Have you ever been restless? I have! Every time I have ever felt restless I always assumed it was because God was "moving" me somewhere. That it was time to polish up the ole resume and start house shopping. I was reading 1 Timothy 3:14 and noticed something, Paul was restless. His heart yearned to go and see what God was doing, but he stayed where he was. I have realized this week what a great blessing longevity in ministry can be. To date 4 1/2 years is the longest run I've had. I don't doubt that my intent was to stay and I also trust that everything happened the way God wanted, but in this season of life and
Ministry I see the value of going the distance, staying put, but not "settling". This restless feeling, I have come to learn may very well be God showing new things he wants for my current location, not for me to move to a NEW location. Often it's easier to move and start over, but I believe that restless feeling may just be something new God is going to do right where I am both in ME and in ministry. Can't wait for the next chapter...
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Friday, May 4, 2012
Wild Week... of rest??
There are always THOSE weeks, but this week was exceptionally crazy but in a good way. Time spent readying for summer, hearing the hearts and plans of graduating seniors, connecting with an old friend in ministry, and more. It was just a good week! It was however, in the midst of it all peaceful! God gave me rest in the craziness and encouraged me with this passage Isaiah 43:2. I pray that in the busyness of the day/week/month/year you will find rest in Gods faithfulness!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Finish What You Start
I see its been over a year since my last blog post… not a hot demand from people just waiting on my next post or that I have anything remotely striking to talk about. I'm no Seth Godin or Michael Hyatt so who really cares about my blog? Well, I should! God has put things in my heart and life over the last few years that I have failed to run with, failed to seize, and neglected to follow through on. Between transitioning into a new journey in Midland, buying a house, settling in, taking a long look at the SM culture here, continuing work on my PhD, I simply "forgot" that God told me to blog!
A few years ago, when I was struggling through a period of ministry, God reminded me of a verse:
Philippians 1:6- "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ"
Now, this is not meant in any way to be an exegetical treatise of this passage, but there are a couple of things that convicted me to the core when I read this passage this past week and I asked myself these questions:
1. Have I been totally faithful in every way to the mission God has called ME to?
(raising up a generation of Kingdom builders, releasing students to IMPACT the world, equipping
parents to champion their kids)
2. Have I been a good steward of EVERY gift entrusted to me by God?
(education, family, leaders, resources)
3. Have I pursued with all that I am to look more like Jesus today than I did yesterday?
(as a husband, dad, pastor, leader, friend and follower of Jesus)
I would like to be very Holy and say that all these above got a resounding 'YES!", but I would be a liar. the truth is, I am not real sure about these above because I haven't been faithful in keeping up with it. I have not journaled, blogged or written any of the great things that happened in the last year or so down.
I pray that for the sake of letting Christ finish his work in me, I will be faithful to record it and share it, for maybe none else but He and I to read! Let the journey begin again...
A few years ago, when I was struggling through a period of ministry, God reminded me of a verse:
Philippians 1:6- "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ"
Now, this is not meant in any way to be an exegetical treatise of this passage, but there are a couple of things that convicted me to the core when I read this passage this past week and I asked myself these questions:
1. Have I been totally faithful in every way to the mission God has called ME to?
(raising up a generation of Kingdom builders, releasing students to IMPACT the world, equipping
parents to champion their kids)
2. Have I been a good steward of EVERY gift entrusted to me by God?
(education, family, leaders, resources)
3. Have I pursued with all that I am to look more like Jesus today than I did yesterday?
(as a husband, dad, pastor, leader, friend and follower of Jesus)
I would like to be very Holy and say that all these above got a resounding 'YES!", but I would be a liar. the truth is, I am not real sure about these above because I haven't been faithful in keeping up with it. I have not journaled, blogged or written any of the great things that happened in the last year or so down.
I pray that for the sake of letting Christ finish his work in me, I will be faithful to record it and share it, for maybe none else but He and I to read! Let the journey begin again...
Monday, April 18, 2011
Why the Maven?
