the life of a bi-vocational pastor - pt. 1

Since Easter I has literally been jobless. That doesn't mean I have been lazy...I have applied at many places but every time I think it would be a great job the door slams in my face. For instances...

TRUE STORY: HAND TO GOD...
I love eating at Chili's. When I worked at the church Chili's was my second office. It's funny because I knew almost every employee at Chili's including the table numbers. I know pretty sad...whatever. Anyway so when I was looking for a job I thought I could totally work at Chili's I knew the menu and the managers and the employee it would be perfect. So I applied, took the personality test and scheduled an interview. Two days later I was went back for the interview. The general manager didn't know about the interview so he asked me if I could come back the following day. As I walked out I said to the Lord if the manager calls me tomorrow to cancel I will know that You don't want me to work there. The following day 45 minutes before the scheduled interview the general manager called to cancel our interview. He said that he was feeling well so he was going home. Immediately I remembered the conversation I had with the Lord the day before. The manager wanted me to come by on Monday I told him that I would think about it.
All weekend I prayed and asked God if He really didn't want me to work there. I tried rationalize why I should to work there. Quick money, I knew the managers and the employees, then I got spiritual...I could be a witness. So on Monday I got in my Jeep and headed to Chili's.

Before I tell you what happened next you need to know that I had just drove my Jeep from Minnesota to Georgia two weeks before.

Anyway, I was on my way to Chili's knowing that God didn't want me to work there when all of a sudden my engine shut off. Immediately I knew what just happened. I don't know if you believe God can work like this but I do. Sitting on the side of the road I decided to have another conversation with God and first apologize to Him and told Him I would definitely would work at Chili's. After 20 minutes I turned the keys and the car turned on. I told my father-in-law what happened and he told me to get it checked out. I told him that I knew what happened God made it very clear that He didn't want me to work there. But he insisted that I get it checked out and guess what...the mechanic couldn't find anything wrong with the car.

I honestly believe with all my heart that if we totally trust God with everything...money, food, car, home, jobs, family, He will never disappoint us. I can't wait to tell you the rest of the adventure tomorrow.

Can't wait 'til Sunday!

This is going to be a crazy week. As some many of you know my wife and I have been sensing that God has been moving us to plant a church. Long story short for the last three months we have been praying and fasting for direction for this church plant. Through a series of "divine appointments" we have come to the conclusion and feel at peace with planting the church in Cumming Georgia. So this Sunday we have invited some people to come over to our home so we can share our heart and vision with them. I have been preparing for this day for a long time! I am so pumped! I'll let you know what happens.

Daddy University Lesson #2 - Pain is Temporary

My son is two months old today! Becoming parents has totally changed our lives. Honestly I never thought I could ever express or feel this kind of love for any one. Every time I look at my son, it's crazy, I turn into putty. Anyway today we had to take him to the doctors. I have been dreading this date because this is his two month check-up...in other words SHOT DAY!

I hate shots. I remember as a child my mom and nurses holding me down so the doctor could prick my finger. Seriously I hate shots!!! As we drove to the doctors I prayed that I would have enough self-control to not drop kick the doctor when she gives my boy those freakin' shots. I think the hardest part of today's doctors visit was the wait. Of course my son had no idea what was going on but we did. We knew when those needles went in he was going to scream his lungs out and there was nothing we could do about it. I knew once it was over it was over and the pain would eventually go away. But as a daddy I want to protect my family at all cost.

I guess the Daddy Lesson that I learned today was that there will be moments in life where the wait will seem tough, painful, and overwhelming but once the wait is over it's over. After the shots were done and the screaming stopped all my son needed was to be loved on by his mommy and daddy.

So the next time you feel overwhelmed remember it's only temporarily and at the end I promise that if you reach out to our heavenly daddy He will reach out to you.

Free Chapel Rocks!

This morning my family and I attended Free Chapel in Gainesville Georgia. Honestly words can't describe what we experienced today. It was AWESOME! The faculties were great, the worship was amazing and the preaching was inspiring. The whole experience was crazy.

Once again I have "heard" a lot about Free Chapel, let me share this from personal experience you literally can feel the presence of the Holy Spirit at Free Chapel. Through the people, through the music, and especially through the preaching. Pastor Franklin spoke about family today. He said that we should view our families as tools for God to redeem other families that don't know Jesus. I never really thought about my new family like that. Another statement that got me thinking and convicted my heart was that we need to reestablish the prayer altar in our homes.

