Pic update

Here are some pics of the past and present...

Old School ...rantings that have been a long time coming(LONG)

Times have changed. Things that once were just the norm are now being tabbed as old school or worse yet for my generation, "tradition". I know that I grew up different. I have known for about 5-6 years that I grew up in a time capsule. It was like my parents, family and church that I went to throughout my adolescent years was put in a box by Doc Brown as he fired up the flux capacitor. As I went to church, there was no missing church for sporting events. Not even Wednesday nights. We didn't have "other responsibilities" that trumped church. I wasn't involved in 4-H or anything else that would have stopped me from being at church Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night. That is not even counting another thing that seems lost among this generation, revival. We have had one since I have been here at Shiloh. Why don't we have more? Because the people don't come! We have the same people that were not stuck in a time capsule that always went "whenever the church doors were open".

Now, there are some things that bother me with this whole thing. I will list them in bullet form so you won't get bored.

• I don't understand how someone puts extra curricular activities above the church. I know I know...I have been told that I don't understand. Times are different now and that's just the way it is. I don't like it and I never will. Am I saying that you need to be in church every time the doors open? No, but church SHOULD BE HIGH ON YOUR PRIORITY LIST!!! It is not optional for a Christian. Why? Because Christ ordained it...it is his bride, who he is coming back for.
• We never went on too many vacations growing up. We never had family reunions because every sunday was a family reunion at church. So I can't say much about things like that because we never had them.
• My grandpa is 80+ years old. He worked in the coal mines in West Virginia. The best word that would describe him is solid. He is a rock. However, time and age has caught up with him and sometimes seems to pass him. Whenever I visit him he talks about how much it upsets him to not be able to go to church. He can't sit there for very long or else he would be in pain for the rest of the week. I call that dedication! What is going to happen when all of the people that are dedicated to church like that are gone? I'll tell you what...it has already begun: sunday morning church only lasting 1 hour or else people get irrated because they have places to go, sunday night services are vanishing like Jimmy Hoffa and I don't know if they will ever be found again...revivals are a thing of the past it seems...soon, sunday morning services will be just done through podcasts and the person never has to step foot in a sanctuary again.
• Oh for more people in my generation that call themselves missional, and all of the rest of the emergent gooblygook...would step up and realize that relevance is not important as they think. We are, in my opinion, too caught up in trying to be relevant to all people. What ever happened to preparing and letting God make it relevant to the people? It seems that sometimes we try to become the Holy Spirit and spoon feed our congregations.
• Two more things and I will be done. One, the Wesleyan Church and holiness or rather entire sanctification. When I went through my ordination meetings with the different pastors from the district, I had to fill out all this paperwork and then I came to this assignment page. Here is what it said that I needed to do: Write a reflection paper on entire sanctification, and list 20 books that I had on the topic. I am all for preaching a second work of grace. I am all for living a holy life. I am all for people striving for entire sanctification. However, are we so focused on the second work that the first one isn't something we are interested in anymore in America? It seems to me that we have relegated that to "missions" work. Pastor John read a quote a few months ago and I adapted it: " We have become so worried about the second work of grace while half of the world hasn't heard of the first one yet!" Preach holiness, live holiness, just don't forget salvation.
• Lastly, church planting or church growth. This is a thing that probably is old school in me so skip it if you want. The Wesleyan church is all about church planting. I think it is great...peoples lives have been changed and people have been reached that otherwise wouldn't have. I realize that. However, I feel that we put more energy, money and time into church planting than church regrowth. Like the church that recently closed in Wabash, Indiana. I think it might have been the church that my dad and mom pastored in the late 70's. We need to do CPR on some of these churches instead of essentially throwing them away and having more "children". Have more church plants but don't forget about the struggling churches in the district while you are at it.

SMYG.

Cliques

I know that some people might read this blog that are part of who I am talking about but oh well...it needs to be out of my heart and head...

I love the Indiana North District...I love my church...but there is this one huge pimple that keep coming to a head in my mind and heart when the youth pastors of the district get together. There is definitely some things that are rough in our IND youth leaders. There are a group of youth pastors that have formed a clique. They know who they are. I know who they are. Any one who spends one day in the group at an event knows who they are. The group sometimes feels like an alliance from a reality show that you know they are working together and they know it too but there is nothing you can do about it. I could care less about being in a position of leadership in the district...that is not my heart. My biggest issue with this whole thing is this: how can I preach and talk to my youth group and tell them not to be in cliques and include everyone if the Youth Pastors of our district are doing that very thing? It is incredible. They only want their group working together and thats the way it is. Why did I write this? Because my best pastor friend has a hint of apathy in his voice when we talk about the district...and I guess I do to. It is tough to sit around and watch that and try to fit in...my first year, I wanted people to like me and think I was a good pastor. I wanted that. Now, God has shifted my vision to only worrying about making a difference in the lives of the teens that he has entrusted to me. I can't help with, fix or change things that I am not privileged to. So why bellyache about them? So all that to say, well, just that...we have a clique of youth pastors in our district and I think that it is not right and dare I say sinful. Again, just for clarification, I did not write this because I want to be in leadership...I wrote it because I see it. No hidden agenda. If you don't like it, stop reading...

The End.

Living life...

I have found that it is hard to keep posting. I don't have an overly exciting life and I don't have kids so that means I don't have a lot to post.


Here is what has been going on in my life:

1. 3 kids that went to Sr. High camp made committments to Christ! One did for the first time...

2. Our students are busy...doing a ton of things so it is a campaign every week it seems to try and get them to church

3. I am getting ready for Family Camp...July 23-30 and to get ordained the 23rd

4. We are having an overnighter this Friday...I really love overnighters...I know I am nuts but...

5. My Dad and the family is coming to Shiloh this Sunday to sing and preach. I am really looking forward to that

6. Sarah is working today(July 4th)...that stinks but that is life.

7. Sarah and I have started to try to eat better...overall...we went on the 2 week South Beach purge and it was horrible! Still, I have lost 15+ pounds since we started it so I suppose it is worth it

8. The summer being a pastor has made me feel disconnected with the church. I know that that is when people are on vacations and spending time with family etc etc...still I can't help but feel a little disconnected when people are not here.

9. Lex doesn't like fireworks...he shakes like a cell phone on vibrate!

10. I am in love with chocolate milk and I don't know why. I have just been craving it a lot lately. Weird because I don't drink milk. I do now...

11. People in churches have some interesting expectations of the youth pastor...(I still get that, "in a few weeks he will be an official pastor" lol)

12. I love my wife...she is brilliant, smart, amazing, beautiful, loving, hard-working, kind, thoughtful, sweet, caring and beautiful...I couldn't be who I am without her, PERIOD.

SMYG.