A re-posting of a blog from Aug, 2008-
my wife asked was it presumptuous of me to be an "expert" in youth ministry? though i wanted to say no-lol, i knew i should explain . I first encountered this word in Malcom Gladwell's great work Tipping Point. (highly recommended reading btw) now, i do not presume myself to be an expert at anything, except maybe eating-lol. i do however want to stay true to the epistemological roots of the word. per Encarta:
noun
Definition: expert or enthusiast: an expert or knowledgeable enthusiast
[Mid-20th century. Via Yiddish meyvn< Hebrew mēḇīn "somebody who understands"]
though i would love to become an "expert" in some ways, i really just want to be what the Hebrew word intends, "somebody who understands"
After 13 years of YM (this will always stand for Youth Ministry or Minister) i have served in small country churches, in the bible belt, in "catholic country" of Louisiana, 5 different churches, in 4 states, a "big" church yada, yada. my point is , i want this blog to be a resource for all of us who want to talk, vent, encourage, love, confess, and become all that Christ has called we YM's to be! so i hope this explains the name and forgive me please if it seems presumptuous, i humbly submit my life on this blog not for accolades, but for true community and friendship in the journey Christ has called me and others.............
noun
Definition: expert or enthusiast: an expert or knowledgeable enthusiast
[Mid-20th century. Via Yiddish meyvn< Hebrew mēḇīn "somebody who understands"]
though i would love to become an "expert" in some ways, i really just want to be what the Hebrew word intends, "somebody who understands"
After 13 years of YM (this will always stand for Youth Ministry or Minister) i have served in small country churches, in the bible belt, in "catholic country" of Louisiana, 5 different churches, in 4 states, a "big" church yada, yada. my point is , i want this blog to be a resource for all of us who want to talk, vent, encourage, love, confess, and become all that Christ has called we YM's to be! so i hope this explains the name and forgive me please if it seems presumptuous, i humbly submit my life on this blog not for accolades, but for true community and friendship in the journey Christ has called me and others.............
A New Era
Time to resurrect the blog! As we plan and prep for Easter this week, I have been thinking about the new life, new creation, fresh starts, and fresh wind in the sails!
If you thumb through the archives of this blog you will see its been quite a while since I posted, however more so you will find that I have been on quite the journey. Subsequent posts will flesh this out, I just wanted to get back in the saddle, update some info, and send a post out. I am now committed more so than ever to stay up to date here, this blog will become my creative writing outlet for this season in life- enjoy, comment, challenge, and encourage
I will begin by reposting the initial blog that I launched with- this will framework things a bit and help guide my own thoughts on the purpose of this blog ( I tend to ramble ;)
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
A hill to die on
In ministry there are critical times of decision making that effect not only us, but our families, congregations, volunteers, friends, and even the Kingdom. These decisions can be minuet or cataclysmic in scope, depending on whom or what they concern I guess, and yet you have to make the call. I have had really tough decisions to make in life and in ministry, some were navigated better than others, still all were beneficial for growth!
I have heard the term, “Choose what hill you will die on wisely”. The basic tenet is there are some things worth fighting, some things not worth fighting, so choose those scenarios wisely. Now no matter the case, I believe that we should/must operate on a level of scriptural conviction that is THE guide of all decision making. Without biblical wisdom there is none, so therefore all decision making must come under the authority of the scriptures. However what happens when the “scenario” is not black and white in the scripture? In the world of Christian Ethics, the study of moral standards and how they affect conduct, decision making is comprised of at least three basic “avenues” by which a decision can be made:
Deontologically- relating to philosophical theories that state that the moral content of an action is not wholly dependent on its consequences
i.e. - God has a standard that he has set and you must obey that standard no matter the cost
Teleologically- relating to the study of ultimate causes in nature or of actions in relation to their ends or utility
i.e. - The decision must be made to bring a better end for the whole, even if it adversely affects the minority
Relationally- relating to the behaviors that are addressed in a manner consistent with human nature and reliant upon the existing relationship between parties
i.e. - the decision to be made is made based upon the given outcomes affect on the personal relationships involved and what is the better outcome for both parties.
