Twins update

Marcie is scheduled for a C-Section today at 4pm! Caroline's fluid levels were still low this morning, so the doctor felt that the safest thing would be to move ahead.

As of yesterday, all indications were that both girls (well, all three really) are healthy. Both twins are over 5 pounds, both are showing signs of breathing movement, etc. Marcie is 34½ weeks right now, and 36 is considered full-term for twins-- which means that they were pretty close.

Marcie is feeling well, though a bit tired-- and both hungry and thirsty, since she hasn't had anything to eat or drink since midnight or so. She's a little anxious about the surgery, anesthesia, etc., but is otherwise bearing up.

Please join us in praying:

• For Marcie's preparation and endurance for surgery
  
• That the surgery would go smoothly, without pain or complication
  
• For the health of the twins and Marcie as they come out of delivery
  
• For wisdom about follow-up issues: whether the twins need intensive care, how long before they could come home, etc.

An open letter to the organizing generation

This is a re-post from my Pastor's Blog, originally posted on 10/9/2008...

To the generation of faithful men who, as Pastors and Elders, led the formation of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA):

Dear fathers in the faith,

Thank you for the work that you did 35 years ago, in the years leading up to then, and in the years that followed. You stood against attacks on orthodoxy and biblical truth and refused to compromise in your deep commitments to the authority of Scripture and to the faithful teaching and preaching of the Bible. At great sacrifice, personally and-- in many cases-- professionally, you remained faithful to the essential convictions that the truth of Scripture was the final authority for faith and practice.

With grief and mourning, you fought for orthodoxy in a denomination that seemed committed against it, and when you recognized that you would not win that battle, you chose to separate and form a denomination for whom the commitments to the authority of Scripture, the faithful teaching of the biblical gospel, and the brotherly association of congregations would always remain pre-eminent. What you did was difficult and costly, yet, unselfishly, you did it for the sake of the gospel and Christ’s church.

Thank you. For your convictions, commitments, sacrifices, and leadership, Thank you.

The PCA is a wonderful denomination to serve in, and I am so grateful for her. Since her foundations, she has grown substantially through the efforts of church planting. Other congregations, seeking a friendly orthodoxy, have found refuge here. The uniting of two like-minded denominations increased the PCA’s size, stature, and reach in many ways. Ministries conventional and unconventional, in all manner of contexts and to all manner of people-groups, have spread the good news of Christ’s Kingdom where it was absent before. A worldwide emphasis on missions has made the PCA one of the strongest missionary denominations in the country. All of this had its seed in your labor to form this new denomination.

I hope you hear in my words above a sincere admiration, appreciation, and gratitude for your labor and service. I have only respect and praise for you. I know that you love the PCA deeply. I have come to love the PCA too-- not in the same ways that you do, of course, but deeply nevertheless. So I hope you will therefore receive the following questions in all sincerity, not as attacks or dismissals, nor as trick questions or traps. They are asked out of love, for you and for our denomination, and most of all, for Christ and His gospel.

• Through the years, you have remained vigilant in your efforts to protect the PCA from “liberal” theology. Again, thank you for this. But are there other things that we must be vigilant against as well? In the past 35 years, our culture has largely shifted from a world that generally believes in Christianity-- or at least something close too it-- and needs the perfecting of their belief, to a world where Christianity and anything close to it falls under suspicion. Is the new fight for the PCA not merely a battle against liberalism, but also against unbelief itself? In your wisdom, how might we find a balance between these two fronts?
  
• Surely theology is essential; we must have sound, biblical theology taught in our churches, as you have, for so long, labored for. But is not orthopraxy as important as orthodoxy? I’m thinking of Luke 8:21 and James 1:22-25 in this question. Of what use is our sound theology if it is not merely taught, but also practiced? How deeply do we understand our commitments to the doctrines of grace, if we are not consequently gracious? How much have we understood the Father’s mercy, if we are not merciful as the Father is merciful? From your experience, how might you advise the next generations of Pastors and Elders to live out the grace of God?
  
• You have shown through the years a great effectiveness for building and growing the church, and we are indebted to your capability in this way. The Book of Church Order is a model of efficiency and the very embodiment of gracious church governance, and the practices of worship and other ministry that have defined the PCA for the past decades have driven many to have a deeper heart of worship and a greater understanding of the truth. Are there ways to accomplish ministry in strict accordance with the principles that undergird our denomination without following the form and practice those have taken historically? As I consider Paul’s ability to adjust his ministry style and approach to accommodate the hearer without compromising the truth (Acts 17; 1 Corinthians 9:19-23), I wonder if we have granted the freedom of our ministers to do the same. Have we constrained our people not only in principle but in practice?
  
