I am determined to update this more often now. I actually even have internet at home, so I am without excuse. Things are going well for us. We are moved in, most of the boxes are unpacked, I even have my desk in my office! Jayden lost his first tooth, he was pretty excited because he has been waiting for a couple years now to lose one. JW is as crazy as ever, but he is really starting to grow up. We definitely miss all of our friends back around Schenectady, but we don't miss their weather. We have already begun forming some relationships here that are growing. I can honestly say we fell in love with our people here immediately. They aren't perfect, but neither are we. In fact, much of them are probably more perfect than us, but they will catch up.
One of the things I am determined to do is to continue to focus on my own spiritual maturity. The responsibility of being called "Pastor" is humbling and frightening. I don't see how anyone could possibly ever even try to take on this responsibility without constantly being before God on their knees. I know many are still wondering how they can help us. I want to personally begin by asking for prayer. As for what to pray, I digress (just for you Ian) to allowing someone else to speak for me...Paul.
Ephesians 6:19
19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,
Monday, August 16, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Spiritual Growth
It has been a VERY long time since I have posted. It's hard to keep up with when I am already writing so much for my classes. I also don't like posting unless I have something to say. Seeing as we just celebrated Easter, perhaps more than ever the person of Christ is on my mind. I have been digging more into what it means to be Christlike. The obvious answers are to be a moral person who prays and reads the Word, but He was much more than that. I recently dealt with the WWJD craze on a Wednesday night, stating that we can't do what He would do if we aren't living the way He lived. His life was one of discipline and attention to the spiritual things that surround this world. He focused on spending quality time with His Father, He took times of solitude to honestly reflect on what His purpose was, He fasted, He humbled Himself to serve others, He developed deep relationships with men who He had a special bond with, and above all, He lived a life of worship.
Obviously, we can never be as Jesus was (God), but we can mimic Him as much as possible with our lives. If we do that, than we won't have to ask WWJD, because it will be our natural reaction. Recently I heard that most new converts drop out of church after about four years. There are all sorts of reasons for this to be true, but I have to think maybe it is just because they never grow. You can only be a baby for so long. The lack of spiritual maturity in the Body of Christ may be the reason for the fall out. John 15:1-8 is a passage where Christ refers to Himself as the vine, with the believers being the branches. Parts of this passage are used for many illustrations. I encourage you to read it thinking about what it actually means to "abide in Christ". If we abide in Him we will bear fruit, we will get what we desire, and we will be known as His disciples. I have set my life's goal to becoming a better imitator of Christ. There is no higher calling.
Obviously, we can never be as Jesus was (God), but we can mimic Him as much as possible with our lives. If we do that, than we won't have to ask WWJD, because it will be our natural reaction. Recently I heard that most new converts drop out of church after about four years. There are all sorts of reasons for this to be true, but I have to think maybe it is just because they never grow. You can only be a baby for so long. The lack of spiritual maturity in the Body of Christ may be the reason for the fall out. John 15:1-8 is a passage where Christ refers to Himself as the vine, with the believers being the branches. Parts of this passage are used for many illustrations. I encourage you to read it thinking about what it actually means to "abide in Christ". If we abide in Him we will bear fruit, we will get what we desire, and we will be known as His disciples. I have set my life's goal to becoming a better imitator of Christ. There is no higher calling.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Comfortably Uncomfortable
I haven't blogged in a long time. It's amazing how sick of writing you get when you have to do it for classes. I should finish up my Masters in Religion and Pastoral Counseling this year, that is my goal anyway. So far I have a 4.0, which I haven't had since well, nevermind.
The biggest event in my life since I last blogged was Jayden accepting Christ as his personal savior. The question of how much a child understands, and how early is too early is always difficult, but I know Jayden gets it. There is a good article on child evangelism at this site... http://www.frontlinemin.org/childevangelism.asp I would recommend anybody with kids, or that works with kids to read it. As parents our number one ministry is to our family, and there is nothing more important than explaining salvation to our kids so they can make their choice. Maybe one day I'll put together a post just on sharing your faith with your own children.
Celebrate Recovery has become a large part of my life. I have grown over the last few months in ways I never thought I needed to grow. Some of the healing I have experienced just by being with a group of guys that struggle with some of the same issues while we support each other has opened my understanding Christian fellowship to a whole new level. It is my prayer that more can surrender to God's will and direction for their lives in the same way, whether with CR or not.
I would describe my current life as comfortably uncomfortable. I have learned to accept and appreciate that I can be happy while remaining uncomfortable. This is a good thing, because I believe we must be uncomfortable if we want to achieve anything. I know their are some people that get by off others' sacrifices, but I don't consider that success. I believe God will always challenge us if we let Him. If we aren't being challenged, we aren't growing. If we aren't uncomfortable, than we aren't doing anything. I have accepted that I actually need to be uncomfortable if I am going to serve God in any capacity. I am ok with that. I can deal with life in that way. I'm comfortable with the whole idea. I am comfortably uncomfortable.
The biggest event in my life since I last blogged was Jayden accepting Christ as his personal savior. The question of how much a child understands, and how early is too early is always difficult, but I know Jayden gets it. There is a good article on child evangelism at this site... http://www.frontlinemin.org/childevangelism.asp I would recommend anybody with kids, or that works with kids to read it. As parents our number one ministry is to our family, and there is nothing more important than explaining salvation to our kids so they can make their choice. Maybe one day I'll put together a post just on sharing your faith with your own children.
Celebrate Recovery has become a large part of my life. I have grown over the last few months in ways I never thought I needed to grow. Some of the healing I have experienced just by being with a group of guys that struggle with some of the same issues while we support each other has opened my understanding Christian fellowship to a whole new level. It is my prayer that more can surrender to God's will and direction for their lives in the same way, whether with CR or not.
I would describe my current life as comfortably uncomfortable. I have learned to accept and appreciate that I can be happy while remaining uncomfortable. This is a good thing, because I believe we must be uncomfortable if we want to achieve anything. I know their are some people that get by off others' sacrifices, but I don't consider that success. I believe God will always challenge us if we let Him. If we aren't being challenged, we aren't growing. If we aren't uncomfortable, than we aren't doing anything. I have accepted that I actually need to be uncomfortable if I am going to serve God in any capacity. I am ok with that. I can deal with life in that way. I'm comfortable with the whole idea. I am comfortably uncomfortable.
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