Men Leading Out

God is very clear that Men were built to lead.  We were made to lead our families and God's church toward Jesus.  Unfortunately, we have neglected both of these divine Mandates in a major way.  This is not to say that women are not amazing, capable and talented because they are all of those things.  This is aimed specifically at men.  Why aren't we leading and what are the consequences of our sin?  I've read the books and the studies that tell of the "man vacum" in the church, but it hit home in a major way last thursday.  We had the quarterly diocesan youth ministry meeting where all of the youth pastors in upper South Carolina get together and meet.  There were eleven of us there.  Out of the 11 there, only four were men and one of those guys is gay. (another post for another time)  Where are all the men?  I'm not saying that the only way men can be spiritual leaders is to be on staff on a church, but I am saying that for the most part, men in our country have abdicated our role as spiritual leaders within our families and within our local churches.  Most men either aren't leading any where, or they are pouring their leadership energy into their job.  Being faithful at work is Godly, but when work overtakes your family on your priority list, then you've fallen into the sin of idolatry.  A lot of men don't plug in to lead at church because they put in 80 hour work weeks to keep their families in a sweet lifestyle.  When did getting our families stuff become spiritual leadership?  We've (men) almost completely abandoned leading ministries, writing it off as "something for the women to do".  There are many men who do faithfully lead at church, but the numbers speak loudly to us.  The majority of men are not being spiritual leaders within their families and communities.  Anytime we forsake mandates God places on us, the consequences are horrible, both for us and those we are responsible for.  Men, let's step up and lead. 

what a week

This last week has been trying.  I don't write this to somehow make my minute problems important, even on my worst week, I understand I'm better off than 90% of the world simply because of where I live, I write this only to entertain the reader with my inconviences.  I got a nasty case of bronchitis this past week.  It hit me hard on Sunday.  I had a fever, congestion, ear, throat, it was nasty.  Just as I was feeling better saturday, I woke up at 4 Sunday morning with severe nasea and went to the bathroom and proceeded to vomit for 4 hours on and off.  I was vomiting 100% pure snot that had drained into my stomach.  I thought about snapping a picture with my dash to post on the blog, but didn't have the energy to pull my convulsing body off the floor to get it.  I finally passed out after my stomach blew it's nose through my mouth, only to be awakened by my wife calling me from church (I didn't go, vomitsnot in the communion chalice is looked down upon) to tell me that I was not the only member of our family who was not functioning correctly.  Her volvo wouldn't start and she was stranded at Church.  So, a Dr.'s visit, perscription medicine and a new battery/rebuilt altrenator later we've seen our bank account mirror the stock market and crash.  Fourtunanlty we've been smart and saved and we aren't in trouble. (I also have a grandfather who is always there to help us financially when we need it) Then upon walking into work this morning for the first time since thurday, I was greeted by about 20 rapidly fraying loose ends and a man with a ponytail named leslie who was cutting a huge hole in the back wall of my office. (they are adding another door to it)  It's been a crazy few days.  

fear

Two months into my time @ christ church, a fear has begun to creep into my mind. That fear is birthed out of some early success. In the short time I've been here, I've built some good relationships with students, parents and volunteers. We've seen a marked increase in attendance, wednesday nights are entertaining, and there has been nothing but positive feedback about the changes in the ministry. The fear in me is rooted in the way we could grow. There is a part of me that worries that we will be a group that comes together and has fun, without ever knowing the treasure that is the kingdom of god. My soul is wrestling the with the fact that I have to completely rely on the presence of god in regards to everything, but specifically in the growth od our students. I pray that the Holy Spirit moves powerfully to impact lives through the Gospel of Jesus. I pray that we grow deeply and profoundly into Christ.

