what the ministry is (not)

i took part in a school of ministry last night, and it got the wheels turning…

yes, back to school. upon graduating high school i went through a school of ministry. me and 34 of my closest friends, all shacked up in a little a-frame house on the church property. we spent 6 weeks driving a school bus to honduras and back (the bus was forever known and the stinky twinkie after that trip), countless hours in a classroom being taught the bible, and every waking moment trying to not strangle our snoring bunkmates.

well, our church has started a weekly school of ministry as well. it is not quite as intense as the one i previously attended, but i see that it will bear fruit nonetheless. it is designed to cover the basics of what ministry is, what it entails, how it should be done, etc. these classes are kind of the 101 courses for more to be held in the future. they deal with the heart and motive behind ministry, more than the hands-on workings of ministry.

all that to say, it got me thinking last night. in fact, i got home and started discussing it with my wife some, as well. the thought that came to mind was this – how do we look at ministry? when i say, “the ministry”, what comes to mind? do you think of what takes place inside a building between the hours of 8am and noon on a sunday morning? maybe you think that’s too small-minded. after all, something happens at the church nearly every day of the week, so how could ministry be limited to sunday morning? instead, you associate ministry with the title you hold at your church; whether it be deacon, elder, pastor, overseer, children’s ministry volunteer, board member. but maybe that’s too easy. after all, that high school kid is a children’s ministry volunteer, and surely he isn’t in the ministry. ministry is for the elite, those that are hired on staff at church or a para-church organization. to be on staff – that’s the ministry. right? wrong!

i write this hoping that all who read this will know that the rhetoric in the paragraph above is designed to draw a resounding NO! from you. but i hope it challenges you to take a step back and look at the way you view ministry. i’m passionate about this, because i once thought that being on staff was the epitome of ministry. having the title of deacon, elder, pastor, or leader. let me tell you, that was wrong. don’t get me wrong, either, thinking that i’m saying your pastor, leader, or staff person is not involved in the ministry. they are. but so much ministry takes place outside the church building.

my wife and i have recently moved back into town after 5 years in the country. it’s been wonderful seeing ministry taking place in my neighborhood. in fact, i would venture to say it has rekindled my love for ministry. serving neighbors, encouraging friends, sharing with those that haven’t put faith in Christ, and living out my faith in front of them. that’s a ministry any believer can get involved in, regardless of title or position.

what’s your twenty?

seems like it may be time for a late-summer eval…

ever get carried away by summer? i know i do. just looking at the decline in my posts over the summer months, i begin to realize how summer can get me away from those things that i do so regularly during the other 9 months of the year. here in central oregon, they say we have winter and august, so when the weather is nice, take advantage.

pray for greg laurie and family

they have suffered a great loss today…

earlier today, christopher laurie died in a car accident in riverside, CA. please take a moment to pray for christopher’s wife and daughter, as well as greg and the rest of the family.

more info can be found here

you can also leave a comment on greg laurie’s blog by clicking here.

coffee with a mentor

in the midst of a hectic weekend i was able to enjoy a cup of coffee with a mentor…

wow, i’m glad to be back home with my family. i was home all week while my wife and kids were away visiting grandparents in henderson, nv. on friday she flew into the medford int’l airport and, after a monthly youth outreach we do, i drove down to meet her in southern oregon. i arrived around 3am saturday morning, but that was just the start of a busy weekend.

i woke up saturday morning around 8am in order to have coffee with an old high school math teacher of mine. yes, he is a mentor to me. i’m not sure he even realizes it, but as years have gone by, he has always had encouraging words and direction for me in the midst of chaos. it all began my junior year of high school…

grants pass

i’ll be heading down to grants pass this weekend to share about my trip to africa last february…

i’m blessed to be able to go down and share with the body at calvary chapel grants pass this weekend. i’m always blown away by the fact that anybody would listen to me, let alone call me and ask me to come and speak. God truly does use the foolish things, eh?

i’m working on outlining what i’ll share while down there. it’s a little out of the norm for me, as i’ll be sharing more of a presentation than a bible study. i’m hoping to saturate it with the word of God, though, and leave everyone with something more than just a good “speech.” part of my presentation will be the slideshow i put together after my trip there.

