Looking For Opportunities to Preach

The other day I was reading through Quitter by Jon Acuff. In the book, he was talking about how he wanted to speak at Catalyst on the main stage. For those of you who don't know, Catalyst is a very large leadership conference that takes place in Atlanta, usually in the fall. He had been invited to do a workshop (or lab), but he and his friends were really hoping that he would be asked to speak on the main stage.

As I was reading this, it made me think of another book that I had read called Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. In this book, Gladwell talks about how the Beatles had to play night after night after night in dive bars and other unsavory locations before they ever became the phenomenon that they eventually were.

I say all this because I'm in the same place. I posted on my Facebook the other night about how I wished the college I graduated from would extend an invitation to me to come preach. I know that it will never happen for a number of reasons. We do not share the same ministry philosophies. I am not currently pastoring anywhere. I have different views on the Bible translation issue. Anyway, let's just say that it will not happen. And I am okay with that (sort of).

My desire, though, is to have the opportunity to preach elsewhere. To have the opportunity to share God's Word with a congregation. I want to continue to improve and sharpen the talents that God has given me. I get to speak every day to my students at school, but there is nothing like sharing God's Word. It is an awesome responsibility to stand up as the messenger of God. If you visit my Sermons page, you can see that I have some opportunity in the past. Those times were a blast.

I said all that to say that I am looking for opportunities to preach. They don't have to be huge arenas or megachurches. Just looking and praying for opportunities. It's hard to be out of the game, so to speak.

Recommended Reading

What the Future Holds for Me

As you may have read the other day, I am no longer the youth pastor at Charles Town Baptist Church. One of the comments I have received from a lot of people is not to allow this to discourage me. I actually have no plans to let that happen. Here are a few things that I foresee happening.

1. I am praying. I don't understand why this happened. I want to understand. I want to know why God took me away from the church and kids I love. I am praying that God will make it abundantly clear what His will is.
2. I am looking for a new church to serve in. I truly believe that God has called me to ministry. I am not happy being on the sidelines, not having the opportunity to teach or preach. It was rather strange to be sitting in the congregation of a new church on Sunday. But that doesn't mean I won't ever be involved with ministry again. I am just waiting for God to provide the opportunity. I am currently sending resumes and looking for the right ministry.
3. I am considering other options. I don't really know what options I am considering. Maybe I will start a small group Bible study. Maybe I will start a church. Maybe I will get involved with a church on a volunteer basis. There are a lot of options and I am trying to keep my heart open to God's leading. I would ask that you would pray for that as well.

As I said, these are things that I am considering for the future. I don't know what God's will is, but I want to make certain that I am willing to pursue it wholeheartedly.

How can you get involved with the future God has for me and the area of Charles Town? Leave a comment and let me know how you want to help!

Goals for 2013 - Read as Much Scripture as Possible

Continuing my discussion of my 2013 goals, I decided that I will read as much Scripture as possible. Last year I set a goal of reading over 3,000 chapters of Scripture. This year, I am not setting a goal.

I love to read the Bible. I love digging into God's Word and discovering how the story of God's redemptive plan plays out. The more of the Bible I read, the more I see how the pieces fit together.

The reading "plan" that I have used in the past and will be using this year is the Grant Horner Reading Plan. This reading plan is intense (10 chapters a day in 10 different locations), but it is an incredible experience. The thing I like the best is that there is no schedule to the plan. You can read at your pace without worrying about falling behind or getting into a hole.

If you decide to do this reading plan, be warned that you will develop a strong understanding of the Bible. You will read a number of different passages, many of them multiple times. You will begin to see how all of the writing flows together. And, if you tire of reading some passages multiple times, there are a number of sites online that offer modifications to the program.

What are you using to read Scripture this year?

Awakening Teaching Calendar for January 2013

Here is a list of the preliminary teaching calendar for the January 2013. Please refer to this list so that you are able to see what we will be teaching on each Wednesday in Awakening.

• January 2 - Habits - Hanging Out with God (Philippians 2:12-13)
• January 9 - Habits - Accountability (Proverbs 18:24; Ecclesiastes 4:9)
• January 16 - Habits - Bible Memorization (Psalm 119:11)
• January 23 - Habits - Involved with the Church Body (Acts 2:12-13)
• January 30 - Habits - Tithing (1 Timothy 6:10)
• February 6 - Habits - Studying Scripture (Psalm 19:7-8)

After the lesson has been taught, additional resources for each lesson will be available. Please check back to access these materials.

The Promise of Salvation

I was doing my devotions yesterday out of Galatians 3. In this chapter, Paul is discussing with the Galatians how if humans make a covenant and it is ratified, no one can make changes to it. It cannot be annulled or added to. And this is with a man-made contract.

Paul continues to say that God made a promise to Abraham and that it is was made to his offspring. That promise, as I have been teaching my kids in Children's Church, was the Rescuer (Jesus) who would take away our sins.

Think about that for a second. If a man-made contract cannot be changed, how much harder is it to change a contract if God is the one making the promise? There is nothing that can be done to change the promise of salvation and those of us who are firm in that, through our faith in Christ, have nothing to fear.

Galatians 3:26 - For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.

I Won't Be Setting a Bible Reading Goal Next Year

This is typically the time where people start to make goals for next year. Goals to lose weight or exercise more or quit smoking. Some people also set goals to read through the whole Bible. There is an entire industry devoted to this desire.

Last year, I set a goal to read over 3,000 chapters of the Bible. I failed. I read a lot of the Bible, but it started to become a chore for me. I fell behind my schedule and there was no joy in it for me. I read because I was trying to make my goal, not because I was trying to get closer to God or grow in my relationship with Christ.

I quit my plan. And I loved it! I could start to read the Bible because I wanted to, not because I was trying to meet some artificial goal I had set for myself. At the end of the day, God doesn't care how many chapters I have read. He isn't going to grill me because I never read Haggai or Zephaniah (although it might be slightly awkward to meet them in heaven). God is only concerned with the growth of my relationship and how it is developed through reading and applying His Word.

As the new year approaches, I recommend that you make it a point to be in God's Word on a daily basis. Read it, savor it, love it, but do not let it become a chore. Study God's Word because you want to, not because you have some sort of goal to meet.

What are some ways that you use to read the Bible? Do you use a reading plan?