Okay men let be honest with our self how often do we as men led our families in family devotions? I know we can get busy, I know that life gets out of control, I know that there are several things fighting for your attention. But do you know something as I sat there experiencing this amazing service I was so overwhelmed with God's presence. As a church planter I desperately want our church experience God in powerful ways but more importantly I want my family to experience God in ways that the world has never seen. I want my son and future kids see God change thousands of lives, I want my kids see people physically healed, I want my kids and wife to walk with all the authority God has given to us. I want to live life to the fullest.

I promise you if you visit Free Chapel you will be overwhelmed with the presence of God and inspire to live life to the fullest.

WOW...what an amazing church!

Hey everybody my wife and i just visited an amazing church tonight. We went to Mountain Lake Church in Cumming Georgia. We actually live in Cumming so it was a short drive. Anyway the worship was great, the message of great, and the people were amazing. We were extremely blessed tonight. Got to be honest...I didn't know what to expect. When I told some people that we were going to Mountain Lake tonight suddenly they felt it was important to tell me what they "heard" about Mountain Lake Church.

(If you like to critize other churches this will tick you off!) If I have one more person tell me something about "WHAT THEY HEARD" I'm going to kick them in the head. I'm not joking! Stop criticizing churches that are thinking outside the box. Especially if you have never visited the church. My God churches that think outside the box should inspire you not make you insecure. It inspires me that people exactly went to church on a Saturday afternoon. It inspires me that a team of Pastors have made church exciting, fun, and relevant. It inspires me that people would get to church early on Saturday afternoon to make sure that our visit was a great experience. So next time you want to talk trash about any church, please for the love of God, visit the church first. Even if you still don't like the church don't go run your mouth off to other people and fool yourself by calling it informative discussion. The bible calls it gossip and gossip can send you to hell. I'm glad I got that out of my system.

Anyway Pastor Shawn sermon series is called Losing My Religion. Tonight he was speaking about how traditions can become religious. He stated that traditions make us religious when we forget the why behind the what.

Growing up in the church all my life I can see how we can forget the why behind the what. Tonight's message confirmed why I believe God has called us to plant a church. I don't want people to get caught up in religious traditions of the church. Our desire is that people experience God, become like Jesus, and influence the world. When people leave our worship experiences one day I don't want them to JUST leave another service, after hearing another sermon. I want people to leave with a Christ experience not a religious experience. The reality is that religion won't change people Jesus will.

So if you are ever in Cumming Georgia on a Saturday afternoon or a Sunday morning you got to visit Mountain Lake Church you will be inspired.

Daddy University Lesson #1

After seven years of praying for a baby on May 30, 2007 our prayers were answered. The Lord blessed us with a healthy little boy. I never knew that a baby could change your life so much. Sure you have an idea or you think you have an idea, but when it's 4:30 in the morning and you've done everything that you know to do and the your baby still won't stop crying...those are the moments that you find out what your made of. Last night was one of those moments. As my son cried his head off last night I felt so unprepared and frustrated As I sat there looking at my son crying I felt extremely inadequate to be a daddy.

I realized that the only way that I would ever be the father that my son needs is that I would have to discover the heart of our Heavenly Father. In those seasons when life feels overwhelming, those moments when all we can do is cry, it's in those moments when God wraps us up in His arms and comforts us. So when I wrapped my son in my arms last night, feeling overwhlemed and inadequte, our Heavenly Father was doing the same thing to me. It's amazing how becoming a dad has given me a glimpse into the heart of our Abba Father.

all I have is $21.00 and a VISION

For the last couple of years I have been praying about planting a church. Although I was in full-time youth ministry in a great church something inside my wife and I felt out of place. Easter 2007 was our last day at our church. I resigned not knowing where we were going, no new job in place, and a baby on the way. You're probably thinking "what's wrong with this guy"? If you knew me you would know this is not in my character. I hate change especially without having a plan in place. But that's where I found myself on Easter Sunday 2007. Before I left church that day one of my students came up to me and handed me $21.00. I tried to give it back to her but she told me that she wanted to plant the first seed into our church so that her kids would have a great church to go to one day. What you don't know is that this girl is only 15. I was so humbled and honor that she saw that much potential in my wife and I. So for the last three months we have been totally trusting in the Lord to provide for every one of our needs. I could honestly say HE has been faithful through this entire transitional season of our lives.

