Josh Benner

Category: My Life

  • Ohio State dominates Wolverines in “The Game”

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    Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

    Easily their best game since USC last year, but this game reminds me more of the 2014 Wisconsin game. Playing a good team, playing as an underdog, and just imposing their will. Dominating the game in every facet.

    But Urban Meyer takes this game to another level. Ohio State’s defense had been widely (and justifiably) criticized and maligned. People kept saying that this was Harabugh’s year. OSU has dominated the series over the last 17 years. But this was one of the rare times, where the Wolverines came into this game playing better, more highly ranked.

    But at the end of the day, it was dominating win over the fourth ranked team in America.

    Throughout the season, Ohio State has struggled on defense. They have given up their longest rushing and passing plays of all time this year. They’ve given up big plays. They’ve had a historically bad scoring defense. Gave up 51 points last week to Maryland.

    But in the first half of this game, Ohio State made the Wolverines earn their yards. It was the best tackling they’ve had all season. Buckeyes were bending but not breaking, holding the Wolverines to just six points until late in the first half.

    With 3:18 left in the first half, Dwayne Haskins hit Johnny Dixon for a 31 yard pass to give OSU a 21-6 lead.

    With the Wolverines against the ropes, Shea Patterson led a really solid scoring drive capped off by a great catch by Nico Collins which made the score 21-12.

    On the ensuing kickoff, something happened that I don’t think I’ve ever seen in my 25 years of watching football. The return man (DeMario McCall) fumbled the kick. The Wolverines suddenly had the ball on the nine yard line. They scored on the next play (failed on the two-point conversion). It was a swing in momentum, but Ohio State had really dominated the play in the first half. In the last :41 of the first half, OSU was able to drive down and kick a field goal.

    The third quarter was what put Ohio State ahead, as the Buckeyes outscored the Wolverines 17-0. After the initial Ohio State drive of the second half stalled, the Wolverines traded them an unfruitful possession. When OSU took the ball back, the Buckeyes hit a 31 yard run by J.K. Dobbins and a 36 yard pass to Parris Campbell and the Buckeyes were suddenly inside the 5, threatening going up by 12. In short yardage, they decided to put Tate Martell in at quarterback. This has been a struggle this season. Martell has gotten in on short yardage situations each of the last three games. All the plays were runs, as were all three plays in the red zone and what looked like a touchdown drive resulted in a field goal. Still a one-score game, as the Buckeyes led 27-19.

    Wolverines picked up a couple of first downs on the following drive. On fourth down, punting from their own 36, Buckeye receiver Chris Olave blocked the kick. Olave had also scored two touchdowns in the first half as he began a legacy in this gam today. The blocked punt was returned for a Buckeye touchdown.

    Now trailing 34-19, on third and long, Shea Patterson threw an interception to Buckeye Joran Fuller. Two plays later, Mike Weber scored to make it 41-19.

    Fourth quarter was back and forth. Wolverines finally caught fire on offense but had no answers on defense.

    The Wolverines had 40 carries for 160 yards, but a lot of those yards came late. Ohio State dominated between the tackles today. The heavily touted Oho State defensive line had been banged up (Nick Bosa out most of the season), but they had also been underwhelming at times. Today they were able to get pressure.

    It was a great game. Great performances from Dwayne Haskins, Chris Olave. Parris Campbell had 192 total yards in his final home game as a Buckeye. As much as the defense and linebackers have struggled, Malik Harrison had a huge game. Easily Ohio State’s best game of the year.

    Wolverines have the number one defense in the country: Ohio State scored 62 points. Over 300 passing yards and five passing touchdowns. Just under 250 rushing yards.

    Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear what you think, and don’t forget to subscribe! 

    Josh Benner is the associate pastor at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He enjoys writing about faith and culture. He lives with his wife Kari in Minnesota.

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  • My first year of marriage: How I Met My Wife

    first lookI got married a year ago today.

    It’s crazy.

    As I think about how we met, there’s always been a certain amount of fatalism in our story. We met on eHarmony. I was living in Minnesota, she was in Atlanta. The first time we ever talked was February 20, 2017. It was a Monday night, I thought she was cute and seemed nice. Never in a million years dreamed that I was messaging my future wife.

