As I was running errands today, I got to thinking about life and how I view myself. In my life, I make decisions with the primary concern and motivation being myself. After getting married, I began to think of my wife at times before I made a decision, but still the primary factor for deciding one way or the other was my personal feelings and the amount of personal gain. This process was further complicated when I had children. Now, there are more factors to consider before making a decision, but my process still begin with my personal preferences at the center. Any compromises or alterations to my preferences that need to be made for the benefit of my family can be done, but the center is still me. With this in mind, I drove down the road today thinking to myself, "What a jerk!" Someone needs to contact Copernicus because apparently the universe revolves around me.
I imagine that if we were honest with ourselves, for the majority of us, this is exactly how we live our lives. I do not think that I am all that different in my thought process than the majority of humanity. What really hit me this morning though was that this is not the way that it is supposed to be. This is not the life that God has created me to live. In his example, Christ came not for his personal gain, but for the gain of others. There needs to be a transformation of my primary focus in life from myself to the Lord. This is not my life that I am living, rather it is the life that God has granted me for his service. I am not my own but God's. He has redeemed my soul and my life. He brought it out of the emptiness that it was destined to suffer in. I am not the center of the universe. God is! Copernicus did have it wrong. I pray that the Lord will move my heart to see with his eyes the world that he has called me to serve.
In Him,
Paul
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Memories
Sorry for the long break from posting. Just taking care of business. I wanted to post some of my other favorite memories from my time at Judson. I remember volunteering with the Junior High ministry out of high school. I was the game guy. We played the craziest game. Baby food hot potato, grape out the nose shooting, mystery juice relays, running the gauntlet, and so many more. For you who know what these are, hope it brings a smile to your face. For those who want to know more, just ask and I will get you the details. After ten years, the games have reached all new levels of greatness. There is mystery milkshake chugging, cricket spitting, space invaders, pac-man, dynomite, power ball, the game that must not be mentioned, and more. There are so many images that are flooding my mind as I think of the many great moments that these games have created.
It was through those moments that great relationships were forged, life changing relationships for both my youth and myself. I remember a youth who had been burned by the church before. Through the encouragement of his friend, he decided to come to our open gym program. We started a relationship, slowly at first. Over the next several months, we began to tear down the walls that had separated him from God. That day that he began a relationship with God still brings tears to my eyes. God works in powerful ways. I remember one of my proudest moments in my early ministry was making a positive impact in some students' lives who, in many respects, were on their own. The day that they told me that they left their cigarettes at the park instead of bringing them to church put a smile on my face. It may have seemed like something small, but for these students, that was a giant step in their lives. It has been an honor to serve God and I look forward to the many memories still to come.
It was through those moments that great relationships were forged, life changing relationships for both my youth and myself. I remember a youth who had been burned by the church before. Through the encouragement of his friend, he decided to come to our open gym program. We started a relationship, slowly at first. Over the next several months, we began to tear down the walls that had separated him from God. That day that he began a relationship with God still brings tears to my eyes. God works in powerful ways. I remember one of my proudest moments in my early ministry was making a positive impact in some students' lives who, in many respects, were on their own. The day that they told me that they left their cigarettes at the park instead of bringing them to church put a smile on my face. It may have seemed like something small, but for these students, that was a giant step in their lives. It has been an honor to serve God and I look forward to the many memories still to come.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Thanks for everything!
Today, my position at the church has come to an end. The church has been struggling financially for many months now and something had to give. I have been serving there for the past ten years. It is difficult to thank about my life without going there everyday. It is the only church that both of my children have ever known. I am thankful for the many ways that the members of the church have positively impacted my family. I thought that as I close out my final month in service at Judson, I would spend several posts reflecting on the many memories that I have collected in my time here and the many lessons that I have learned.
I remember one of my first events as a youth pastor. It was a harvest party out at a parishioner's house. This was an event that the youth group had done for many years, and it seemed like everything was going as planned. Out of no where, things begin to rapidly turn ugly. A fight breaks out between a couple of the high school boys. As I separate them, I tell them that they will be escorted home by the staff. They begin to rally their friends to all leave, and chaos ensues. My wife is cussed out by a female youth and I am being pulled in every direction trying to regain some semblance of control. I can only imagine what is going through the head of the parishioner and his wife. In my mind, I begin to word my letter of apology and resignation.
Order was regained and I did not resign the next day. Instead, this incident became the starting point to five years of life-changing ministry. In these last five years, I have been given many opportunities to grow and mature in my faith and in my abilities to lead and shepherd God's people. Many gifted people have blessed my life with their wisdom and encouragement during this time. I have made many friends who I would consider to be like family. God taught me through this event that he has a plan for my life and in all instances, he is ready to teach me a lesson. I just want to say thank you to the many people who have stood by me these last five years. I am a better man because of you, your love for people, and your love for the Lord.
In Him,
Paul
I remember one of my first events as a youth pastor. It was a harvest party out at a parishioner's house. This was an event that the youth group had done for many years, and it seemed like everything was going as planned. Out of no where, things begin to rapidly turn ugly. A fight breaks out between a couple of the high school boys. As I separate them, I tell them that they will be escorted home by the staff. They begin to rally their friends to all leave, and chaos ensues. My wife is cussed out by a female youth and I am being pulled in every direction trying to regain some semblance of control. I can only imagine what is going through the head of the parishioner and his wife. In my mind, I begin to word my letter of apology and resignation.
Order was regained and I did not resign the next day. Instead, this incident became the starting point to five years of life-changing ministry. In these last five years, I have been given many opportunities to grow and mature in my faith and in my abilities to lead and shepherd God's people. Many gifted people have blessed my life with their wisdom and encouragement during this time. I have made many friends who I would consider to be like family. God taught me through this event that he has a plan for my life and in all instances, he is ready to teach me a lesson. I just want to say thank you to the many people who have stood by me these last five years. I am a better man because of you, your love for people, and your love for the Lord.
In Him,
Paul
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)