I got a summons for Jury Duty a few weeks ago. Today was my lucky day. It started out innocently enough, me running late, looking for a parking spot, rushing in to find out I get to wait about 15 minutes until everyone arrives (I'm glad church isn't the only place that happens). So I'm sitting there trying to figure out how to get out of this. Then the official gets up, shows a couple videos about our justice system, which I guess were supposed to inspire us, and we get a 30 minute break so they can pick who they want to question further.
I could feel something strange happening as I sat there, and as I waited to find out if I had been chosen. I could feel this urge within me almost hoping I would be selected. Hoping I could be the person who could decide if this stranger in court was guilty or innocent. Where does that come from? Is this a natural desire we have? To want the power to condemn a person, or to set them free? What does this say about me, that I have this desire inside of me to 'play God' for an afternoon? I could feel myself fighting this urge, probably sinful and at least a bit narcissistic, to make myself another man's judge.
Ultimately, I was not chosen to serve on a jury. Maybe because of my occupation, maybe because they didn't like my shirt. Either way, I'm thankful for that. Ultimately, none of us has the right to judge anybody else. I don't really know that I want that right or responsibility. That is a 'privelege'(?) only God has the right to do. And I know I am thankful that He has better knowledge of us than a roomful of strangers.
Disclaimer
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
Reflections on a job well done, part 1 (family)
My pastor is retiring this year. We held his celebration service this past weekend. He is really the only pastor I have ever had in my Christian life. After 37 years at our church, he is moving on to a small mountain church in North Carolina near his new home.
One thing that stood out to me was the fact that his kids were all here, and they all stood with him on the stage Sunday showing their love and support. That may sound like no big deal, but when I think of the responsibilities God has given me, I think first of my family. No matter how successful a ministry I may be involved in, or how great people may think I am (anybody?), if my wife doesn't know that I love her, if my kids don't grow up to know and love God and love their families, then I have failed in my #1 responsibility. I know no family is perfect, we all go through our rough patches, but I know my prayer is that in 20, 30, 40 years, whatever I may have, I want to know that I have been faithful in leading my family to know and love God. That is one area I know I want to follow my pastor's example.
Right now some of the ways I am working on this are by praying with and for my family daily, doing something to show my incredible wife each day how much I love her, and doing something meaningful (even if it's for a short time) with my kids every day.
One thing that stood out to me was the fact that his kids were all here, and they all stood with him on the stage Sunday showing their love and support. That may sound like no big deal, but when I think of the responsibilities God has given me, I think first of my family. No matter how successful a ministry I may be involved in, or how great people may think I am (anybody?), if my wife doesn't know that I love her, if my kids don't grow up to know and love God and love their families, then I have failed in my #1 responsibility. I know no family is perfect, we all go through our rough patches, but I know my prayer is that in 20, 30, 40 years, whatever I may have, I want to know that I have been faithful in leading my family to know and love God. That is one area I know I want to follow my pastor's example.
Right now some of the ways I am working on this are by praying with and for my family daily, doing something to show my incredible wife each day how much I love her, and doing something meaningful (even if it's for a short time) with my kids every day.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
How we got here
Sorry, this is a long one. Future posts will be shorter!
I have always felt that I would be in youth ministry forever. The road I thought God had for me took an unexpected twist over the last few months. I had just returned from a FBCIR Middle School Ministry mission trip to Tennessee. I was excited about what had happened on the trip and was fired up for camp and the coming school year. God had really been blessing our ministry at the church and in the public schools and it looked like He was ready to open even more doors to continue to allow us to minister to the middle school kids in this community. Well, the day I got back from the mission trip Gary came to me and told me that they (our church leadership) were going to talk to me about the Children's position. My first thought was 'Are they crazy?'. I got upset, maybe a little bitter, and was not open to the thought at all. After all, I was sure that God wanted me in middle school ministry. Gary told me that he knew what my initial reaction was going to be (see the part about 'Are they crazy?') but that he wanted me to pray about it.