    A couple weeks earlier, she had gotten out of a relationship. Had that not happened when it happened, we might not have ever met. Because she was looking to move further into Atlanta to be closer.

    In the same few days the relationship ended, her dad accepted a job in the St. Louis area and was going to move from the south to the midwest.

    The rest of Kari’s family was living in Alabama at the time. Kari was teaching in suburban Atlanta, but she wasn’t from Atlanta and didn’t have anything keeping her there. So with her parents getting ready to move, they asked Kari if she wanted to go to St. Louis, live at home, save some money.

    She said yes and when she joined eHarmony, planning to move to St. Louis, she listed that as her city.

    For me, in western Minnesota (not exactly the world’s most populous area,) I had widened my eHarmony search parameters to include Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri. But not Georgia.

    So had that relationship not ended at the same time that her parents had decided to move, we wouldn’t have met. Had her parents not decided to move, she likely wouldn’t have moved to a different part of the country, away from family by herself. Had her parents not moved to an area that was within my search parameters, we would not have met.

    All of the things in our lives matter. They ripple out. They’re connected to each other. Ripples from one event impact other things happening in our lives which impact those around us, our families, our futures. Every day matters, every choice matters.

    When I was single, more than anything, I wanted to be married. There were setbacks along the way. Times of frustration. But I never doubted that it would happen. But a funny thing about marriage is that once you get married to someone, it’s almost like you forget life before ever being married to that person.

    Happy anniversary Kari! I love you babe.

    Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear what you think, and don’t forget to subscribe! 

    Josh Benner is the associate pastor at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He enjoys writing about faith and culture. He lives with his wife Kari in Minnesota.

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  • What seminary taught me

    13240631_10103459013196830_6669337147853210272_nI graduated seminary two years ago today. I consider it my proudest accomplishment.

    It wasn’t easy. I chose Trinity Evangelical Divinity School because I knew it was a great school that was academically rigorous. And they did not disappoint on that front. I’ve compared it to four years worth of theological Navy SEAL training.

    I learned a lot there. Things I learned about preaching, I use every week. Training in theological and Biblical studies impacts me on a daily basis.

    I learned the importance of Church history.

    There were also many things I learned outside of the classroom from friends. Preconceptions were challenged. It was a wonderful learning experience. And I can honestly say that there are still things I still from seminary friends.

    I learned that not every disagreement needs to be a theological hill worth dying on.

    Over the last several weeks, I’ve seen a new video series on the Gospel Coalition website entitled “what seminary didn’t teach” and it includes responses from many of the leading pastors and scholars in the Evangelical world.

    I was struck by John Piper’s response. He doesn’t like that question.

    Seminary can’t teach everything. Basic training and military training can’t teach a soldier everything there is to being in a war.

    I never had a professor in seminary who gave any false notion that seminary would fully prepare a person for every aspect of ministry. It’s too complicated of a job with too many hats to wear and too many plates to keep spinning. There are an infinite number of situations and scenarios a pastor can potentially face. And those situations involve different and unique people where the appropriate response is not always the same.

    I didn’t realize how much I didn’t know when I graduated. I feel like I have continued to study and learn since my time in seminary, and I realize I’m still really just scratching the surface on studying theology and the Bible.

    I didn’t realize the impact of sin and how it ripples through a church and family.

    Josh Benner is the associate pastor at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He enjoys writing about faith and culture. He lives with his wife Kari in Minnesota.

  • Life-changing days

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    It’s hard to believe that it was only a year ago that I sent a message to a woman on eHarmony who I thought looked cute and seemed nice.

    I had no expectations. If anything, I assumed nothing would materialize. Why wouldn’t I have thought that? I lived in Minnesota, she was in Georgia, about to move to St. Louis.

    I’m a planner. I like to have a plan, a backup plan, a backup backup plan. (more…)

  • Leadership lessons learned in college

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    10 years ago today, I accomplished one of my great goals in college. I became president of the Bowling Green State University Interfraternity Council (IFC). When I was elected, there were 16 fraternities and a few hundred fraternity men.
    When I was in college, I loved being in a fraternity. They’re still the memories of college I most cherish (let’s face it, I certainly didn’t love college for the classes and homework.) It was being part of something, having a group of brothers – many of whom, I’m still close to. (more…)