• Your readiness to defend against true theological threats is so valuable, and needed. Yet we often perceive threats where there are none, particularly when we have been attacked before. Is there a way to remain vigilant against heterodoxy without operating from a default posture of suspicion? Practically, it seems that an initially defensive response becomes a hindrance to growth and ministry. Biblically, Paul challenges us to deal lovingly with each other, even when declaring-- and defending-- the truth (Ephesians 4:15), and to hope and believe out of love that our brothers are acting in earnest (1 Corinthians 13:7). Shouldn’t our attitudes toward one another at presbytery and General Assembly meetings-- toward fellow Ruling and Teaching Elders in good standing-- embody this loving, trusting spirit?
  
• You were right to depart from a body that had abandoned its commitment to biblical truth. Yet, could it be that a contributing factor that drove them toward liberalism was a deep association of conservative theology with unloving, ungracious practice? Christ is a model of commitment to true orthodoxy in the face of bad theology, yet his manner toward even those with whom he disagreed was vitally loving and gracious (Mark 10:17-22; Luke 13:34). Ought not our practice toward one another-- and even toward those who oppose us-- be so gracious and loving that they may not mistake false teachings and poor theology as more closely following the model of Christ?

I am among the newest to join you as a Teaching Elder, Pastor, and Presbyter-- I haven’t yet been ordained for a year, and I’ve barely been a member of my presbytery a year. I wasn’t yet one year old when you were instrumental in forming the PCA. While I have enjoyed membership in the PCA for almost 20 years, and service in (non-ordained) ministry for 12, I realize that, often, I may be too young and too inexperienced, too brash and overconfident to know very well what I speak of. Had I not been confirmed in my thoughts by many other brothers-- some of whom have many more years of experience than I-- I may be inclined to second-guess myself here, as well.

I pray that these questions might be received for what they are: a genuine hope for the ever-increasing fulfillment of our vows to be zealous and faithful in maintaining the truths of the gospel and the purity, peace, and unity of the Church.

Your servant,
Ed Eubanks, Jr.

Why convictions are important to me

I know of a church that is without a pastor; in many ways, this church fits a lot of the criteria of my preferences:

• They are looking for a preaching/teaching pastor
• They want a vision-caster and leadership-equipper
• They are in a strong area for growth and ministry opportunity
• They are in need of revitalization, and are aware of that (and desire it)

Sounds like the perfect fit, right?

Add to this that I already know several of the leaders in this church, and have great respect for them.  I believe they are favorable to me, as well.  And in my prayers for them as they have been seeking a pastor, I have many times felt led to submit my name as a candidate.  I have even had others suggest that I do so.  They are here in St. Louis, so we wouldn't even have to move.

Yesterday, however, I determined that I cannot, in good conscience, be considered as a candidate for this church.

Why not?  Because this church is in a different denomination, and there are a few fundamental differences in that denomination's distinctives that I cannot agree with.

In this case, the differences are matters of eschatology (the study of the "last things" or the end--times) and matters of church government.  For some, admittedly, neither of these would be perceived as significant enough to matter.  For me, however, they are substantial.

My eschatology is rooted in some of my most fundamental views of scripture itself, and it affects how I understand God's ongoing interaction with this present world, His intentions for the Church's place in the world, and what the hope of the future and the promise of eternity truly hold.  A difference in eschatological views could indirectly result in entirely different worldviews.

My understanding of church government shapes how I interact with the immediate leaders within my church, how I view the authority and autonomy of the pastoral office, how one church is connected to others, and how churches submit to one another in accountability and service.  Differences in views of church government can completely change the way that a pastor relates (and is expected to relate) to his congregation, and how that congregation and its leadership relates to other churches.  In this particular instance, the church in question has had some struggles with leadership in its past, and I believe that a different view of church government (on their part) contributed to the difficulties that followed those struggles.  (I'm not saying that if they had been presbyterian it would have made it all better-- but I do believe that they had to deal with the repercussions of their congregational government in ways that presbyterians usually don't.)

I don't think a pastor must agree utterly with every position or theological conviction of his congregation or even his denomination.  He must, however, understand what matters are of primary consideration and which ones are more preferential.