Communication

I learn more about Jesus and Scripture through listening to a good sermon than through any other form of communication.  But I'm the exception.  I grew up in a church tradition that placed a very high value on the sermon.  I work with students who grew up in a tradition that places the highest value on the communion and prayer.  Neither is bad or wrong, but they are different.  This presents a challenge for me, who is used to communicating the truth of God's word in a very traditional sermoneqsque format.  The question is, how can I communicate the truth of the gospel to our students in innovative, relevant ways?  I'm not advocating ending preaching, I'm just seeking to maximize the effects of the time we have with our students.  Maybe we move to a small group, discussion driven wednesday night?  Maybe something else?  What are some innovative ways to communicate the gospel to young people? 

Treasure

I'm still excited and feeling energetic about what is happening at Christ Church on Wednesday Nights.  We are in week 4 of entourage, and are going to be looking at why we follow Jesus.  The disciples ask Jesus in Matthew 18 who will be the greatest, not understanding the ultimate goal of following Jesus.  We don't follow Jesus because of what we get from him, we follow Jesus because Jesus is what we get.  My prayer for our student ministry has and is that God opens our students eyes to the truth of the Gospel, and that irresistible grace inflames their souls with a passion to know and love God through the propitiation of Christ on the Cross.  I hope they begin to want more than to check church off and live life for themselves.  I want badly for the treasure that a relationship with Christ is becomes the focus of their lives and they glorify God.  This week we will be exploring what Jesus means when he says that the disciples need to have faith like a child.  We will talk about what it looks like to love God as a teenager in a culture that makes it so difficult to seek holiness and the person of Christ.  Continue to pray for the souls of our students with me, that they would see God as loving King, and not angry cosmic killjoy.  I pray God will make us excited about him.  

The Scriptures

I've got to teach the most difficult lesson I've ever taught on Sunday.  I'm teaching our confirmation class this week, and the topic is "Why the Bible is the Source of Ultimate Truth".  I'm a little intimidated to teach this because of what a weighty, complex issue that is to teach at all, but by the task of taking that and packaging it in a way that 15 and 16 year olds grasp it.  I've been studying all week, and found some incredibly helpful stuff.  The Resurgence website has a teaching by John Piper on Why he trusts the scriptures and that was amazing.  Anyways, my hope for this teaching is that God uses it to inflame our students hearts to have a trust and a passion for his word.  I pray that God draws them into an understanding of his word that excites them, and spurs them to viewing and using scripture as the foundation of their life, and not a boring obligation they have to listen to twice a Eucharist on Sunday.  I'm excited to present the word of God to a group of students, but I have a great deal of trepidation about doing so accurately and clearly.  God's word is not something I want to speak on erroneously.  Pray God draws our students towards him, using his word in their lives, as a catalyst sending them into a relationship with him.  And pray for my teaching to be concise, clear and relevant.  

Who Do you Say that I am?

We are in the full swing of entourage on wednesday nights.  Tonight is 80's night complete with costume contest and music video karaoke.  More importantly, we are in matthew 16:13-19, Peter's Confession.  There was a lot of confusion about the identity of Christ during his earthly ministry.  Nothing has changed.  We live in a culture that is just as confused about the identity of Christ as the culture Jesus walked in.  Who do people say that I am?  That is the question Jesus asks his disciples in the text, and that is the question we will answer tonight.  Who does culture say the Jesus is?  Great teacher?  Hippie?  Rebel? More importantly we are going to answer the second question Christ poses to the disciples.  Who do you say that I am?  Our view of Christ has a direct correlation to how we follow him.  Are we following a teacher?  Are we following a philosopher?  Are we following the living God who defeated sin and died to serve as a substituionary atonement for us? How does who you think Jesus is effect how you relate to him?  

Home

I love living in Greenville.  I love our church, our home and our friends, but I still miss Dallas.  Mainly, I miss my friends.  While I was doing Seminary on Campus, I was blessed to have a group of about 8 friends who were very close with each other.  We all had similar interests, goals and passions.  I was able to connect with one of those guys on Sunday.  He got married about a month before me, and has a very similar outlook on church, ministry, etc. as I do.  After talking to him for about 20 minutes I realized how much I had left behind in Texas.  I miss the camaraderie and accountability with guys like him. By the way, if you are reading this and you are in any type of leadership position in a church, this particular guy NEEDS to be on your radar.  His name is Brian Rayburn, and he is on staff with the college ministry at Lakepointe after being a youth pastor at a very successful church in Asia.  Listen to him teach via their podcast.  Brian is the most gifted communicator I've ever known.  If you are smart, you will find him and give him a position.  Anyways, I'm excited to have friends like Brian.  Guys who I'm going to do ministry with for the next 40 years.  We're going to struggle with ministry, family and life together for a long time.  Thank God for relationships. 

