished their skill sets to be the most effective ambassadors for Christ possible.

For me personally, it was a gratifying experience. I was able to personally discuss things that I’ve had questions about for years with those most qualified to answer them. These instructors took their responsibility of being effective and loving ambassadors for Christ seriously and made time for their students and answered their questions. However, for me, it was particularly powerful when J Warner Wallace invited students at the hotel for breakfast to fellowship with each other before the class started. Wallace was genuinely welcoming and embraced us all as though he had known us for years.

I look forward to next year when CIA 2014 rolls around. As I trust it will be, I will continue to attend CIA as long as it continues to sharpen me in a way that is pleasing to God.