Let me describe to you what it means to be 'called' into ministry:
God grabs a hold of you and puts His needs on your mind and soul. For instance, youth ministry. God wants you to be a youth minister. He sees what is happening to teenagers and their problems, but few people attempt to relate to them. Teens are susceptible to moral relativism and peer pressure more than any other age group. Teens need male and female Christ-like role models who are living God's will. So...God needs you!
Next, all you can think about are helping youths and discerning their needs. You begin volunteering in your church's youth ministry. Soon, you begin trusting relationships with the students, leading Sunday school classes, and fellowship activities. You even get invited by the students to go out eating or bowling. The youth ministry grows and you continue volunteering for years. But wait, there's more...
One day God says to you, "Now go and do." He even presents opportunities to become a full-time youth minister. You're excited! Your family cheers you on! Your pastor fully supports you!
But therein lies the problem.
You've never been a minister; you have worked in the secular work force for a long time. Churches, looking for a youth minister, put a high priority on ministry experience and a seminary degree.
After interviewing with several churches, you get the same answer: No experience, no seminary degree, no job. Sorry. We love that the Lord has called you into ministry, and you definitely have a heart for youths but...
Now, is it just me or is the church becoming more and more like a business? On average, it takes a church 5 - 9 months to hire a youth minister. On average, a youth minister only stays 18 - 36 months at a particular church before they move on. Does this seem strange? With senior pastors, the hiring process can last well over a year!
Are these hiring practices valid? Are they really necessary?
Committees say they're being led by the Holy Spirit when actually they're being led by the person's resume. I wonder what would've happened if Peter, Paul, James, and John all went through a hiring or personnel committee. Thankfully, we will never know.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Tearing the Lives of Children
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/northfulton/0705/21bondary.html
This is a disturbing article detailing how government can't get their stories straight and hurting innocent children in the process. It involves two families who have been thrown out of one county school system to be placed in another, all due to a boundary dispute and property taxes between the counties involved.
The real issue here is poor communication and a willingness to help these families. Forget who's paying the property taxes! Leave the kids alone and let them finish in the school district they are used to. This really happened because someone wanted to get their name on the radar before promotion time. Anybody want to make a bet on it?
I wonder sometimes about our local government...
"Evil will always triumph because good is dumb."
- Rick Moranis, Space Balls The Movie
This is a disturbing article detailing how government can't get their stories straight and hurting innocent children in the process. It involves two families who have been thrown out of one county school system to be placed in another, all due to a boundary dispute and property taxes between the counties involved.
The real issue here is poor communication and a willingness to help these families. Forget who's paying the property taxes! Leave the kids alone and let them finish in the school district they are used to. This really happened because someone wanted to get their name on the radar before promotion time. Anybody want to make a bet on it?
I wonder sometimes about our local government...
"Evil will always triumph because good is dumb."
- Rick Moranis, Space Balls The Movie
Monday, July 18, 2005
Faith and Praise
There's a great scene in the movie, The Miracle Maker, where Jesus is speaking inside Peter's home and a paralytic is lowered through the roof. The paralytic has no hope, but his friends have faith. He says repeatedly, "It's no good." Here is the NIV version from Luke 5:
Jesus Heals a Paralytic
17One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. 18Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
20When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven."
21The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, "Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
22Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? 24But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." He said to the paralyzed man, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 25Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, "We have seen remarkable things today."
The scene plays out almost exactly as the Scripture states. The great part is not only seeing the disbelief and anger from the Pharisees, but the joy and praise from the healed man and his friends. (In the movie, they're dancing and openly praising God.)
In midst of my hardships, i.e. wanting more time with my family, money issues, and wanting to be a youth minister, I should always give thanks and praise to God. The movie scene ends with the people giving glory to God and Jesus looking out the window giving a joyous laugh. Faith and praise forever.
Jesus Heals a Paralytic
17One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. 18Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
20When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven."
21The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, "Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
22Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? 24But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." He said to the paralyzed man, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 25Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, "We have seen remarkable things today."
The scene plays out almost exactly as the Scripture states. The great part is not only seeing the disbelief and anger from the Pharisees, but the joy and praise from the healed man and his friends. (In the movie, they're dancing and openly praising God.)
In midst of my hardships, i.e. wanting more time with my family, money issues, and wanting to be a youth minister, I should always give thanks and praise to God. The movie scene ends with the people giving glory to God and Jesus looking out the window giving a joyous laugh. Faith and praise forever.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Angry
My wife informed me that a couple in our church, who had just recently celebrated 25 years of marriage, are divorcing. Why? The husband had been having an affair for years and couldn't stand being married any longer.
I also learned recently that another couple from our church were getting a divorce. He was depressed and took his disappointment out on his successful wife. They are in their 40's with two teenage sons.