Paradigm RE-Shift

In the 70's/80's youth ministry began to really professionalize. The church saw a need to reach students for Christ, and knew they had to reach students differently than they would reach adults. Specifically, as the church's awareness of the need to reach unchurched people began to shift, the paradigm of youth ministry began to shift as well. Because the typical teenager that did not know Christ would never go to church on Sunday morning, we started Wednesday night programs that were innovative, creative and effective. Students who would never come to church to hear about Christ were now entering into a relationship with Jesus and becoming followers of him. After they were plugged into a Wednesday night ministry, as their faith grew, so did their tendency to go to church. The formerly unchurched student now loves Jesus and wants to grow his or her faith. Sunday School (if the church offered it) was the next step in his/her development. That model continues to be very effective, especially in non denominational churches that do such a great job of reaching the unchurched for Christ. A mid week program is a great way to reach unchurched students. I currently serve at a large, traditional, mainline denominational church, and we kicked off our mid week program called entourage two weeks ago, and it's been interesting to watch. Because of the vision and demographics of the bible churches I've been at, the question was always how do we reach the unchurched for Christ? The question that has arisen at Christ Church Greenville has been different, it's "How do we reach Churched Students for Christ?" A lot of students at our church (like any in the bible belt) go to church sunday because their parents make them. It's what is done in the south on sunday before football comes on television. Simply attending church no longer means some one follows Christ. The majority of our unreached students show up on sunday morning, not wednesday night. The wednesday nighters are serious enough about their faith to make the extra time at church a priority. This is a completely different paradigm than that seen in the "typical" American youth program. If we make Wednesday night the outreach level program, (which we have been doing) then the kids who are at the outreach level faith wise aren't going to come. The outreach level students are there on Sunday Morning. How do we eschew the traditional Sunday Morning Model in a way that we reach the students when they come? I feel like in the coming years here, we are going to explore changing the wednesday night paradigm. If we want to connect with the students who aren't committed followers of Christ, we are going to have to do it when they are going to come, which is Sunday morning. What does that look like? How can we re-invent Sunday Morning to connect our fringe students? What do you think?

Getting on the Same Page

We had our annual parents meeting for this year's confirmation class. We confirm in the 10th grade @ Christ Church, and we are expecting a class of around 50 sophomores this year, and the crowd at the meeting last night reflected that. The crowd also reflected an oft overlooked challenge in youth ministry-Some parents (even church members) do not always hold to distinctly Christian beliefs. This is a problem for two reasons. The first is that if the parents themselves are not experiencing the truth of the Gospel, then they are missing the vitality and freedom found in living as a child of God. The second reason this is a problem is that despite what some misguided youth ministers would tell you, we (youth pastors) will never be the biggest influence on the students we serve, their parents will be. So no matter how well we teach, 20 minutes of good, orthodox teaching can be washed away with the dismissal of a parent. If we want our students to know Christ and walk with him, we have to work with the parents, and make sure we are on the same page theologically. The last thing we want is a Holy war being waged between parents and youth staff. Do your students parents think that Jesus is the only way to heaven? Do they believe that scripture is the inerrant, authoritative word of God? Do they place a higher emphasis on the prayer book or the bible? (I'll be honest, I'm a little afraid to ask this question) The hurdle of working on the same page with parents theologically speaking is raised a few notches higher for those of us in student ministry in my life stage. I'm very, very young for my job, and I realize the challenges that go along with that. Mainly, it is very difficult for parents in their 30's to 60's (and in our church VERY educated, successful 30 to 60 year olds) to ascribe ANY authority to the teaching of a 24 year old who some see as merely a babysitter who gives their kids a safe place to play twice a week. As we attempt to preach and teach to our parents, we have to keep in mind how we can appear to them, and we have to keep in mind that they DO have a TON of life experience we don't. We've got to approach them with respect and humility, and pray that the Holy Spirit moves them in the same direction we are leading their children. We don't have to let anyone look down on us because we are young, but we also have the responsibility to act in a way that does not GIVE people a reason to look down on us because of our youth.

