Ministry Requirements

Perry Noble posted in his blog earlier today, the photo below. I love this blog, so I took a screen shot so I could share that with you. As a person, called into ministry without a Master's Degree, I have come across these requirements multiple times. I hate reading these statement on post after post on a job board. It frustrates me and irritates me.  I'm not saying I don't like experience or that I don't like education and marriage.  I believe experience is golden, good and bad. I have this nagging desire to email these churches and ask them where people are supposed to gain experience when churches only hire folks with 5+ years of experience. I also want to ask them where all of this comes from biblically. I know it's a preference thing, but what if someone who would grow their church and lead folks to Christ wanted to apply? Their resume would assuredly be file 13'd due to a lack of experience, education, and/or marital status.  I also have issue with the term accredited.  Have you priced an accredited seminary lately? I sure have.  They aren't cheap, at all. So, someone has to take a loan typically to attend this type of school. Ironically, the Bible speaks against being in debt. My favorite part of this blog by Pastor Noble is his attention to the detail that even the Founder, CEO, COO, and CFO of this thing called Christianity, Jesus, wasn't qualified for positions such as these. So I have to wonder, if He isn't qualified, who is? Also if He isn't running the show and sending pastors, called by Him and not us, to lead our churches, who is?

A New Commandment I Give You

Those words the Rabbi spoke. The ears of the disciples perked up as they knew this would be important. Torah was the law, Torah was everything and to add a commandment took authority. Of course, they had the One with as much authority as you will find giving them this new commandment. These words are important. For me, and for you. "Love one another, as I have loved you, love one another. By doing this, the world will know that you are my followers; love one another."  It seems simple and the disciples were probably shocked at how easy that commandment was. Then, they had to actually do it and I'm guessing they soon had an epiphany. It was probably easier for them to obey all of the first 10 commandments than this one. 

This is a story of that scripture being lived out. I'm very proud of Isaiah, my oldest. Yesterday, he told me he gave his snack to another boy at school who didn't have a snack because he never has snacks and was hungry. This morning, while I was packing his lunch, he asked if I could put an extra snack in his lunchbox so he could give it to the boy at snack time. I told him bring me another one and he did. He was so excited that boy would have a snack again today. It reminded me that loving people is what it's all about. It may not be easy, and sometimes you would rather throat punch them. You may miss out on your own snack and it may inconvenience you. But not only does it have an impact on them, it impacts you just as much. That is why Christ gave us the commandment to love one another, just like He loves us. With mercy, compassion and grace. No strings attached, arms wide open kind of love. John 13:34

"Love Those Who Hate You" Matthew 5:44 In Action

Recently on their newest tour, the band Switchfoot has been catching a lot of flack from people who seem to put their preference as commandments.  In the first video, they even call them "Ditch-foot."  Not an example of Christ to the world folks.  Don't do that.  Ever.  Put the bullhorn away and never, ever call Switchfoot "heavy metal".  They're not.  One of my largest struggles is dealing with folks like that.  I generally want to take the Bible and show them why they are wrong, and where preference goes wrong with what Christ taught us.  However, I have a difficult time doing that out of love, so I typically refrain.  I formerly loved the study of Apologetics, and defending my faith.  I still love it, but I loved a chance to debate someone because I "named and claimed" 1 Peter 3:15 which says, "but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,".  I would always miss the "gentleness and respect" part of it and I hurt people as well as hurt myself.  (I apologize and ask forgiveness to any people that I may have hurt and have not personally asked forgiveness from due to location, or other reasons.)  I also, ignored the scripture in it's context and the rest of the passage which reads, "Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.  Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.  For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.  For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water." (1 Peter 3:8-20 ESV)

