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David Waddell

Adjunct Instructor in Health, Exercise Science and Recreation Management

David Waddell

Biography

David Waddell is a long-time veteran of local church ministry leadership and recently retired after eighteen years as the Sport and Recreation Administration Senior Lecturer at the University of Mississippi. He has over 20 years of experience as a church recreation minister serving in four different churches in Texas, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee.

David received his Bachelor of Science in Leisure Studies from Missouri State University, and his Master of Religious Education with an emphasis in Church Recreation from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and is a respected leader within the sports and recreation ministry.

He is the published author of four books: Characters of the Bible: Finding My Stories in Their Stories, Holiday Biblical Characters: Finding My Stories in the Stories of Christmas and Easter, Worship Wars: The Kings Lead the Battle to Spirit and Truth and A Cell Call From Paul: Modern Messages from First-Century Prison Letters. His books follow a "take the Bible personally" approach finding similarities in life's stories and those in the Bible. Also, David has written numerous articles for Lifeway Christian Resources and the Association of Church Sports and Recreation Ministries. A fifth book, A Tale of Two Paths: Taking the Fork in the Road is due for release in late 2025. David’s adaptation of Ten Things Every Recreator Should Remember was published in the National Recreation and Park Association’s monthly magazine.

David is a sought-after conference speaker known for his engaging, humorous, and encouraging presentations. He has presented various recreation workshops for Mississippi Recreation and Park Association, Church Sports and Recreation Ministries Association’s Sports Outreach Summits, Rec Labs, and Reachgatherings. He has also entertained numerous church fellowships, parties, and banquets with his ability to laugh at himself. David enjoys time spent with friends and family, including his ten grandchildren, and entertaining all with his wit and unique perspectives of faith, life, and what's important in life.

For more information about David's work, go to www.davidwaddell.biz or www.facebook.com/justlikebiblicalpeople.

Publications

Characters of the Bible: Finding My Stories in Their Stories

Author David Waddell shares his discovery of his similarity to characters in the Bible. He found a relationship with the woman in John 8:1–11. He saw himself in a crowd of Pharisees urging punishment of a woman who did something they had done or wanted to do. Waddell was the woman looking for love in all the wrong places. He was the woman at the mercy of Jesus who was forgiven of all her sins without defending herself. Waddell realized the connection he had with biblical characters because like him, and like us, they were sinful. And if we’re truthful with ourselves, we can be mean, deceitful, conniving, and abusing, just like many people described in the Bible. Yet God used them for His purposes, and He will use us if we let Him.

Holiday Biblical Characters: Finding My Stories in the Stories of Christmas and Easter

Worship Wars: The Kings Lead the Battle to Spirit and Truth

A Cell Call from Paul: Modern Messages from First-Century Prison Letters

A Tale of Two Paths: Taking the Fork in the Road (Forthcoming 2025)

Education

M.A. Religious Education, Southwestern Baptist Theolog. Seminary (1980)