Entourage Part 2

We are pushing closer to launching our entourage series for the fall. As I dig deeper into the text we are using for the first week, more things about the disciples calling have surfaced. I love that Matthew Henry (what's up bibleworks) writes that before they were called by Christ, they were working at the calling they already had. Peter, Andrew, John and James were (at least the text seems to paint them as such) diligent workers, busting their rears in a hard job. They were about the business that had been appointed to them. They weren't sulking because they had a crappy job in the tatooine of the Middle East. They weren't lazy. They were working. Henry goes on to ask his readers "are you working in your calling?" Are we diligent working where we are? Do we display the characteristics of hard laborers, sweating and striving to do the difficult work of following Christ? The portrait our culture paints of vocational ministry often seems to mirror the picture it paints of corporate executives. And we like that. Who really dreams of hard manual labor for low pay? However, the men who Jesus called had the mindset of blue collar laborers. They understood what hard work was. It has caused me to ask, how can I LABOR for the kingdom? Where do I need to sweat more? Where have I gotten lazy?

What Happens?

One of the things I've noticed about youth ministry the longer I've done it has little to do with my experience as a youth worker, but alot to do with my friends and I as we've gotten older. I went to a high school with a strong FCA program and a bunch of kids who went to church every sunday. They were pretty serious about God. Now, we're all done with college and are young professionals in some capacity. Over 40% of the kids that I knew from North that were church kids have walked away. They still retain that oh so american Deism, but the worship of Jesus Christ has gone the way of the rest of their juvenile mis-conceptions about the world. So, the challenge lies in how we fix the problem. It is a little scary to know that all the labor, prayer and time I put into even our most committed students could stop in four short years. Are we presenting Christianity in an in accurate way? Are they just into church because it's a place their parents let them hang out with their friends? Do they just love God because of his stuff? I'm not sure what happens in between graduation from 12th grade and graduation from college. Maybe the lack of connection with other Christians in college? Maybe they get a little freedom from home, and find that sin is fun. (I know I did) I know that every single Christian will struggle and stray from Christ, but what can we do when they are young to make sure they come back?

Entourage

Our Wednesday night theme for the fall is "Entourage". We're going to examine the lives of Jesus' disciples and talk about what discipleship looks like for us. I started studying today for the first passage we're going to examine on September 10th. When Jesus called the disciples, he called men who were at the time completely and utterly unqualified. They had none of the abilities that the religous establishment of the time thought neccesary to do ministry. They very likely couldn't read. Also, this is just some conjecture from me, but I wonder how closely they "walked with God" before they met Jesus. Were they seekers? Were they serious Church guys? Where were they? My point is, Jesus didn't wait for them to be qualified before he called them. He didn't wait until they were spiritually mature (see Peter), he called them to ministry where they were knowing HE would be the one to mature and grow them, as they were incapable of doing it themselves. In the same vein, it's very easy for me to get discouraged in ministry. God has placed me in places of ministry where I've been surrounded my a lot of extremely talented mature men. There is still a lot I have to work on, and it's easy to get caught up in the feeling of "I'm not as good as ____, so I'm not going to be effective in my ministry" I find encouragement in the calling of the disciples, and I'm reminded that Jesus didn't call some future, perfect version of me to ministry. He called me as I am knowing HE would be there to grow and mature me as I obediently (most of the time) follow him. When I look at the people in scripture God chooses to use, I see a lot of murders, adulterers, a prostitute, illiterate blue collar guys, a terrorist and a traitor to his people. God uses screwed up people to do his work as he heals their spiritual wounds and grows them in maturity and wisdom. Thank God I don't have to do it myself. (because I couldn't)