The whole reason I’m saying all this is b/c I was reading Acts 16:1-3
Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra And a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, and he was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted this man to go with him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
Wait, wait, Paul, the guy who wrote the Galatian church and hoped that some would emasculate themselves for proposing that anyone should be circumcised when coming to faith? Yes this very same Paul took Timothy and circumcised him. Why? B/c it was for the greater good. The last part of that passage shows that even though there was a biblical mandate in place, even though there was freedom from legal requirements found in the grace of the cross, this was the best decision for both Timothy’s call and the greater ministry that he would go on to carry out!
This isn’t a lesson in ethics, this was a slamming reminder to me that even though I have some pretty strong convictions about certain things (especially concerning the church and how it is “operated”), even though I may be justified and perfectly in harmony with the Gospel in having these convictions, and even though I have perfect peace and freedom from the cross to stand by these principles, there are decisions to be made that are NOT “hills worth dying on”
May we approach life and ministry with the humility of Paul……………….
I have heard the term, “Choose what hill you will die on wisely”. The basic tenet is there are some things worth fighting, some things not worth fighting, so choose those scenarios wisely. Now no matter the case, I believe that we should/must operate on a level of scriptural conviction that is THE guide of all decision making. Without biblical wisdom there is none, so therefore all decision making must come under the authority of the scriptures. However what happens when the “scenario” is not black and white in the scripture? In the world of Christian Ethics, the study of moral standards and how they affect conduct, decision making is comprised of at least three basic “avenues” by which a decision can be made:
Deontologically- relating to philosophical theories that state that the moral content of an action is not wholly dependent on its consequences
i.e. - God has a standard that he has set and you must obey that standard no matter the cost
Teleologically- relating to the study of ultimate causes in nature or of actions in relation to their ends or utility
i.e. - The decision must be made to bring a better end for the whole, even if it adversely affects the minority
Relationally- relating to the behaviors that are addressed in a manner consistent with human nature and reliant upon the existing relationship between parties
i.e. - the decision to be made is made based upon the given outcomes affect on the personal relationships involved and what is the better outcome for both parties.
The whole reason I’m saying all this is b/c I was reading Acts 16:1-3
Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra And a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, and he was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted this man to go with him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
Wait, wait, Paul, the guy who wrote the Galatian church and hoped that some would emasculate themselves for proposing that anyone should be circumcised when coming to faith? Yes this very same Paul took Timothy and circumcised him. Why? B/c it was for the greater good. The last part of that passage shows that even though there was a biblical mandate in place, even though there was freedom from legal requirements found in the grace of the cross, this was the best decision for both Timothy’s call and the greater ministry that he would go on to carry out!
This isn’t a lesson in ethics, this was a slamming reminder to me that even though I have some pretty strong convictions about certain things (especially concerning the church and how it is “operated”), even though I may be justified and perfectly in harmony with the Gospel in having these convictions, and even though I have perfect peace and freedom from the cross to stand by these principles, there are decisions to be made that are NOT “hills worth dying on”
May we approach life and ministry with the humility of Paul……………….
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
My Greatest Fear
Ok, so I am a horrible Blogger I guess. It has been like 6 months since my last post. There is no way I can catch up on all that....so. I will just start here I guess. I have decided to use this as personal therapy, maybe even accountability, so here goes.My greatest fear is being "insignificant" that’s right, I do not want to get to the end of life and be known as someone who did not contribute to this world. For so many years my "significance" was what I did, YM. My whole image was caught up in that. When that was "gone" who was I?
Well, that's the million dollar question for us all now isn't it? Who are you? I am discovering the answer to this daily, and I'm not sure if it's a question that can be answered simply, however there is a simple beginning to the answer..... Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
Simply stated we are Imago Dei- the image of God! Before we are anything else...we are his image in a broken and fallen world. So here's the beginning of my answer, How am I significant? When I represent the Image of God to my wife, my children, my friends, my co-workers, my community, my world!
Well, that's the million dollar question for us all now isn't it? Who are you? I am discovering the answer to this daily, and I'm not sure if it's a question that can be answered simply, however there is a simple beginning to the answer..... Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
Simply stated we are Imago Dei- the image of God! Before we are anything else...we are his image in a broken and fallen world. So here's the beginning of my answer, How am I significant? When I represent the Image of God to my wife, my children, my friends, my co-workers, my community, my world!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