I don't want this letter to turn in to a 'male bashing' of any kind. However, something's got to change. We have come to a point in our soceity where divorce doesn't emotionally affect us anymore. Just look at the National Enquirer and there's a high profile divorce on it's cover every other day. Divorce has become commonplace. It doesn't shock us anymore.
The same holds true for Christians. Go ahead, tell me it doesn't and I'll call you a bold faced liar. The divorce rates among Christian marriages are nearly the same. Why? Because we're living according to organized, petty Christianity and not Christ himself.
Want a news flash? Today's organized, structured, and committee laden Christianity is full of 'posers' - people who want to be seen or heard but don't want to live the servant life of Christ. Bring up the words "struggle" or "suffering" in church and you'll probably get puzzled looks. Ask any church-going man if he would fight for his wife and many would have to think about it. Heck, they probably would want you to clarify the question. What a joke!
It's time to end the charades and time to defend our marriages. It's time to pick up the sword and tell Satan to back off. It's time we rescue our wives and promise to fight for them.
I also learned recently that another couple from our church were getting a divorce. He was depressed and took his disappointment out on his successful wife. They are in their 40's with two teenage sons.
I don't want this letter to turn in to a 'male bashing' of any kind. However, something's got to change. We have come to a point in our soceity where divorce doesn't emotionally affect us anymore. Just look at the National Enquirer and there's a high profile divorce on it's cover every other day. Divorce has become commonplace. It doesn't shock us anymore.
The same holds true for Christians. Go ahead, tell me it doesn't and I'll call you a bold faced liar. The divorce rates among Christian marriages are nearly the same. Why? Because we're living according to organized, petty Christianity and not Christ himself.
Want a news flash? Today's organized, structured, and committee laden Christianity is full of 'posers' - people who want to be seen or heard but don't want to live the servant life of Christ. Bring up the words "struggle" or "suffering" in church and you'll probably get puzzled looks. Ask any church-going man if he would fight for his wife and many would have to think about it. Heck, they probably would want you to clarify the question. What a joke!
It's time to end the charades and time to defend our marriages. It's time to pick up the sword and tell Satan to back off. It's time we rescue our wives and promise to fight for them.
Thursday, April 07, 2005
The Jagged Edge
My hands are desparately clinging to the edge of a cliff wall. My feet are dangling. My mind is racing. Then God says in a calm voice, "Let go."
Yeah, right! I can't let go into the unknown. No way! Uh-uh...it ain't gonna happen. Then I'm reminded of Peter.
“Lord, if it's you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
“Come,” he said. (Matthew 14:28-29 NIV)
Let's think about this scene for a minute. It's almost dawn. The disciples are dead-beat tired from fighting a storm all night. Suddenly, they see this image on the water. They believe it's a ghost. Jesus knows full well what is happening. He says to them, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." He could've come right up to the boat and calmed the storm. He could've put his arms around his disciples and comforted them. But...he didn't.
Notice in these verses that the storm is still going. Nowhere, from verses 25-31, does the Gospel say the storm ceased upon the mere presence of Jesus. No, this was a test of faith. This test wasn't just for the disciples or for Peter, but for all of us. Look at the first part of verse 29 again. Jesus says, "Come." He doesn't speak harshly or with anger. He speaks attractively as if he's inviting us.
Imagine the Christ standing in the middle of your storm saying, "Come." That's all He says, very simply, "Come." How many of us are already thinking, "Where? To you? But I... You don't understand..." Jesus knows what's in our hearts and minds. He knows if we long to be his servants - His faithful followers.
End your doubting. Put away your fears. Go to the One who calls us.
Yeah, right! I can't let go into the unknown. No way! Uh-uh...it ain't gonna happen. Then I'm reminded of Peter.
“Lord, if it's you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
“Come,” he said. (Matthew 14:28-29 NIV)
Let's think about this scene for a minute. It's almost dawn. The disciples are dead-beat tired from fighting a storm all night. Suddenly, they see this image on the water. They believe it's a ghost. Jesus knows full well what is happening. He says to them, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." He could've come right up to the boat and calmed the storm. He could've put his arms around his disciples and comforted them. But...he didn't.
Notice in these verses that the storm is still going. Nowhere, from verses 25-31, does the Gospel say the storm ceased upon the mere presence of Jesus. No, this was a test of faith. This test wasn't just for the disciples or for Peter, but for all of us. Look at the first part of verse 29 again. Jesus says, "Come." He doesn't speak harshly or with anger. He speaks attractively as if he's inviting us.
Imagine the Christ standing in the middle of your storm saying, "Come." That's all He says, very simply, "Come." How many of us are already thinking, "Where? To you? But I... You don't understand..." Jesus knows what's in our hearts and minds. He knows if we long to be his servants - His faithful followers.
End your doubting. Put away your fears. Go to the One who calls us.
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