Last week we interviewed the first of our two amazing summer interns, and today we shine the spotlight on the second. Jeremy Sexton comes to us from Valley Forge Christian College where he is majoring in youth ministry. He was immediately thrown into that crazy creative/media world that Pastor Dave lives in, and he has been a huge asset to the NCC team since the moment he arrived. Many of the videos you have seen recently on Sunday mornings have been Jeremy’s work. He even invested time in painting a green screen. We’ve been talking about doing that at NCC for a couple of years, and Jeremy knocked it out in an afternoon.
Today, we caught up with Jeremy to talk about life, ministry, and wrestling.
Tell us a little about your background.
I grew up in a suburb of Cleveland, OH and lived there my whole life. I have one sister who is 7 years younger than me, which is far enough apart that there’s no sibling rivalry or anything, we’ve always had a really great relationship which I love. My parents are very active in my church back home, so I grew up going to church and have tons of support in what I’m doing now.
Where do you go to college? What is your major?
I go to Valley Forge Christian College in Phoenixville, PA, just outside of Philadelphia. My major is Youth Ministry.
Tell us about your internship at NCC and what you hope to accomplish during your time in DC?
My internship has been primarily working with Pastor Dave on the media end of things, which I love doing. What I really want to accomplish here is getting a real sense of how NCC does what it does and the motivation and mentalities behind all that. I’ve never been in a church situation similar to this, so it’s interesting to see how things work here. I told Pastor Joel and Pastor Dave in the interview I had with them that I was looking for something “out of the box” to which they replied that NCC was about as out of the box as it gets. I’m just trying to soak all of that in and glean whatever I can.
When did you start following Christ and what have been some of the spiritual turning points in your life?
I accepted Christ at the age of 4, so my whole life virtually was spent in church. There were bumps along the road and whatnot, but I’ve basically followed Christ my whole life. The first time I felt called to ministry was a big turning point in my life. It happened in 8th grade during a youth service and totally changed the way I viewed the world, as I filtered everything through the lens of me being in ministry someday. It was a catalyst for good choices and totally altered the way I viewed myself and the future. I’d say another spiritual turning point for me happened over time in a series of classes at Valley Forge. God used several professors to really strip away an awful picture of Himself that had been painted by different experiences in my life. It gave me a much clearer understanding of who He is and virtually changed everything for me.
What is your favorite Scripture passage?
I don’t really know as though I have a favorite passage of Scripture, but one that I like quite a bit is Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” It sounds kind of harsh, but the idea that God’s qualities can be seen in everything around us is something that fascinates me. I’ve never looked at a sunset the same way since reading this.
What are your favorite books?
I’ll be honest, I don’t read nearly as much as I’d like to. Some favorites of mine are:
Everything Bad is Good for You by Steven Johnson
It’s a great book on how pop culture is making us smarter. I love the argument here, it’s a very interesting read.
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart
A book every Christian needs to read, period. You learn to read the Bible. If you haven’t read this book or one like it, you don’t know how, trust me, this is a must read.
Triumph and Heartbreak by Shawn Michaels
The autobiography of my favorite pro wrestler of all time. The fact that WWE published a book in which someone’s testimony shines through so brightly astounds me. Highlight: Shawn describes baptizing a friend of his in the pool of the hotel they were staying at on the road. Totally inspirational.
What are your favorite movies?
I love movies, so it’s gonna be hard to narrow it down, but I’ll try.
Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
What is your favorite fast food?
Wendys spicy chicken sandwich. It’s a little slice of Heaven. If Heaven was fried and spicy.
Who is your hero? (besides Jesus or any other member of the Trinity)
My hero… this is a tough one. I’ll go the non-sappy route and say David Blaine, strangely enough. He took an art that was dying and brought it back to life and made it pop culture all over again. It’s a great lesson in relevance that I think the church could learn a lot from. He also does some pretty amazing stuff and inspired me to pick up a deck of cards for the first time.
What do you do in your free time?
In my free time I do web design on a freelance basis. I’m also a huge gamer, so I play quite a bit. Also, I’ve made time once again to get back into magic, checking out new material that’s out there and watching as much of Criss Angel’s Mindfreak as I can, cause he is just brilliant. I also watch a good deal of pro wrestling, mostly independent stuff anymore. I try to get to as many Ring of Honor shows in Philly as I can, I really think that proximity to great indy wrestling will be a factor in where I personally want to go after college. Of course I’ll let God make the decision, but I’ll be praying really hard to be near Ring of Honor or Pro Wrestling Guerilla 
In NCC:THE MOVIE who would play you? Who would play Pastor Mark?
I’d have to be played by Jason Bateman. I was a HUGE Arrested Development fan when it ran on Fox, and everyone at school that watched the show noted our similar sarcastic senses of humor.
Pastor Mark, on the other hand… that’s a tough one. Let’s say Steve Carrell, same passively cool sense of humor there.
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