This has been the most difficult process God has taken me through since originally calling me into full-time ministry. Everything so far had been so, well, easy, I guess. I graduated from Liberty and Gary brought me on as an intern for a year. Then he asked me to stay another year. Then another, as they promoted me to a full-time assistant, then to an assistant pastor. I honestly thought I would be with middle school for a long, long, time. As I started to pray about this opportunity (since I told Gary and David that I would), I was not open to it at all, at first. After all, I completely loved where I was at and the work God was doing there. Within a day or so, we(my wife and I) started to see some positive things that God could be doing through this. Another couple days, and we felt that maybe, just maybe, God was calling us to do this. Every time I prayed about it, I felt more and more that God was pulling my heart to the Children, and before long I really felt that this was absolutely what God wanted us to do. It didn't make perfect sense to us, but we knew that if God was calling us to the Children's ministry, he would provide everything that we needed.
As far as my calling to youth ministry, that was one of my biggest hurdles. I felt at first that I would be 'abandoning' my calling to youth. It didn't take long to discover that this wasn't abandoning a calling to youth. Children are youth. They are younger, but they are youth. I began to look at it like God would be using me to help shape these children for those difficult teenage years. As I read through the gospels, I began to remember the incredible passion Jesus had for children. I now see that if I want to impact people for Christ over the long haul, God has put me in the exact right place.
I do want to say how much I love and appreciate all that Gary and Angie Hunt have done for me. I caught my passion for the schools and the community from working with Gary. Most of what I know about ministry, he has taught me. There is no way I can thank him enough for the time he has invested in me and my family. The hardest part about this transition will be leaving Gary and the Middle School ministry.
I have a lot to learn about Children's ministry, I'm the first to admit that. But I am very excited, even if totally overwhelmed at this point, about partnering with the families in our church to raise up our children to love, know, and live for God.
I have always felt that I would be in youth ministry forever. The road I thought God had for me took an unexpected twist over the last few months. I had just returned from a FBCIR Middle School Ministry mission trip to Tennessee. I was excited about what had happened on the trip and was fired up for camp and the coming school year. God had really been blessing our ministry at the church and in the public schools and it looked like He was ready to open even more doors to continue to allow us to minister to the middle school kids in this community. Well, the day I got back from the mission trip Gary came to me and told me that they (our church leadership) were going to talk to me about the Children's position. My first thought was 'Are they crazy?'. I got upset, maybe a little bitter, and was not open to the thought at all. After all, I was sure that God wanted me in middle school ministry. Gary told me that he knew what my initial reaction was going to be (see the part about 'Are they crazy?') but that he wanted me to pray about it.
This has been the most difficult process God has taken me through since originally calling me into full-time ministry. Everything so far had been so, well, easy, I guess. I graduated from Liberty and Gary brought me on as an intern for a year. Then he asked me to stay another year. Then another, as they promoted me to a full-time assistant, then to an assistant pastor. I honestly thought I would be with middle school for a long, long, time. As I started to pray about this opportunity (since I told Gary and David that I would), I was not open to it at all, at first. After all, I completely loved where I was at and the work God was doing there. Within a day or so, we(my wife and I) started to see some positive things that God could be doing through this. Another couple days, and we felt that maybe, just maybe, God was calling us to do this. Every time I prayed about it, I felt more and more that God was pulling my heart to the Children, and before long I really felt that this was absolutely what God wanted us to do. It didn't make perfect sense to us, but we knew that if God was calling us to the Children's ministry, he would provide everything that we needed.
As far as my calling to youth ministry, that was one of my biggest hurdles. I felt at first that I would be 'abandoning' my calling to youth. It didn't take long to discover that this wasn't abandoning a calling to youth. Children are youth. They are younger, but they are youth. I began to look at it like God would be using me to help shape these children for those difficult teenage years. As I read through the gospels, I began to remember the incredible passion Jesus had for children. I now see that if I want to impact people for Christ over the long haul, God has put me in the exact right place.
I do want to say how much I love and appreciate all that Gary and Angie Hunt have done for me. I caught my passion for the schools and the community from working with Gary. Most of what I know about ministry, he has taught me. There is no way I can thank him enough for the time he has invested in me and my family. The hardest part about this transition will be leaving Gary and the Middle School ministry.
I have a lot to learn about Children's ministry, I'm the first to admit that. But I am very excited, even if totally overwhelmed at this point, about partnering with the families in our church to raise up our children to love, know, and live for God.
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