My goal is to now treat others through love, putting my preference aside along with my pride.  My preference is to never minister and love on people who aren't like me.  It isn't any of our preference.  However, Christ was surrounded by people who were not like Him and He loved them to death.  Literally, without condition.  I read an article this morning about Switchfoot and their protesters.  There are some videos within the article, which I will link to this post.  Jon Foreman, the lead singer, shows an act of grace, mercy and love to these protesters who have appeared at their shows multiple times.  His quote on twitter about it said "So stoked the protesters are here again-treat em with love and respect y'all! Love is the only response. #LoveAloneIsWorthTheFight"  The hashtag being a reference to their newest single, which is awesome.  I've always heard Switchfoot called the "nicest guys in rock".  This title comes from their many crossover hits from Christian charts to rock charts.  Everyone who has met them has always said they're extremely friendly and always looking out for the people at their shows, and always being very humble.  Foreman also said regarding the protesters, "They're morons just like I'm a moron, but we're loved by this extravagant God and I have but one debt, which is to love them."  Which leads me to Christ's teaching in Matthew 5:43-47, "“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers,i what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?"

My point and my prayer for myself is simple, love others, even the ones who hate you and wish bad ju-ju on you.  Also, don't allow your preference to hold your worship back.  God is our audience, not the people sitting in seats or standing in an auditorium.  They are only our co-worshipers.

The article link can be found here.

Jarrid Wilson's Letter to Miley Cyrus

I love the stuff Jarrid Wilson posts and his blog is just great. Following the VMA's, and the outcry about the performance of Miley Cyrus, he posted a letter to her. I totally agree with every word of the letter. The Bible tells us as Christians to not point out the speck in someone else's eye, when we have a log in our own.

Matthew 7 begins like this: “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."

A lot of Christians have been bashing and throwing judgmental remarks at Ms. Cyrus, and to her I say, "I'm sorry". We have no idea what she has gone through in her life and what she is currently dealing with. We, as Christians, should not waste our time condemning her and everyone else present. As our example is Christ, here is what He has to say in John chapter 3: 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."

We are the hope of the world! The problem is, we don't act like it. Rather, we spend our time debating each other and debating people who don't share the same views we do. However, it is all trivial unless we are acting like the hope of the world is in us and we are sharing the Good News of the Gospel.

It pains me to see people treat others according to their mishaps and mess ups. As Christians, we should treat every person as a soul with an eternal destination. If we concerned ourselves more with that and making sure their destination was with Christ through love and grace, then we would then see a culture shift.

I leave you now with a link to Mr. Wilson's blog. I want you to read it there. I don't want to take credit for anything he has written, so here it is.

An Open Letter To Miley Cyrus

Celebrate! Recovery

My wife has been helping our church start up a new ministry called Celebrate Recovery.  She attended for two years prior at another church and begged me to go with her.  I just didn't like it.  It wasn't for me.  There was very little that helped me deal with the sin in my life.  Their motto and purpose is to help people with the hurts, habits and hangups.  It's sin, well most of it.  Some people refuse to attend because it isn't just outright called sin, but that's their hangup and eventually, just maybe they will realize that.  I also have had the pleasure of meeting people who won't attend because they say they don't deal with "any of that stuff".  Again, their hangup.  The thing that made me start attending, other than my wife's incessant begging me to go, is the fact that we all struggle with things.  I love to teach that. (It makes people squirm in their seats)  It may not be an alcohol or drug addiction, it may not be a sexual addiction or a codependency.  It may just be the fact that you think you have it all together and that you don't need accountability from other believers, or to work through prior or current hurts.  It may even be that you meet the "standards" of a "good church going Christian" and that you're a "good person".  However, that is your hangup, because you made it a habit and you will either hurt yourself or others.  See what I did there?

I may be a little biased, but this program is amazing.  I don't have to opportunity to go like I want to because of work, or the kids, but when I do go, it is so refreshing to see that I'm not the only person with a messed up life.  You're not the only person with struggles.  You're not the only person wearing a mask telling people everything is ok when in reality, your world is falling apart all around you.  It's ok to admit that.  It's ok to admit you're messed up and we're all messed up, but God isn't.  It's all about celebrating that a perfect God loves an imperfect you so much He sent His perfect Son to save your messed up self.  The Bible tells us that even though we all are messed up, Christ died for us.  See, so even you belong in this journey.  I encourage you to go check one out.  The Celebrate! Recovery in our church will launch very soon and I would love to see you there.  Plus, if you don't like ours, there are others in the area you can attend.  Different churches fit different personalities, so don't be afraid to try out another location.  For more information, go to this link.

