Things we can learn from a nurse and hospital, well most of them.

I have been blessed throughout my life to not have to undergo medical care via a hospital. This past weekend, during the birth of my son and the days to follow is the closest I have come to hospital care and even then, I was witnessing it through Karey and Sanders.

I feel there are many things we as followers of Christ can learn from nurses and hospitals (well most of them):

1) The attention to everything! I know it is their job, but most nurses I know (and since my mom is one) I believe this is a job that is a calling, like many other professions in life. I do not think that you wake up one day and say, I want to be a nurse because that seems to be an easy job. I can tell you that from the horror stories that I have heard through my mom, it is far from easy, but can be greatly rewarding. Through this calling you take care of people, some people more than others. What a great heart of service and picture of servanthood we see in a nurse. The make sure you are comfortable, have everything you need, etc. They pay attention to you, make you feel important.. etc. If we had this attitude towards those who are unchurched and reached out, paid attention to everything about them, and provided for the needs we notice... just think of the impact.

2) Getting to know the patient. yes, I know part of the job, but! If we as followers took the time to get to know the history, build trust, and understand the importance of knowing where we have been and where we are going, I believe we would radically transform the way we do outreach and evangelism. Think about it... the nurse gathers all this information for the Doctor to be able to give adequate treatment, meds, etc. If we took time to learn the history, and to get to know, just think what God can do wit that information we have... just think of the tools he can provide and the avenues he can provide to the heart for adequate transformation.

I don't know... maybe it doesn't make sense... just food for thought!

Grace and Peace!

Baby Theology

Where do I start? I know this is an interesting title for a blog, but to me quite fitting for what has happened the past week in my life. As many of you know, Karey and I brought our little boy into the world September 3, 2010 (well Karey did more than i did...). What an experience that Friday was. We got to the hospital at 630 AM, started the necessary meds, pitocin, and had the plan of having a baby by 5 PM. Sounds decently easy. Well to leave out the unnecessary details, let me leave it like this, things did not go as planned medically, and we found ourselves at 730 PM with a decision to make, wait longer, or heed the advice of our awesome doctor and go in after him.

So here is the first part of my "Baby Theology." We all go through life with plans, be them the easy way, hard way, either way we put it, tends to be our way. Yet Christ has something bigger in store, an experience, that if we tend to plan every aspect on our own, that we could certainly miss. I will say in the nine months leading up to Sanders' arrival, the C word was not mentioned much, to us, in was not part of "our" plan, but it was part of God's. You are asking yourself, what is the "better experience" in the new way of delivery... to me it was the seeds and witness I hope our little family was able to plant among the doctors, nurses, all those others that were involved, because of the new method of delivery the drugs kept Karey calm, and not worrying on having to do any work... we got to laugh, joke, and honestly enjoy the situation we were in. kinda crazy, yea. Lets just say conversations in the OR rotated around me nursing, "Meet the Fockers" and the prosthetic breast feeding device, and other funny things." We really trust our doctor to operate on Karey while we make her laugh I guess.

Some how word got around the hospital that I was the "youth pastor." Every person that came in the room came in saying... you must be the youth pastor that everyone is talking about. At first this worried me, not because of what people thought, but worried because many times when people find out that I am a minister... I get treated differently. Well, I am glad to know that i was treated normal, but knew that I had an awesome opportunity to be a witness through this event.

This brings me to my next "baby theology" point. In a hospital, it is protocol to provide a clergy member with when a loved one passes away or you are about to remove a loved on from life support. This is a time in the life of people where the harvest can tend to be ripe. During our birth experience, I found myself asking... "Why do we not have clergy available during a birth?" Think about it... new life, created by God, a miracle, a process in which some things in science just cannot explain and prove, what a perfect time of ripe harvest to be a witness and share the gospel. I pray that through our witness that we planted a seed.

Throughout our time at the hospital it was amazing to see the witness and impact that Sanders was having on the nurses. He was known as the "easy baby." At one point we were told, that if we could choose any baby to take home in the nursery, that he would be the one to choose." Now I will say that this is not because Karey and I are newborn scholars. This is not because we took the right classes, read the right books, and listened intently to the doctors. This is because of blessing and prayer. Many of you have been praying for us from day one of this pregnancy. Our little boy is blessed and loved by a God that loves all of those he has created. "He looked over what he created and said, it is good," and I believe he is still doing that today. I 100% feel that we are blessed beyond measure (and underserving of such) and that our faith in Christ has carried to our Son in a way that has made him be who he is.

