Wednesday, May 31, 2006

The Great Church Job Hunt

So, it's been a while since I've posted anything, so I thought I'd write before my bride and I leave for Montana this afternoon. I'm feeling a little frustrated with the job search. It has now been six months of looking for something, and though I am convinced that the Lord has something for us, it's not here yet and that is hard. I feel like a small child saying "are we there yet?" But I've put together a list of things I have learned through this time that hopefully will encourage you to seek the Lord in the process, but it probably mainly a reminder for me that this has been the biggest period of growth I've ever experienced. 1) I've learned about the kind of church I'd like to be at. Because of my experience, or lack there of and primarily because of my gifting and passions, I want to be at a smaller, younger church that I can help build into something big. I don't want to walk into an incredibly established worship ministry and fit a mold of the sunday morning guy. I want to create, to build and to develop a worship culture. 2) I've learned for whom I'd like to work. I've talked to a lot of pastors now, all of them very nice and I'm sure filled with passion, but only one that oozed that passion. I want so badly to work side by side a man that will lead; someone who is passionate about the lost, the world, but mostly, someone who can't stop talking about Jesus. 3) I've learned what salary is important for me. Early on, I went deep into the application process with a church who was offering quite a bit of money, and immediately I started thinking about all the cool things I could do with that cash. I didn't get the job, and then was offered a chance to join two church platers in St. Louis. No money at the beginning, not sure when they could pay, but some amazingly cool ideas about ministry. I think the God's been showing me a few extremes so that we go where we will go for the right reasons. 4) He's showing that He'll provide. I've been waiting tables, Jenn's been nannying, and I've been finishing school (two classes to go). We haven't had a ton of money, but we've had enough, it's come in at just the right time, and we have been fine. This job search has been about so much more than a job. It's been about the process; it's been about drawing closer to Him and each other. When we do land somewhere, and I'm convinced that wherever that is, it'll be just where the Lord wants us, we will have grown more through this time than any other.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Funny Shirt of the Week

This week's funny shirt comes from RandomShirts.com You can check them out at www.randomshirts.com. There are all sorts of well...random shirts. Ninjas Hate Pirates

Something from Mark Driscoll

The recent April issue of GQ magazine includes a most curious article about Adriana Lima. She is the Brazillian Victoria’s Secret supermodel and the ninety-seventh highest-paid famous person in the world, according to Forbes. She made Maxim’s Hot 100 list in 2003. She was engaged to rocker Lenny Kravitz in 2002. And, like many supermodels, the internet is filled with nude photos of her, which I swear I did not look at. What makes story so dang weird is that in addition to being a supermodel, she’s also a devout Catholic virgin. Of her modeling (that includes a lot of nudes and near-nudes), she says, "God has given me a lot of work." Apparently that work includes a part-time job learning to spell the word c-o-n-t-r-a-d-i-c-t-i-o-n. Read More