Happy Birthday!

Today, my oldest son, Isaiah, turns seven. I can't believe how fast these seven years have passed. I remember the day he was born, and all of the drama that accompanied his birth.

I was in Charlotte when my wife went into labor. I had left my phone charger at home here in Weaverville and my phone was charging in my car. I worked for MEDIC in Charlotte and had an apartment for the nights I worked there consecutively. So, she called MEDIC and had a unit sent to my house to wake me up. I answered the door and thought they were playing a joke on me, so I went back to bed not thinking to check my phone. I woke up about 45 minutes later in a panic and went to check my phone. Yep, I had about 100 missed calls and texts. I called Candice and she was at the hospital with her parents. I doubt anyone has ever traveled as quickly from Charlotte to Asheville as I did that night. I made it just in time. My wife's labor pain was almost unbearable and she had refused an epidural until I arrived. They came in and gave her the epidural and a short while later I held this beautiful baby boy in my arms.

I was 22 at the time and was scared out of my mind. All of the responsibilities and questions were flooding my mind. This little 6 pound baby was overly intimidating. I also had never fallen in love with anything so quickly as I did that morning. I felt so proud of my son and in an instant there came a love that I had never felt before. I also, at that moment, came to the realization of the depth of the love of God for us and the absolute sacrifices He made on our behalf because He loved us, His creation.

I since have had two more children and have come to the realization that to be a successful father means to expect the unexpected and just be there for my kids. That may mean sleeping all day on your birthday because your daughter broke her arm the night before and you spent the night in the emergency room, or sitting in the floor with them laughing and playing, or just listening to them when they want to chat your ears off or when something is bothering them. One of the most rewarding things in my life is being a father.

I feel sorry for the dads that aren't there for their kids. They miss out on so much and the chance to watch their children grow up to be amazing. They also miss out on the chance to be changed by their kids. I haven't always been a great dad and I previously worked a lot, but since have seen that all the money in the world doesn't matter if you are missing out on your kids' lives and not taking care of your marriage the way you should.

Isaiah has taught me so much, and he has been there with me and for me even when he was so little and my life was destructing. He also was there for us when Candice and I picked up the pieces and restored our marriage. He's my helper and my buddy. He has a huge heart and is always ready to serve and help out. He's matured so much lately and I can't even begin to tell you how much he has been a great big brother to Makenna and Hayden. I love watching him frolic in the yard, or play around other kids always protecting his siblings. I love to watch how his brother looks up to him. He's very intelligent and does so well in school. I'm just a proud daddy who's a little sappy right now.

Today, he is 7 and will enter the 2nd grade on Wednesday. He's grown up so quickly. He's one super cool kid.

Happy birthday buddy! I love you and I am very proud of the little dude you are!

--Daddy

Sad but True

Pastor Jeremiah Steepek (pictured below) transformed himself into a homeless person and went to the 10,000 member church that he was to be introduced as the head pastor at that morning. He walked around his soon to be church for 30 minutes while it was filling with people for service, only 3 people out of the 7-10,000 people said hello to him. He asked people for change to buy food - NO ONE in the church gave him change. He went into the sanctuary to sit down in the front of the church and was asked by the ushers if he would please sit n the back. He greeted people to be greeted back with stares and dirty looks, with people looking down on him and judging him.

As he sat in the back of the church, he listened to the church announcements and such. When all that was done, the elders went up and were excited to introduce the new pastor of the church to the congregation. "We would like to introduce to you Pastor Jeremiah Steepek." The congregation looked around clapping with joy and anticipation. The homeless man sitting in the back stood up and started walking down the aisle. The clapping stopped with ALL eyes on him. He walked up the altar and took the microphone from the elders (who were in on this) and paused for a moment then he recited,

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

'The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

After he recited this, he looked towards the congregation and told them all what he had experienced that morning. Many began to cry and many heads were bowed in shame. He then said, "Today I see a gathering of people, not a church of Jesus Christ. The world has enough people, but not enough disciples. When will YOU decide to become disciples?"

He then dismissed service until next week.

Being a Christian is more than something you claim. It's something you live by and share with others.