SO WHAT NOW

So the decision has been made but a fear for any church who has a staff change of any kind is that the ministry which is obviously more important than any one staff member will be overlooked. I have trained students and leaders to do ministry and take the Gospel to the lost souls of our community and I pray that no matter who helms the ship that they will always obey the master and take the message to the lost. This message comes as the great commission. it is called great for a great reason.

MBC will do great things. They are poised right now to make a significant difference in this community. Please pray that the youth center which is nearing completeion will do all that I dreamed and planned for it to do. we have waited for 11 years for some relevant youth space for teens to hang out, connect and hear the Gospel. it is almost done and will enhance the delivery of a timeless message.

my resignation?

my heart is broken and my emotions are hurt as The leaders at our church asked for my resignation. I am somewhat speechless as i process this decision that came as a shock to me as well as I am sure many of you. According to them they do not feel my leadership is a "match" to where the church is going. So after 11 years of ministry they gave me a 24 hour notice to turn in my resignation and then a week to clean out my office.

Please pray for me and my family as this will probably mean we will have to move away from our home for the last decade. My calling is to youth ministry and it was decided that I will no longer be able to serve here in that capacity. I will still be around the community as i search for where God is calling me and my family. This will be especially hard and confusing for my kids so please pray for them as well.

We love all of you so much and cry at the thought of not watching you grow into what God wants you to be. as I have taught you for many years about faith and trust in God's plan I now get to practice on my own.

When God says "GO"

I am preaching on Sunday the 3rd and i am going to preach about stories. we all have a story, but some point in our life we have to recognize that I am not necessarily writing my story, but I am living it. Sometimes my real story is not the story that I tell others. At some point I allowed God's story to intersect with my story and I have never been the same. God's story....the Gospel... is an amazing, life changing story that we are told to tell. Told to tell...sounds funny.

When God told Philip to "GO" in Acts 8, he first went and waited for further instructions. Then when he got to the initial place of being sent he got more instructions. ( Acts 8:26) "Go south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem..." Philip went and upon arriving God gave him the next step, "Go to that Chariot and stay near it" (8:29). I wish my instructions were that clear. Go there and do that right there. That, right there, in front of you, right there.

I (we) allow so many distractions and noise into my (our) life that i cannot hear the faint whisper of direction or even the loud, neon message. I know that I am to GO, that is easy, but now what is the question I (we) struggle with. But it is not really that difficult. As we go, look for the opportunity. It isn't rocket science, just shareing stories. telling the story of your life and how it intersected with God's story. When God says "GO" that is what he really means. simply to GO. the rest we will learn along the way.