During this season God has been expanding our faith like crazy. He given us a love and passion for the people of our community that we have never felt. He put in our hearts a huge vision that only He can accomplish. I am beginning to learn that God loves dreamers. So after praying and waiting and with $21.00 in our pocket my wife and I have decided to plant a church in our current location. Honestly I have no idea what that means or how we are going to accomplish it. All I know is if we don't do this we are going to be miserable for the rest of our lives. I also can't stop thinking about all the people that would miss their opportunity to meet Jesus. So with $21.00 and a Vision from God we are jumping into the amazing, unpredictable, crazy world of church planting.

If any church planters out there have any advice please share it with us. We would appreciate it. I can't wait to see what God does with $21.00 and a VISION!

Life Lessons #2 Failing Forward

“For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10b, NLT).

You may know a little about Thomas Edison. He was a great inventor who lived about a hundred years ago. He invented the electric light bulb, the record player, motion pictures, and about a bazillion other things (actually, the number was 1,093 patented inventions). One of the things he worked long and hard at inventing was a new type of battery. He tried different chemicals and metals and designs, changing one thing for one test and one thing for another experiment. Some worked better and some worked worse, but for a long time he was unable to come up with exactly what he was looking for. A friend once came to see Edison when he was working on the battery. Edison remarked that after ten thousand experiments he was still not satisfied. The person was astonished. “What?” his friend said, astonished. “Ten thousand failures?” “Why, I have not failed,” Edison responded. “I’ve just found ten thousand ways that won't work.” Edison’s friend made the mistake of confusing an unfinished experiment with a failure. But Edison knew better. We make a similar mistake sometimes when we confuse failures and sins.

God doesn’t expect us to go through life without failing. He knows we’re going to try--and fail--many times (maybe even ten thousand times!). You may have failed the first ten times you tried to ride a bike without training wheels; but you didn’t give up, did you? But God doesn’t mind when we fail, unless our failures are also sins. You see, a sin is a choice to do something our own way rather than God’s way. A sin is failing to do right when we know what’s right. A sin is failing to obey God. So don’t be afraid to fail. All of us do it. Some of us have even failed ten thousand times! Just make sure to choose God’s way--the right way--instead of your own way, and he will turn even your failures into something good!

No Sacrifice, No Victory

I just saw the greatest movie this summer...TRANSFORMERS!!! I loved it!!! The graphics were crazy, the story line was amazing, and the characters were great. I'm telling you have to see this movie. If you grew up watching the Transformer cartoon you will love this movie. It will take you back to those care free days.

But the greatest line in the movie was "no sacrifice, no victory". (WARNING-this part may provoke you to want to live a transformed life) What a thought provoking line. When I heard this line it made me think about how I have been living my life lately. Have I been living a sacrificial life lately? Have I been willing to sacrifice me so that Jesus can live in me. When we sacrifice our personal issues, habits, attitudes, people will see Jesus in us which leads to a victory for God's kingdom. Imagine what would happen if we woke up every morning with this motto. We will be able to TRANSFORM the world for Jesus!

You got to watch the movie. I can't wait til it comes out on DVD!

Life Lessons #1 - STRESS SUCKS!

I found this on another blog and thought it was awesome. I definitely got some areas to work on. Thanks to Mark Driscoll for posting this. I hope it helps:

• How can I better organize my life to reduce stress?
• Accept the size of your plate and fill it.
• Exercise.
• Do not allow technology to be your Lord.
• Have two cell phones.
• Have two email accounts.
• Have someone schedule appointments and screen all email.
• Consider getting rid of your voicemail.
• Delete emails quickly.
• Have an assistant send you a daily items email.
• Use an out-of-office autoreply as needed.
• Sabbath hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually.
• Schedule your vacations first and block them out on your calendar.
• Pick an acceptable release valve.
• Appoint someone other than your wife as your lightning rod.
• Spend most of your time training leaders.
• Pay attention to what God is saying through your body and emotions.
• Feel your emotions but do not allow them to drive you in a bad direction.
• Do not worry yourself into a frenzy.
• Work from conviction, not guilt.
• Get a coach or a counselor.
• Have a study and an office.
• Schedule meetings rarely.
• Say no, and keep saying no.
• Get a wedding coordinator.
• Carry a notebook at all times to jot thoughts and notes.
• See your days as buckets to fill.
• Consider regular medical massage.

the "CALLING" in the middle of transition...