So what is the main point of my baby theology? Over the past week I have watched Sanders grow, develop, and become more of his personality. From day 1 to day 8 (today) something new has developed, from his movements (not bowel... he has enough of those as it is), to his eyes beginning to focus in, to his facial expressions, and all the other things that come with growing.

I say this to support the point that we all grow everyday (mentally, physically, spiritually). Through this growth we develop who we are, how we will make an impact, and what our body, mind and soul needs to produce that growth. Just like Sanders trust and relies on Karey and I to take care of him, we too have a Father that we can rely on to provide the things that we need to grow and mature. Through my experience this past week I was reminded of how important it is to rely on the Triune God, but more importantly, leading my son to that same Triune God, so he can get everything he needs to grow and mature.

Being a Father is the great thing ever, and I would not change it for anything. This new chapter in my life is a blessing and an experience that I will never forget, and I know that it will make a major impact in the ministry of reaching out to families, that God has called me to.

Grace and Peace to all of you!

Not a stepping stone, but a calling

Over the past months I have had a prayer life that surrounds the ministry that God has called me to. I will say that things have picked up and that ministry itself is a sweet journey into a paradigm shift that I am humbled to be a part of. Faith at Home will be a transformational peace for Trinity and more importantly the Kingdom.

Through my prayer I have been struggling through, what's next. Is there a bigger calling? Is there another step. I have been taking time to pray through ordination, seminary, and just ministry in general.

This past week I met with a fellow student pastor. He is a guy that has a true heart for ministry, a passion to reach students, and a passion to embrace his calling. Through our coversations together, we talked about how student ministry, children's ministry, etc. is seen as a stepping stone by a good bit of ministers. To many, it tends to be the foot in the door, the step to get into a senior pastor position, plant a church of your own, get into a bigger church, etc. I will say that I am learning that it is not the size of the church you serve in, but the obedience the ministerial staff has to the calling and vision laid out by God. Obedience to the calling provides a better high than any "high-attendace" can bring. When it is all said and done, it wont be about how many you got through the doors of your church, but how many you impacted to get through the gates of eternity.

Through this conversation, I found conviction, and with conviction I run to find scripture. Here are some passages that I found interesting and applying to my situation:

No man takes this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, Heb. 5: 4

As I continued to search google, I came across a writing by John Piper

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2004/1271_Is_God_Calling_You_to_Give_Your_Life_for_His_Sake_and_the_Gospel_in_Missions/

In this article he addresses different factors and factions of being called into Christian Ministry. All of which I could read, pray through, and apply to myself and my calling.

Now I will say that I am called, called to serve the Gospel of Christ, and I am sure one day that will open up to numerous opportunities that God has in store for me, but what about now?

God has called me to serve the next generation. We are part of a culture that is hurting, lost more than before, and questioning things of this life and beyond. Our nation, our Faith, and our relationships with one another (both ecumenically and worldly) are under attack, i feel, more than ever.

What does this mean to me? We are on a brink, a brink of what I would call a New Reformation. Now I am not going to run out and nail the 95 Thesis 2.0 to my church doors, but I am going to serve the calling of the movement. This is a movement that will unify churches in worship, strengthen families, and breed a new generation of believers to ignite the church, like we read about in the days of Martin Luther, John Calvin, and many other great teachers and columns of the faith foundation.

So I can sum up my rambling like this.

Being called, is being called. God will ordain the time, place, and plan for the next journey. I encourage you to never look at a ministry as a stepping stone. If we are using it as a stepping stone, you will leave a footprint that will do damage for those that will follow you.

God has called me to serve the Next Generation and that Family, and to serve them in the capacity that I find myself now. He has called, equipped, and energized me, and all I can do is be obedient to the leading of the Spirit. I need to focus on now, and the future of the ministry I currently serve. I believe when it is time for the next journey, it will not be a stepping stone, but and perfect transition from one to another. My challenge, not to focus on the things of tomorrow, but focus on the battle I face today. A battle to help rescue families from a world that seeks to destroy it and other things of Christ.

I am really going to do it this time

So... A lot has changed since I last updated this thing. I have gotten married, continued on in ministry at Trinity and well... my wife and I are expecting our first little boy in about 5 weeks (Sept. 8). So all in all... let's just say I am quite busy, but it is all worth it. I am going to try my best to keep this blog and my other blog up and running. Until then, Grace and peace!