Connect=Communication

This Sunday is connect Sunday at Christ Church. I'm very excited. This Sunday all of the respective ministries will set up tables with information on every program they will roll out this fall, and advertise volunteer opportunities. For me, that means that we will have the monthly parent newsletter, 3x5's of the new Wednesday Night series advertising the kick off party on September 3rd, 3x5's with a summary of what is happening the rest of the year, two calenders and an informational packet on the ski trip we are taking in JANUARY. This has been a great process for me. Having to advertise this stuff in August means that it has to be planned a few months in advance. If we don't plan this stuff in advance, we can't communicate it in advance. How do you kill a youth ministries effectiveness? Don't tell people what you're doing until the last minute. To connect people to our ministry, we've got to communicate what is happening in the youth ministry to them. Parents want their kids involved, they just got to know what's going on. This second great thing about getting stuff planned to roll out in August is that you have more time to put it together. I want all of our programs to have a level of exellence to them. The better they are, the more effective they are. So, now we have the entire fall/winter on paper, to put in the hands of our parents and students, and now all we have left is to execute it.

Watching God

I've been very blessed to be a part of some very succesful ministries as an intern. But, I came into those ministries long after they had built a strong momentum. Now, I am working in a ministry that is only a few years into things. I've been on the job about a month, and I'm getting to watch God work in huge ways right in front of my eyes. I'm amazed that as we move in the direction that we feel God leading us we have people come forward completely unsolicited asking to start things moving in the very direction we feel we are being led. Things are happening right in front of me and I get to see what a great, powerful, wonderfully perfect God I serve.

Growing Pains

Marriage is difficult. I know everyone knows that. Let me tell you why marriage is difficult for me. I have a very strong desire to be perfect. I want to do everything exactly right. When you get to know people really well, you begin to see their flaws, and the better my wife knows me, the more she sees my shortcomings. Obvioulsy she loves me despite them, but she will bring them up and say, you might want to work on that. I don't want to work on things. I have a tendancy towards agression. If I have a problem with something, I'm usually less than subtle about it. I jump to conclusions about thing and react, instead of thoughtfully processing. I'm a very stereo-typical type A agressive guy. Sometimes that's good, but sometimes it's like a bull in a china shop. It is difficult for me to hear my wife say I need to change some things, but it's impossible not to listen.

Almost Home

We've been in Greenville for almost a month now, and it's slowly starting to feel like home. My office is slowly coming together. I've met and connected with almost all of our youth ministry leadership, and connected with some students. Our apartment is basically unpacked. I'm listening to the ticket online. Things are starting to feel like home here. It's been a big adjustment for both of us and we haven't met as many people our age as we would've liked to by now, but I think we are slowly starting to thing of Greenville as home.

Money

We are hanging out at Panera using their wireless. As we've been married, we've been doing all married logistics, and we just set up our first joint checking account!! I never knew how poor I was until I got married. We have been looking at out finances, and I've come to a conclusion. I spent too much on my credit card when I was single. We don't have a staggering amount of credit card debt. In fact, we should have it all knocked off in 4 months, worst case scenario. It helps that that is the only debt we have. Neither of us have student loans or debt to pay off. We don't have payments on our cars anymore, they are owned outright. We rent. God has blessed us financially. What I've come to realize as we slaughter the balance on my credit card is I was very sinful in how I spent my money. Not because I bought things, but why. I bought things to fix something. If I felt bad about myself, I'd buy a nice shirt on sale to make me feel better. If I was lonely, I would go eat with my friends. If I was bored, I'd buy a DVD or some new hockey stuff. I was trying to fix problems that were ultimately spiritual with solutions that were not. Stuff isn't supposed to fix or define us. I made my mistakes, and now we are paying for them.

