Archive for category memories
Unfortunately, Not the Last
This past Sunday night, I came home to an empty apartment after a busy night putting on a concert at FOCUS. My wife called in a panic and told me that her mother passed away. It was a shock to everyone.
I won’t go into the details because most are personal, but I want to share my own thoughts about my involvement in the funeral service (and life/death).
This was my first time preaching at a funeral. After being asked, I became extremely pre-occupied with what I was going to say that could comfort the family (and myself). It got to the point that more than anything I didn’t know if I could keep from breaking down in the middle of the funeral. (not what the family needs to see from the minister)
Once I finally settled on the message I prayed through thoroughly, I was ready to go. Until I got in the chapel and sat down. It was at that moment I felt completely unprepared, unqualified, and WAY over my head. So I prayed…HARD. Read the rest of this entry »
Transitioning
So in the last 7 days I have officially resigned from my position at Lost Mountain Baptist Church to start as the Student Pastor at Crossview Community Church in Rockmart, GA. Needless to say it is a very exciting, stressful time for me and my wife.
Even as I’m typing this entry I am at my office at Lost Mountain working on what will most likely be my last video for this church. There’s a whole long list of things I have to train other people how to do before I leave so there won’t be “holes” left when I’m not here. It sounds a little arrogant to say, but I’m amazed at all the things I’ve been doing both in and out of the realm of the student ministry. I guess it just goes to show my inability to say “no”.
The church we’re moving to is a great place! It’s unlike anything I’ve ever been a part of before. It’s the kind of place I hear about other people being involved in and think to myself, “Man! I wish I could do something like that!” Well, we are.
This will be the first time Crossview has had a Youth Pastor in their short, two year existence. There’s no precedent, no traditions, no “old guard”. It’s brand new, starting from scratch youth ministry. I’m so terrified of messing it up it hurts my brain to think about it. But from what every person I respect in Youth ministry tells me, if you think you’re prepared to do it, you’re wrong and won’t rely on God.
So, here’s the start of the next great adventure…God, if You don’t come through, we’re going to flop! It’s a good place to be!
The Days of Old
Lately I’ve been talking to my best friend more on the phone. Usually we talk quite a bit but not really about anything important, it’s more talking because we’re working on something cooperatively or we need help with a practical matter. That changed in a way. He and his wife experienced a miscarriage recently and as selfish as this sounds, that may be the reason the two of us have found a reconnection. I’m in no way happy about the way the reconnection came about, but nonetheless, our friendship has started growing again for the first time in a while.
So maybe “The days of old” isn’t the best title for this posting, since we aren’t just a couple of high school friends trying to relive the past. We are two high school friends who take our friendship seriously enough to not take our friendship seriously. We don’t “work” on it, it just happens. There will come another season when we don’t get to talk (really talk) as much as either one of us wants, but that’s ok. A real friendship isn’t dependent on the amount of time in the same room (or city) or the amount of time talking on a phone. It’s being connected enough to still share your life with them. And that’s what we do best, we keep each other actively involved in each other’s lives.
The days of old were great, some of the best days. But the days ahead will no doubt prove to be our finest days.