God will use who you are, and what you are, where you are for His glory and not yours.
I want it now.
What do you do when you know that God has called you to something bigger than what you are doing right now. I love my job as a middle school Technology Education (SHOP) teacher. I get to see more students in one day than most student pastors get to see in a whole week or even two. In fact I get to see those kids 5 times every week for about 36 weeks. So why do I feel called to full time student ministry? Why is it that I would need to leave the place that students are for 75% of their day to be a better minister to them?
Because my hands are tied in what I can legaly say and do with students in reguard to their sin, need for salvation, discipleship, and equipping for the kingdom. I have shared Christ with students in my class room and it felt good. Real Good. But I also had to wonder if that could get me fired.
My frustration comes in the fact that I have more hands on experience with students than most student ministers but, because I don’t have “official full time church staff” experience I am over looked.
God Move or, Move me.
Saulnier
A new image for a new vision
Last night I shaved off my goatee and mustache. I have had a beard or goatee and mustache of some kind for the last 11.5 years. Longer than I have been married. Longer than most of the people that know me now have known me. They have never seen me without it. I went to church tonight and was amazed at the responses. I had someone who has known me for 5 plus years tell me that I look like I am 20 years old. I will take that as a compliment.
Why did I shave you might ask? Well as I am seeking to reorder most everything in my life so as to be ready when God calls me to a ministry position I thought a new look would be good too.
Chris
It only takes one.
I found this quote by Thomas Merton
“A man who has been killed by one enemy is just as dead as one who has been killed by a whole army. If you are friends with one habit of mortal sin you live in death, even though you may seem to have all the other virtues.”
When you stop and think about what it says it is very true. A man that dies by one enemy is every bit as dead as a man that dies by an army.
Now think about sin.
A man that has one sin is just as much a sinner as a man who has many sins. It only takes one for us to be counted as a sinner. The amazing part is that weather you have one sin or one thousand sins, Jesus is still willing to pay the price for you.
Chris
Wasted talent.
I had someone tell me today that they do not want to be “the guy that buried his talent in the ground.”
You may remember the story from Matthew 25:14-28. The servant that only got one talent from the master was afraid of him. He hid the masters talent in the ground burying it in the dirt until the master returned. Look at what the master said,
The Parable of the Talents
26“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28” ‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.”
What are you doing with the talent (Abilities and gifts) that The Master (God) gave you? Are you hiding it in the dirt until He returns or are you using it with all you have got so as to someday show a return on the investment?
Chris
Shaking up the Etch-A-Sketch.
Did you ever have an Etch-A-Sketch?
You know the fun little drawing machine that had a red frame and two white knobs at the bottom. By twisting the knobs you could cause the “cursor” to draw lines in the mystery powder.
( Aluminum powder by the way.) http://www.howstuffworks.com/question317.htm
When you were done or wanted a new drawing you would simply give the Etch-A-Sketch a good shaking and the “screen” would be blank again. Ready for a new drawing.
I feel like God is about to shake my Etch-A-Sketch. I may have an incredible GOD SIZED opportunity that will require a leap of faith like I have never taken before. Lets just say it involves the words house for sale, moving to D.C. and fund raising for the support of my family for about 1 year.
I could use all the prayers I could get. There can only be 2 outcomes. This will either be the biggest move of God that I or anyone I personally know has ever done, or the single biggest, most disastrous decision that I could ever make for my family.
Saulnier
Who moves you or God?
So I am called to full time ministry. I think about it alot. I think about were I might end up in ministry some day. Maybe even this year. Who knows. I think alot about my church and the move to the second site that they are planning this fall / winter. I want so much to be a part of that and fell that I am supposed to be a part of that new move of God. I keep thinking that God is going to move where I am at. It hit me tonight that it is not up to God to move where i am at unless I am where God is.
Thinka bout that for a while.
Saulnier
It starts today
I am officaly in Graduate school as of midnight last night.
I am taking a new testament and old testament class through the Distance learing program at Liberty.
Pray for me.
Saulnier
Praying for the Ridicules
Something that has been on my mind lately is that if I am following God’s call then I should be praying for the ridicules things that I think could never happen. Things that are so outside of my tiny understanding and faith that ONLY God could possibly make them happen.
For example I would have never thought even just 1 or 2 years ago that I would be going back to school. I hated being a student in high school. I was so bad in high school that I actually brought flowers to one of my math teachers so that she would pass me and I would not have to retake the class. BTW it worked. Yes I kissed butt. I did much better in college because there was more freedom I think. Fast forward to now time, I am in the middle of the admissions process to get a masters degree from Liberty. A Masters degree….. I had a high school counselor tell me I would never make it in college and here I am with a B.S. and a teaching certification and going for a masters degree.
Back to praying for the ridicules. I have been trying to figure out what would be the most ridicules thing I could and should be praying for with regard to my calling. Once I figure it out I am going to start praying for it.
What is the most ridicules thing you could be praying for and are you praying for it?
Saulnier
Put up or shut up!
Yup, I said it. Put up or shut up.Well it is time for me to either put up or shut up. I have chosen to put up.I realized about 3-4 years ago that I was being called by God to live for more. That is I was and are being called to full time ministry from a 13 year teaching career. I have talked with almost every pastor in my church and several closer friends about it. I have talked and talked and talked about it with out any action.Well it is time to put up.On Friday March 14th I submitted my application to liberty university to earn a masters degree in theological studies. I will be studying discipleship, evangelism, and church planting. Kind of a stretch from the 13 years of student work I have been doing, but I feel that is where God is wanting me to focus.Pray for me.Financial contributions accepted. Saulnier