we are finally home

I have neglected the blog for a month again, but that being said, in the past month I've gotten married and moved across the country. We are finally home in Greenville, SC, and we love it. Our home is great, our church is great, the weather is great. We could not be more thankful for where God has led us. Also, I've had the chance to connect through twitter with two old co-workers who are now planting, Graham Prouty and Cecil Linke. Two VERY Godly men who are doing church to worship God, and not to make themselves famous. I look up to them both. I love my new boss Joel Tassie, and can't wait to be mentored by him as I seek to grow in ministry. My wife is amazing, and married life is great, I'm definitely learning how much I need to change to be a good husband. (i know Freeland, you could have told me that). But seriously, God has been showing me how I must continually die to myself to serve and lead my wife as Christ would have me. She is wonderful and I am so very blessed to be able to share her life. Our church softball team won our playoff game tonight, we are in the finals, and I'm going to sleep. Hopefully i'll be better about keeping this thing up.

When to stay and Fight

Recently I joined the Anglican church. I had numerous seminary friends ask questions and express concerns over some of the widespread liberalism that has taken root in the episcopal (american anglican) church. I wholeheartedly echo those concerns. Orthodox anglicanism is a beautiful expression of distinct christianity with a high view of scripture being the inerrant authoritative word of God, a proper view on the person and work of Christ and a dedication to missions. Right now the episcopalian church (in some dioceses) has moved away from that. The press will tell you homosexuality is at the root of the controversy. It isn't. What lies at the heart of the issue is the authority and inerrancy of the bible. If the bible is authoritative, then we can't ordain homosexuals. But I'm not here to argue the authority of scripture right now. There are conservative, orthodox episcopalians. We are in the minority, but we do exist. The question for us right now is do I stay? The priest in charge of the church I'm going to had a long discussion with me about this before I ever took the job. He is a flaming conservative who loves dts and the reformers. What he said made me rethink my role in the situation. He said if all the conservatives leave, then who will fight for the Gospel in the church? That made me think about some of the stupid things we are willing to go to war for in the church. (Carpet, video screens, coffee, music, I could go on) if we are willing to go to war for all of this ansilary crap, why am I scared to stand up and fight for the thing that matters most? It could eventually cost me a job, but I'd rather lose that than my witness. This is one anglican who is not going to run from the fight. We have to get our view of scripture right as a denomination. We have to repent of our pride and humbly return to where we started, following in the steps of the disciple chasing Jesus Christ. I'm not leaving till they kick me out. I'm going to humbly cling to the truth of the Gospel and authority of the bible, while praying that my life makes a difference in the big picture of the direction of the church. I hope I'm not the only one.

Blessings in Disguise

We have all had a boss we don't like. That gets awkward in ministry because if you work for a church then you have to like everyone, right? I've been lucky to have worked in 6 different churches before Christ Church, and in those six places, there was one guy I worked for who seemed to have it in for me from day one. Most conflict arises from unmet expectations, and I didn't meet his for what a pastor should be. I wasn't good enough for him and he made it clear. I would get irritated because he would be less than truthful with me at times, indirectly devalue me, my work and my ideas publicly, and on at least one occasion I was told about, ridiculed me in my absence. I picked up on his distaste and sinfully and wrongfully made the situation worse by being a jerk in my own indirect (sometimes not so indirect) way, and was an equal transgressor in the whole thing, and in no way a victim. Even so, the situation was the darkest, most discouraging season of ministry I have ever experienced. BUT, had God not led me there, I would not be as close to as equipped as I am to do ministry. Although our personalities clashed, my difficult boss is one of the most talented guys I've ever been around, and not just in a ministry context. He is freak show smart, and the most organized person I've ever seen. Basically, all the things I'm bad at he is incredible with. I learned more about how to plan and structure a ministry by watching this guy for a year then I did in six years of formal ministry education. I'm not a strategic, linear thinker, suck at math and don't like details. God has given me a position where I need to manage a large ministry and do some of the things I'm not good at. Before I worked for this guy I didn't know how to do that, after, I did. (at least a little better) As I begin working on some structure/orginization aspects of my new ministry, I'm using some of the same phrases he did. I read my plans and hear his voice in the words on the page. I learned the most about how to do ministry from the guy I liked the least (seriously, the least by a lot). Now that I'm removed from the situation and look back on it without my immature anger and pride blinding me, I'm thankful for this man God put in my life because I'm using the things I learned from him to spread the gospel.

