The Love Of The Father

How does a fatherless “deadhead” following the sinful ways of the world end up falling right at the feet of the Lord? Join Pastor Chris Gordon as he hears the incredible story of Pastor Eric Watkins and how a Bible and a ride on a Greyhound bus led to a 180 degree turn in his life. Listen as Eric talks about what a true father is and how the Lord worked in his life and the lives of his entire family to mend broken hearts and broken trust. It’s a compelling story that reminds us that no one is outside of the reach of God’s grace, and how His love covers a multitude of sins!

Chapters

00:00 - Intro to Eric Watkins
01:15 - OPC Church Planting
02:10 - Hunter Gatherer Or Farmer?
03:15 - Timothy’s Ministry
04:20 - Big, Beautiful Family
06:00 - A Deadhead’s Path To Salvation
08:50 - Camp Lejeune Toxic Water
10:05 - A Non-Christian Upbringing
11:36 - Following The Grateful Dead
13:20 - Needing A Change
17:30 - Reconnecting With Dad
19:00 - God’s Grace On The Family
20:00 - The Gift Of The Bible
22:00 - Ordinary Means Of Grace
24:00 - Promoting The Gospel
27:29 - Hope & Walking In Wisdom
29:00 - Salt & Light
30:05 - Getting Into The Ministry
31:25 - A True Dad
32:26 - The Connection To The Church
34:10 - The Family Emphasis
35:40 - The Ministry Of Preaching
37:00 - Becoming A Reformed Pastor
39:00 - God Uses Sinners
42:12 - There’s Room At The Table

Dr. Watkins is the senior pastor of Harvest Presbyterian Church (OPC) in San Marcos, California. He has been a pastor in the OPC since 2001. He has planted two churches for the OPC and very much enjoys the work of church planting. He serves on the Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension for the OPC. He loves the church and loves to see people won to Christ through faithful preaching and evangelism.

His Ph.D. dissertation The Drama of Preaching: Participating with God in the History of Redemption was published by Wipf and Stock in 2017. It focuses on the idea of preaching Christ from the Old Testament in a postmodern context. He is also the author of numerous articles for TableTalk, New Horizons, and Christian Renewal magazines, as well as other scholarly publications. He is also the author of a forthcoming book on Hebrews 11, to be published by Reformation Trust. His research interests are preaching, evangelism, church planting, theology/practice of mission, and postmodernism. He is very much a practitioner as well, and enjoys being “in the trenches” doing the work of the ministry.

Dr. Watkins is a member of the Evangelical Homiletics Society and is a frequent conference speaker.
Degrees:
A.A. Carteret Community College, 1994, B.A. Southeastern Bible College, 1997, M.Div. Westminster Seminary California, 2000, Th.M. Reformed Theological Seminary, 2009, Ph.D. Theological University in Kampen, Netherlands, 2016

Website: https://agradio.org
Newsletter: https://agradio.org/newsletter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aboundingraceradioministry
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aboundinggraceradio
X: https://x.com/agradio1
Website: https://www.modernreformation.org/
Website: https://hopc.org/
Website: https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2023/november/eric-watkins-testimony-deadhead-greyhound-bus.html
Website: https://www.midamerica.edu/faculty/eric-watkins

Dr. Eric B. Watkins is pastor of Salt and Light Reformed Church in Daytona Beach, Fla., and director of the Center for Missions and Evangelism at Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Ind. 

Dr. Watkins' Ph.D. dissertation The Drama of Preaching:  Participating with God in the History of Redemption was published by Wipf and Stock in 2017.  It focuses on the idea of preaching Christ from the Old Testament in a postmodern context.  He is also the author of numerous articles for TableTalk, New Horizons, and Christian Renewal magazines, as well as other scholarly publications. He is also the author of a forthcoming book on Hebrews 11, to be published by Reformation Trust.  His research interests are preaching, evangelism, church planting, theology/practice of mission, and postmodernism.  He is very much a practitioner as well, and enjoys being “in the trenches” doing the work of the ministry.

Dr. Watkins is a member of the Evangelical Homiletics Society and is a frequent conference speaker.