Brief Bio
About My Mission
About this Website
PhD in Hebrew Bible and Northwest Semitics
University of Toronto, 2019
MA in Theological Studies (double concentration)
Biblical Languages and Old Testament
Regent College, 2014
BSc in Engineering Physics
University of Alberta, 2009
Brief Bio
My name is Jacques. I grew up on a farm in northern Alberta in a francophone community. Thanks to my parents, I am natively trilingual in English, French, and Spanish. I am married to my wife Paige, and together we have three children.
It was while studying engineering that friends first invited me to join their Bible study. I liked it so much that I began a long journey of formal Bible study, leading eventually to doctoral studies in Old Testament. My specialization is in the original languages of the Bible, namely Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
Along the way I have picked up other skills and interests. Some of my hobbies include writing poetry, playing and designing board games, and writing browser based choose-your-own-adventure stories.
About My Mission
From the beginning of my theological studies I have been convinced that I am called to share my education for the benefit of the universal Church of Jesus Christ. I am attracted to scenarios where there appears to be greater need. Let me give a few examples. Why did I choose to specialize in Old Testament over New Testament? It was because I sensed a greater need in the Church generally in Old Testament studies. Regular churchgoers have a harder time with the Old Testament, there are fewer experts in Old Testament, and the resources for Hebrew and Old Testament tend to be fewer or of lower quality than their New Testament counterparts.
Here is another example. I took my wife and three young kids to India for a year. Why? There are hundreds of millions of people in India who do not know Jesus, and yet it is difficult to find qualified experts to teach seminary courses, particularly in Old Testament. We might have stayed there if we had not sensed God calling us elsewhere.
We have settled in Montreal, in the Canadian province of Quebec. Quebec has had a very peculiar history as regards faith and Christianity. Today it is one of the least reached places in the Americas. People keep telling me that there is a huge need for Christian teachers, pastors, and resources of all kinds.
Together with my family, I hope to settle here in Quebec for the long-term and offer my gifts and education for the cause of Christ among francophone Canadians. I hope to do that especially by teaching and preaching, but also through discipleship and writing.
About this Website
This website serves multiple purposes. First, I use it as a place to host my CV.
Second, I use it as a place to unite a number of resources that I hope to produce over the years to come, including regular prayers, sermons, and reviews. The special emphasis of this website is that – as much as possible – content will be offered in both French and English.
Third, I hope to be able to generate some income through this site, at least enough to cover the domain registration, hosting, and other associated costs of the site itself. Any income that I can bring in through this site will help liberate me to serve the francophone church.
The reality is that the church in Quebec is small and fragile, and the resources are limited. Many ministry opportunities require one to raise support through one’s personal network.
Thanks for stopping by.