I'm at a seamtresses shop, my life is different

Kayleighs getting her dress taken in and I'm blogging. I played my last game with the hockey team last night, and I was reminded of all I'm leaving. I started to play on the hockey team when I was 19 and a sophomore in college. Now I'm 24 and getting married. Its a special group of guys I've been privilaged to play with.

I'm not married, and I'm not alone in Bed right now

That's right, and what's more there is a female next to me......a 10 pound siamese cat named annabelle. My cohort in youth ministry at incarnation is out of pocket for the next 10 days so I'm house sitting for her as she has been kind to let kayleighs cats crash at her place until we move (long story involving housing policy at uta) and as I blog via sidekick, annabelle joined me in the sack. Big changes are happening. Kayleigh and I wed July 8th in Austin, then we move out to greenville. While we are excited to move, we will miss the wonderful Church we are leaving. While something as simple as housesitting, or opening your home up to a friends pets in need seems simple and small, it underscores a larger value of community found at Incarnation. There are a lot of bad things to say about a church nestled in the Park Cities, and a lot of them are deserved, but I have been both suprised and encouraged by the willingness to share and sacrifice I've seen modeled by the people I worship with. They are generous with their time, money and homes, transparent and accountable with eachother (for the most part) and truly seek to have a biblical community that loves and shapes its members towards the person of God. This week prepping for our mission trips, helping and being helped by fellow members has reminded me of the importance of strong community, and how God has worked in the community at Incarnation.

SO Busy!

When I look at the last month, it's amazing how busy i've been, especially considering that I don't think I have that much going on right now. The main two things keeping me busy have been planning our move to Greenville and Writing our summer curriculum for an in depth Ephesians Study. The Ephesians study has been a great experience for me. Aside from the fact that I enjoy teaching the bible, the curriculum development has been especially challenging. I'm putting in about 8 hours of study a week on the section that is covered. That probably isn't enough, but it's all I have time for. That being said, I'm getting to read through commentaries, use Bible Works as well as a large bit of NT stuff from Seminary in a real ministry setting. It's way more fun to study and create for a ministry than for a class. The challenge has been to avoid getting caught in the numerous textual/grammatical issues presented in the text to the point that the message is lost. I want to challenge our students with a deep look at the book, but not to the point of overwhelming them and losing the focus of the text. The move...it's coming along. We'll be off to South Carolina mid-July. I've also got a wedding update, but I'll save that for later in the week.

Times they are a changin

Life is a lot like the Dylan song right now. I think I have had the most hectic three weeks of my adult life. I finished up school, Kayleigh graduated from college (thanks Mark and Kelli), started planning a wedding (thanks again), moved out of my apartment-and took a four day trip to Greenville, SC with Kay for a job interview. Everything seemed to be a perfect fit from the time we landed until the time took off again to Dallas. We loved the city and the people, and we got the job. We couldn't be more excited, and are thanking God wholeheartedly for blessing us with the opportunity, and moving us to a new place of worship and ministry. This is a major step of faith for us because we are leaving Dallas (my home for a little over a decade now), planning a wedding over 932 miles away from where it will be held (still in Dallas), starting our lives together in a new place, and beginning ministry at a new church. God has been so good to us and we are anxious to get started. We will leave mid July, so we've got a touch over a month to get planning. (and find a truck in this country big enough to fit all of Kayleigh's shoe's in it and drag them cross country) Pray for us and our new community, I'll try and be better about keeping everyone updated on the move.

Want to Be Disturbed?

Google the words youth pastor and arrested.

