Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Transitioning

Seems I'm doing some transitioning in teaching ministry over the next couple of weeks. I just last Sunday finished teaching my study of 1st John in Sunday school. I really loved that class, and that letter. Lots of challenging, black-and-white truth in there. And so "relevant" to today's church. Anyway, that's over and done with and I will be starting teaching a new class in two weeks. Doing a study on Biblical worldview, using material from Summit Ministries called Thinking Like A Christian. It's not the greatest curriculum, but it works well in a Sunday school setting, and doesn't go over too many people's heads. At least gives them a frame of reference for thinking Biblically. And boy, do we ever need that these days.

And my friend, or should I say mi hermano en Cristo Miguel is finishing teaching the study on the identity of a Christian that I have been helping him with, and will start teaching a theology class on the attributes of God for our Latino attenders. So I am going to be meeting with Miguel and continuing mentoring him through this study as well, while he translates it into Spanish and teaches it. I'm really loving this mentoring thing, I think I'm getting more out of it than he is as he gives me insight into the thinking and culture of the Latino people.

It's kind of funny, but as I'm sitting here writing this it occurs to me that I am more and more seeing my primary focus as being on ministry, specifically teaching and preaching and discipling. And less and less on my "day job", the one that pays the bills. I have a lot of things going on work-wise, with several projects I'm managing and the like. But God seems to be transitioning me (there's that word again) from gaining my identity and sense of purpose from my career to my ministry. This has been going on for a few years now, but seems to be accelerating lately. And I gotta say, I like it. I don't know what the future holds, but I could certainly see myself "retiring" from my job and taking on ministry on a full-time or near full-time basis sometime in the not too distant future. That would be a really big transition, but not if God was calling me to it. Guess I'll have to wait and see what He does. Isn't life with Christ the ultimate adventure?

2 comments:

sj said...

Have you ever visited http://deltackett.com? Dr. Tackett is associated with the Truth Project. His blog and website are about having a Biblical worldview. You might enjoy reading from his archives.

I once heard a man, when asked what he does, describe himself as a 'disciple of Christ cleverly disguised as an electrician'. It seems to me, no matter what our disguise we are first about making disciples and ministry (not forgetting worship and growing in Him).

I served, tho, 10 years as the director of Christian Ed at my local fellowship (no seminary training). These were challenging and great years. My passion and giftedness is in discipling/mentoring/equipping the church. I cannot begin to count how many times I would say, 'this is who I am, what else would I do, I didn't even want to be paid (which might speak to me being the lowest paid staff person, besides being female and unseminary trained).

But I find nothing more satisfying than opening someone's mind to the incredibleness and unlimitless of our Sovereign Lord God and His great love, mercy, grace toward us. Watch their eyes pop is so rewarding. I pray I might always continue to be a simple, clean, empty of me, vessal for Him to shine through.

I am excited for the journey you are on ... God's speed.

Rob Bailey said...

at our seminary chapel wed. Pastor Chris Williams spoke. The challenge he laid before us was to aim for something higher than pastoring a great, biblical church, and go to Thailand, Burma, India, Vietnam, China, etc. and pastor a small church there. Just something to think about.