Thursday, June 10, 2010

First Few Days of Work...

I am really super excited about my new job and what God has in store for me during this time in my life with my wonderful wife Jennifer. It’s going to be difficult leaving our friends behind in Fort Worth it will all pan out in the long run. I wanted to start this blog just so I can collect thoughts and journal my time as a man beginning his ministry in a professional manner. I guess that’s the five dollar way of saying I want to see what happens over time via this blog.

I began my position here at Faith Bible Church as the Assistant Youth Director. I have gotten to know some of these kids in just a few short weeks and am really excited to grow in our relationships as time goes on. I am working with a guy and his wife who have 15+ years in this area of ministry and I think I can draw lots of useful info from his experience.

We are doing a Christian Life University program during our Sunday school time. It seems to be a really cool idea as it gets other adults involved in the ministry more so than just Mark or myself. I have to give a lesson this weekend. I am going to be speaking over David and Bathsheba with a group of youth boys. I picked this story not because of the obvious aspect of sexual sin (at an internship I had to give a sermon in the series of love. We went thru the three Greek words for love...guess which one I got...you got it Eros...uncomfortable!!!) But more or less with chapter 12 of 2 Sam where David falls on his face in true repentance after Nathan reveals his sin to him via a story of a man who took his neighbors only precious lamb. I think young men should know that David was indeed a man after God's own heart but not without his faults.

David was so much more than a warrior, poet, king, and ruler but he was an avid follower of God and His Law. He had his flaws and screwed up but he was always willing to come to repentance because he knew that he was not God. That’s really the idea I want to stress to these men. Growing up it’s the macho or dude-thing to never admit that you are wrong because it shows weakness. That’s crap. I have worked with guys who will scrape the barrel trying to defend nothing more than their wounded pride. Better a man to take the blows when they come and pick himself up off the floor, learn from the beating, and plan against it. Admitting when you are wrong is key in life. Many times you learn and gain determination after a loss, you train harder, you have more to gain with the oncoming victory and so you take in the wisdom form the loss to aid in your life. I know that’s kind of a random ramble but there ya go.

Mark is in the Dominican Republic or DR for another week and a half so it’s just Todd and I running the ship. I have really been blessed by all of the ministers who have really welcomed me into the family warmly. It’s strange being back home though or at least the place I went to high school. So many memories live here. I’m not sure if I like that or not yet but nevertheless I plan to remake better memories than the ones I left here.