Hedging Our Bets

I've gotten into Vikings lately, I know it sounds weird, but I love history, and the hairy guys of the north don't get alot of attention, plus my heritage is swedish, so I've got a great x300 or so grandad who did some sweet pillaging and I want to know about it. Anyways, I was reading about the spread of Christianity to the norse people, and as they accepted Jesus, they would not give up their Odin, Thor and pagan God's, so if Christ didn't repsond to their needs in the time or manner they wanted, they'd put the cross away and get out the hammer. We replace the cross with some weird stuff also when Jesus doesn't do what we want. Kayleigh and I just got engaged and I couldn't be more excited We are planning a wedding and looking for jobs. I have some very clear ideas about what I want that to look like, and I'm struggling to keep from putting away the cross for something else if I don't get the response I want

Bad Directions

I've lived in Dallas for about 13 years now. I don't get lost anymore. I don't get lost because I know where I'm going, and I know how to get there. If I had examine my life and pinpoint one thing that takes me away from God, and what he has for me, it's that sometimes I forget where I'm going. God hasn't shown me a vision where I see the next ten years like a sitcom or something, but what he has done is told me what my life is supposed to be like, or the direction it should go. I should be making a difference in people's lives. and not like the salvation army makes a difference. I'm supposed to be pointing people towards the gospel. How many people have been baptized because of how God used me in their lives? How many people have come to know Christ? And i've worked in churches since I was 18. The focus of my life isn't on what God wants me to do, it's on what I want to do.

I was honest..and I got burned

I have to admit, I get discouraged when things don't go the way I want them. I am a planner, so when something doesn't go the way I plan it, I get pissed. I want things to go the way I think is best. This can be a problem because God knows what's best, and I'm wrong alot. So, I found an apartment because my lease is up in May (and a major life change will be taking place very soon, I'm not giving it away) and I will need a bigger place that is well liked by parties other than myself. And I found the perfect place. Here's the thing about Dallas; if you want a place in the city that doesn't look like they film the shield directly on the proprety, you should be prepared to pay about 9 dollars a square foot. I lucked out, and found a place in the industrial district, a loft, 1300 sq ft built in the 1920's, with hardwood floors, big windows, and less than 2 dollars a sq foot. How great is that? I will have a full time job from the day the lease starts on. The problem was/is, I don't now, and have no paperwork that documents my immenent raise. So I didn't get it. This was the first vacancy this place had in 2 years. If I would have lied on my application about my salary, I would've been home free. But I didn't. And I'm glad I didn't. The minor tests of character we face aren't minor at all. If you can't handle the details right, then you've got no shot at handling the things that really matter correctly. So, I don't have my dream place, but I do have my integrity. Thank God for his Grace imparted to me through the atoning work of Christ, without it, I am without integrity.

5 things I Couldn't live without

1. coffee
2. laptop
3. cell phone
4. levis
5. bible (more idealistic than realistic, but i'm working on it)

Blessed Life

I am a horrible person, and I've long neglected my blog-i think that's ok, because kayleigh is the only one who reads it, and she gets enough of my drivel on a person to person basis. My friends from school have started a co-op blog @ poultryfight.blogspot.com, so check it out, they are smarter than me, although I occasionally contribute (my posts are characterized by profanity laced tirades and nudity) Anyways, I'll be making more of an effort to keep this up and running this year. I spent Christmas in South Dakota with Kay's family and it was possibly the best Christmas I've ever had. I hear alot of people bemoan their signifigant others' family, and I feel blessed to have no idea where they are coming from. Aside from Kay's three wonderful sisters who are great to be around, her parents are two of the best people I've ever been around. I really respect the kind of father and husband her dad is, and I'll be lucky if I'm half of the guy he is. Her mother is one of the kindest people in the world, and makes it obvious as to where Kay gets her sweet disposition from. Her sisters are equally great. Lauren is exteremly talented, funny and smart, and has a really bright future in front of her, not matter what she decides to do. Madison is a great sister to Kayleigh, and one of the funniest people I've ever met. Hannah has more energy than one person probably should, but is still alot of fun. I feel very blessed to have these people in my life.