bio
Who are you?
Name: Steve Carr
DOB: 12.30.1975
Birthplace: Cincinnati, Ohio
Family: Wife, Kelly; daughter Kaelyn. Then add my parents, four siblings and spouses, and eleven nieces and nephews. Makes Christmas a hoot. My in-laws are stellar. No joke.
Employment: Teaching Pastor, Echo Church; Admissions Counselor, Cincinnati Christian University.
I was raised on the westside of Cincinnati where I graduated from Oak Hills High School in 1994. I then attended Cincinnati Christian University [formerly Cincinnati Bible College], where I met my wife Kelly. I both married and graduated college in 1998. I took a youth ministry in Madeira, a suburb of Cincinnati, then returned to Cincinnati Christian University to work as an admissions counselor. I received a Masters of Arts in Practical Ministries from Cincinnati Bible Seminary in 2002. That same year I took a ministry position at Christ’s Church at Mason, a suburban Cincinnati megachurch, as an associate minister. In 2005, we moved to urban Cincinnati to start a new church; I plan on spending the rest of my professional life here. I can’t get enough education: I received a Masters of Arts in Theology from Xavier University in 2009 and am currently working towards an MA in Church History at the previously mentioned Seminary. Finally, I yet again work at Cincinnati Christian University in the College of Adult Learning program, where I’m also an adjunct professor.
What does “Beit Carr” mean?
I thoroughly enjoy the Biblical text. I took some basic Biblical language courses in college, but nothing too in-depth. A few years ago I went back and took some Hebrew courses in an continuing education program offered with Hebrew Union College. Although I’m a hack, I love the Hebrew language. “Beit” is Hebrew for “house,” so “Beit Carr” is “The house of Carr” (by the way, there is a town mentioned in the Old Testament book 1 Samuel named “Beth Car”). A few years ago I picked up the domain houseofcarr.com, which briefly served as a separate family website, but now points here. You can now access this blog by either that web address or beitcarr.com.
What are your interests?
I really have eclectic tastes. There’s a lot to like about life so I keep my interests varied. I love most sports, whether it’s participating or observing. I love history, whether it’s world or local. I like music. Who doesn’t? And I guess I’m really into photography, a later-life addition to my hobby list. I do not, however, like seafood.
How’d you make this website?
Magic. Well, not really. I used Blogger for the first 2.5 years of my online journaling, but this site is now powered by Wordpress, using the Seven Five mod for dignified simplicity. It allows me the the latitude to do what I want with this website and I strongly recommend it to the serious blogger.
BEIT CARR DISCLAIMER
I find blogging to be a useful tool. It allows me the opportunity to present my thoughts in a public forum. Sometimes there’s a cultural issue that I want to comment on. Maybe there’s a news story that I feel deserves more attention. Or perhaps I just want to brag about my family or friends. I post it on the blog, and it’s out there.In addition to personal benefits, I think this blog can be useful to the reader as well. Every few weeks, I get comments from people who have read my blog and say something to the effect of: “I can’t believe you’re a minister. You sound like a normal person.” Not quite sure if “normal” is the best term by which to describe me, but I’m glad people see that pastors can be human.
But blogging can be a risky undertaking for clergy because it exposes them to direct criticism. If they present an idea isn’t Christian enough or admit a personal flaw, some individuals may use that information as ammunition in order to attack the pastor. This is why few pastors are willing to blog and those that do are fearful of being anything but generic with their thoughts.
But I’m going to keep on being me and using Beit Carr to throw my ideas out there. That being said, here’s my list of disclaimers.
1. The thoughts posted here at Beit Carr are ideas I am comfortable with as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. My daily aim is to live my life under the authority of God as specifically explained in the Holy Christian Scriptures. I will sometimes post incomplete thoughts that I’m wrestling or use humor that people might not get. Hey, that’s me and how I live life. But I take seriously my calling and don’t abandon it when I get behind a keyboard.
2. The thoughts posted here at Beit Carr are not representative of Echo Church. That might seem like a laughable statement since I teach/preach using personal thoughts every week. But Echo is much, much bigger than me. This is my personal voice, not the church’s. If anything I ever write/say is objectional, I’m in submission to the leadership of the church to correct me. So if I ever cross the line, I’m accountable. Additionally, the content on this website does not necessarily represent any other organization with which I am affiliated.
3. I take no responsibility for outside comments posted at Beit Carr. Blog comments are an opportunity for people to interact with things I’ve written and, even when I disagree, I appreciate them. However, there will always be comments posted that some people will find more objectional than others. Unless I find it blatantly offensive I’ll allow for free speech and let it stand, but that doesn’t mean I agree with it.
4. I take no responsibility for the content found on any of the links at Beit Carr. The links here at Beit Carr are a collection of sites that I find useful and blogs by people I’ve met throughout the years. Sometimes content on a referred site will be objectional or a person will say a ridiculous statement. I can’t monitor everything on all these links, so instead of choosing to have no links at all, I’ll refer them but send you out at your own risk.
Friends, the internet’s a crazy place. True, it’s home of some of the ugliest, repulsive content that humans could ever imagine. But the medium itself is not evil. There’s a lot of good that can come out of it as well. That’s why I like my little corner here on the world wide web. Just trying to do some good and make some people smile. Hope you enjoy it.
Blessings,
steve