i’d better get back to it. i’ve got a limited amount of time to finish my prep, and i definitely don’t want to be “winging it” on saturday night and sunday morning.

pujols prays

got home last night to check the twins score, but stumbled upon this video clip…

chris young, the 6′10″ right handed pitcher for the san diego padres took a line drive in the face off the bat of st. louis cardinals’ albert pujols. no, that’s not what blessed me, and that’s not why i write this morning. what blessed me was to see albert pujols immediately begin praying for chris young, right next to the mound, in front of tens of thousands of people, and who knows how many more watching on tv. the commentator even made special note of pujols praying.

as an even greater testimony, i believe God answered that prayer, because chris young then got up and walked off the field, blood running down his face.

donna and billy joel

no, it’s not that billy joel…

strange things happen sometimes, don’t they? sometimes those strange things are good, sometimes those strange things are not. sometimes, we even get to see God’s hand at work in the strangeness. what brings this up? donna and billy joel.

six steps

don’t you love it when God takes His word and slaps you in the face with it???

it’s always done in love, of course, and i don’t mean to imply that God beats His children. but there are times when i read something in the word and it is so apparent and obvious that God meant it just for me, just at that moment, that it almost feels like i’m being slapped in the face with it. i love it. why? not because i’m a glutton for punishment, but because i see that God loves me and wants me to understand His love for me. when His word applies so readily to my life, i can’t help but realize that God is taking notice of me and concerned for me.

such was the case this morning…

coincidence? i think not

sometimes things happen that you can’t explain…

i love reading the old testament book of esther. i know most people think of that book along the lines of a great woman of God and her story, but i see that book in another light. i think the story is more about God; God working behind the scenes, causing certain events to happen and showing how powerful He is. the book is about God’s providence.

today i got to see God’s providence at work in my own life. things for my wife and myself have been quite busy lately. those of you who are regular readers know that we just recently moved. well, we’re moving again. yes, believe it or not, we will complete two moves inside of a month. God opened the doors for us to purchase a house here in town, so we’re leaving the rental behind after only a few weeks. now that i think of it, that story is another evidence of God’s providence just recently. but that’s not the instance of providence i want to share with you today.

so things have been busy for us. well, monday i had lunch with a friend and left the lunch meeting with some things to think about. by the time i got home monday night my wife was on her way out the door to practice for a conference she’ll be singing at in may. needless to say, we didn’t get much of a chance to talk about my lunch appointment that night. so, it carried over to tuesday. she is at the church on tuesday doing the bookkeeping, so we have short opportunities to talk throughout the day. i’m still thinking about it, but now i have the opportunity to talk to my wife. by now it’s been more than 24 hours since my lunch meeting, and my thinking about this is turning more into worrying, or fretting, about it. just by coincidence Terry drops off a new devotional on my desk before we head out of the office for the day. it’s written by my old pastor, jon courson. i don’t think much of it, but bring it home with me, thinking maybe in the morning i’d peruse through a part of it.

the evening tuesday night goes pretty well, except for the fact that my wife and i are still talking about my lunch meeting from monday, and i’m still having no peace and i’m still worrying. the evening passes and turns into night and we finally get the kids into bed. by now i’m bushed. not only have the days been long, but the anxiety is getting the better of me. just by coincidence i show my wife the devotional i was given. just by coincidence she suggests we read one of them that night. i was tired and didn’t feel up for reading, but i complied. so, you guessed it, by coincidence the entirety of the devotional thought for the day dealt with worry and anxiety. in a nutshell, don’t worry, but trust in God.

don’t you love our God? why should He care about my worries and anxiety? why would He send me His peace when i’m worried and not trusting Him? but He does. that’s amazing. and that’s His grace!

africa videos uploaded!!

sometime things take much longer than you’d like them to…

this is one of those instances. but, i’m glad to tell you that i got three of the video segments i have from africa uploaded to google video. how do you access them, you ask? easy. look to the right of this page. see that? it’s called a sidebar. it has different sections. one of those sections is titled “africa videos.” click on one of those three videos: africa slideshow, mooré rap, or welcome song. that will direct you over to google video, where the video is being hosted. while you’re there, maybe rate the videos for me and leave a comment if you feel so inclined.

God bless!