Lawn Mowing

     In ministry there are always factors beyond the normal job description.  Currently, I am in a season of vast and wide ministry.  In the past month, I have had to perform my "normal" job (if that is even possible for a youth pastor to have a normal job) plus I have put a ton of hours into our State ministry.  Last month I spent a Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday planning and dreaming with our State Leadership.  This month I have had a ton of phone calls and emails in preparation for our 2011 and 2012 State Youth Conventions that I help to oversee.  I spent part of my day Thursday in a lunch meeting trying to secure a spot for our 2012 event.  The last 2 weeks I have spent countless hours creating and producing my poster for the 7th and 8th grade camp that I direct every July at Camp Sharon.
      By far one of the greatest honors I have received thus far came today.  I was asked to speak at the Glendale High School Baccalaureate.  This immediately made me think back to my Baccalaureate 12 years ago now.  I don't know what I will say yet but one thing that comes to mind is that those Graduating Seniors should never give up on God's dream and plan for their future.
     Since graduating, I have been working at being God's hands and feet for the last 12 years...some days I see hope...some days I see people who are lost and hurting...some days I see joys...some days I see pain...some days I see nothing but emails and a computer screen.  Some days I feel like I have accomplished a ton...but those days are few.  Most days I feel like the task is too big, the job is too overwhelming, there is always work left to be done, those who are lost who need to be found.  I feel like I am constantly mowing my lawn.  I complete the circuit just to discover that the grass has already overgrown the place where I began...so the mowing forever continues.  I have discovered that ministry is all that...except...I have God at my side giving me the strength to continue the work until He says ''Well done, good and faithful servant!  You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share in your master's happiness!" (Matt. 25:23) So I will continue to mow until I am put in charge of more yards and then I will keep mowing until the Lord tells me to stop. One thing I have found through daily servant-hood is that God reveals himself in the laughter and in the tears.
     Speaking of tears and laughter, this year is a special year for me in ministry.  This is the first graduating class that I have been a pastor for all the way from 6th grade on through graduation.  I will be attending several graduations this year but 2 in particular are going to be extra special: Sarah's who attends Glendale and Craig's who attends Central.

This is Sarah and Craig in 2005

     This has me thinking about the new 6th graders who will be coming into Connection Youth Ministry in May...Time to start on the next lawn...

Where has the time gone?

    It has been nearly a year since my last blog.  A lot has happened in that year.  Some good...Some bad.  For instance my son Clay was born...This has been all good except the very smelly diapers that he occasionally produces.  I have had to take a step back from things because of his arrival.  I have been telling most people of late that when it was just Abi...I could get her dressed and out the door in 10 minutes.  If I am getting just Clay ready, it takes about 10 minutes.  If I have to get both of the kids ready...It takes an hour and a half.

     Abi is almost 4 now...I cannot believe how fast those 4 years have gone.  I am so afraid that if I blink, she will be graduating from High School, getting married, having kids, and putting me in a nursing home.  She truly has been "A Father's Joy" for her entire life thus far.  Amanda continues to be the awesome faithful wife that I always dreamed of.  She is a great mom.  She works hard for our family and is truly a full partner in ministry.

     I am continuing down the path of the road less traveled in my ministry area.  I have heard it said that the average stay for a pastor at any one church is around 3 years.  This is even less among associates.  I have been on staff at our church for 6 and a half years.  I have found that there really is ups and downs to everything in life and youth ministry is one of them.  I have been a youth pastor for nearly 10 years now and I am still wondering when people are going to catch on that I have no idea what I am doing.  Youth ministry changes so fast.  You may only have one, one hour segment in life to impact the life of a student.  That last statement in and of itself should really make us feel the weight of how excellent our programs should be as a church.  I have found that students come and students go.  There are students who are committed, faithful, ready to get plugged in, willing to go deeper in the faith, and responsible.  And there are students who are not...

     My current ministry position is quite unique.  I have the great opportunity to work in a "partnership" with 2 other pastors.  We are all pastors and we treat each other equally.  We have found what each Pastor is gifted in and we work from those gifts.  Rick our Lead Pastor is awesome!  He tackles most of the preaching and all of the counseling.  I can't imagine another scenario where a Lead Pastor would be willing to share so much responsibility with his staff.  For instance, Neil (Our Worship Pastor) (Who is also Awesome and a great friend) oversees all the Growing Team Ministries, all the administration duties, as well as overseeing all the Worship Ministry.  I tackle the Student Ministry, but oversee kids birth-college.  I also have the great privilege of overseeing our church's Leadership Team along with the Stewardship Team.  It is as though I am in training for an Executive Pastor gig sometime down the road.  I would love for that to become a reality at LifeQuest Church.  That is another "good" that has happened  in this past year.  We have officially changed our name from First Church of God to LifeQuest Church.  That was about a 3 year process for us leaders and it was not easy but the Lord is faithful.

     Part of the past year did have its hurts and broken hearts.  For instance, the day when my brother-in-law came to my office and told me he and his wife were getting divorced.  They have a 5 year old son.  As the tears came to my eyes there was nothing I could say but let him know that we are here for them.  My brother's story isn't much different.  He and his wife are going through a divorce after 10 years of marriage.  They have 3 kids.  I am always torn on my end of the spectrum...I never know what to do, what to say, how to act, how to love, how to serve, but I pray that God will continue to show me how to impact my family as much if not more than those who are in my flock.

     I want to finish this "year in review" post with acknowledging that God is my provider, my sustainer, my shield, my comforter, my hope, my greatest passion, and my guide.  He has blessed and continues to bless us more than we could ever deserve.  I know that my life would be nothing without Him.  So I leave you with this:  "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you (and I) have been saved.  Ephesians 2:4-5