I know this is going to sound like I'm whining...it's my blog deal with it. I'm sitting here feeling confused and dazed. I know transition is a part of the journey to our destiny. I know that God uses transitional seasons to speak to us, to stretch our faith, to challenge our thinking, to discover how faithful He is. I get it! But what to you do when you know that you are CALLED to serve Jesus and you're walking in what seems like an endless trip in transitional land? Any thoughts?

Flesh People vs. Faith People

I just started reading this book Right People Right Place Right Plan-Discerning the Voice of God by Jentezen Franklin. Since i am in a state of transition i thought this would be a perfect book to read. As ministers we are constantly surrounded by people and being Pastors we want to think the best of people but I'm sure many of you had close encounters with "wolves in sheep clothing". In his book Pastor Jentezen writes about Character Discernment which is simply "the ability to find relationships that are good for you, and to avoid those that are not". Simple i know, but how many of us really pray that God gives us character discernment. We get so busy with "doing" the ministry and growing the church that we think more people equals success. Don't get me wrong we have to be concern with the numbers. If your church isn't growing you better figure it out and fix it because the longer your church is stagnant and fruitless the more people are going to hell.

What i am talking about is as Pastors and church leaders we need to be careful the kind of voices we let into our circle of influence. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 8:5 "Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit." We need to be able to discern "flesh people" from "faith people".

FLESH PEOPLE

• tear you down.
• feed your fears.
• waste your time.
• drain your energy.

FAITH PEOPLE

• build you up.
• feed your faith.
• fill your life.
• draw you closer to being the person God created you to be.
• the ones who will be lovingly honest with you.
• they are strong when you are weak.

I'll shut up now i don't want to ruin it for you. This book is really challenging me and helping me during this season of my life you've got to read this book.

TRANSITIONS...

Since October 16, 2007 my life as been in a constant state of transitions. This is the day that we found out that we were going to have a baby. After seven years of waiting and trying this was the greatest news of our married life! But it seems like this was the catalyst that start a wave of transitions in our life. I understood that a baby was going to change our lives for ever...and now that he's here i really understand that but i just wasn't ready for all the transitions that were around the corner.
At the time I was in full-time ministry at a great church. i loved it! My wife and i were ministering to a bunch of amazing teenagers! For almost 5 years we poured our hearts into these amazing teenagers and children. It was so worth it!
In March 07 we began to sense that God was preparing us for a ministerial move. Honesty...i hate transition! I really hate transition...especially with a baby coming transition was the furthers thing from my mind. But God has a way of expanding our faith. So after serving our church for almost five years our last Sunday was on Easter Sunday. Leaving our church was hard but i knew it was time to leave and prepare for the new season that God was bring us into. Two weeks before i left our church i told the church that there will be a time in all of our lives where our faith would be put into action. So since Easter my faith in God and His Word has been in over drive.
I wish i could tell you that i was a rock and woke up every morning with this unshakable faith but i would totally be lying. i didn't have another ministry position lined up, i didn't even have another job lined up. i know what you're thinking..."what's this guys problem"! After spending some much needed time with my pregnant wife at the time fear and insecurity started to set in. I felt like a failure. I'm about to have a baby and i resigned my position what was i thinking. i felt like this for weeks.
But then on May 30th at 4:25pm my son came into our life. Something happened to me that day. Even through i still didn't have ministry position or a job when i saw my son for the first time all the fear and insecurity disappeared. I realized that this one person was depending on me and my wife to take care of him. That night i wrote in my journal that all I wanted to do was become the man that God has created me to be. In was in the state of transition that I realized that to become that man I would have to give up the familiar and secure to walk into my God ordained destiny. When I become God's man, I will become the husband my wife needs, I will become the father my son needs and someday I will become the pastor our church will need. So I guess TRANSITIONS aren't that bad. It has made me grow up, trust God, and expand my faith. God is always leading us into our destines and transitions are just pit stops where he refines us to walk into our destiny with confidence in Him.
Yesterday i read this in Psalm 27:13-14 "I am still confident of this: i will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD".
So no matter where God leads us I am confident I will see God's goodness through this season of transition.
the transition journey continues...

first time blogger

Well i finally did it...i created a blog. actually i have no idea what i am doing. i am so not tech savvy. i usually get a friend to do "computer things" for me. two things that really make me feel insecure are computers and cars. but this morning i woke up and decided to trackle one of these insecurities so here i am discovering the world of blogging all by my self. later this week i will be trackling my insecurities about cars more on that later.