These issues need to be weighed carefully in the candidacy process (or before).  I think part of the reason why many pastors are not more effectively placed is because some of these subtle concerns have not been attended to, and their implications are unexpected.

Technorati Tags: Candidacy, Ministry, PCA

Learning to live in weakness

"I don't know if you can afford to have a pastor as broken as me."

So confessed Pastor Joe Novenson to his Session after 10 years of marriage and ministry.  How did his Elders respond?

"If God is burning you, we're going to pray that He burns you white-hot."

And they gave him a sabbatical to get to know his God and his wife for three months.  Joe says that those men gave him his ministry, and he will be indebted to them for the next 5 billion years of eternity.

Whatever we do in our candidacy and ministry, we must learn to face our brokenness like Joe, and to serve one another like Joe's Elders.

Technorati Tags: Effective, Ministry, Pastoral

Candidacy update

If you're following my candidacy efforts here, you may be interested to know that I've made the first cut for one church, an Assistant Pastor position in the south.  I am one of four candidates they have advanced, and the next step will be phone interviews later this month.  After that, they will narrow it down to two, and bring those two in for face-to-face interviews.

I also have a handful of other leads I'm following, some of which look quite promising.

Thanks for your prayers, as they are available.

Technorati Tags: Candidacy

Back in the hunt...

I'm looking again.  It is time to move on from educational ministry to pastoral church ministry, and I'm seeking a position as a pastor.

This is exciting to me, since that has been the goal for the long-term.  It's time to move on to fulfill that calling.

I appreciate your prayers during my search and transition.  Obviously, you can keep tabs on the progress here.  I've already begun to make some contacts, and there are some great positions available.

Technorati Tags: Candidacy, Transition

On frequent (weekly) preaching

Tomorrow I'll preach again at the church I mentioned earlier this week.  This will be the 12th occasion I have preached in the past 10 weeks-- every Sunday, at least once, for over two months.  This has been fun, invigorating, and a true blessing; what is more, I've been encouraged in my sense of calling as a pastor through it. 

[On a side note: it has also advanced my progress toward a milestone: one of the churches I've been preaching for has indicated that they wish to sponsor me for licensure in my denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).  Licensure requires about 1/3 of the work toward ordination, and in many cases can replace that first 1/3 in the ordination process.]

Preaching this frequently has also taught me a lot about the work of regular and consistent preaching.  In a sense, it is a taste of what it would be like to serve a church as the primary or only preaching pastor (probably in the sense that the smell of cookies baking is like a taste of eating a plateful). 

Here are a few things I have learned from this experience:

1. The more knowledgeable you are of the Bible, the better.  Preaching regularly doesn't just make you more familiar with your text-- it also requires that you be more familiar with it, because otherwise you won't have time to adequately prepare your sermons!  But consistent time in study for preaching has the cumulative effect of deepening your knowledge and understanding of the Bible as a whole.
2. Study done for other occasions can (and should) pay dividends for future occasions.  Since I've preached a good bit, I was able to rely on previous preaching opportunities for some of the sermons I delivered over the past 10 weeks.  Once you've served a church for awhile, you'll exhaust all of the sermons you wrote in seminary or for another ministry (depending on how diligent you were at pursuing preaching opportunities in seminary, this may be after the first couple of weeks!).  But you should find creative ways to maximize the work already done-- be it exegetical work for papers in seminary, a Bible study you led during your pastoral internship, or a set of concepts you memorized for class or ordination.  Dip into those wells for another drink.
3. Preaching opens the hearts and minds of a congregation.  I've had a high view of preaching for over six years, but it was primarily abstract; I believed preaching is important because God's people need to hear His word, and preaching is the primary vehicle He has ordained for them to hear it.  But being with a couple of congregations for several worship services consecutively has given me a fresh perspective on how important preaching is.  It really does matter-- the pastor who is effective from the pulpit will be more effective out of it (and the converse is just as true).
4. Frequency of preaching makes you a better preacher.  Or at least it makes me more comfortable in my mediocrity.  Whichever, it is easier to preach when you're doing it regularly, not harder-- at least from the perspective of the confidence and comfort of the preacher.  And from what I know of speaking, communication, and rhetoric, those count for a lot in terms of the net impact.
5. God is faithful to those He has called to be ministers.  As I mentioned before, I've been greatly encouraged in my sense of calling to be a pastor through this experience.  Because I graduated from Covenant Seminary in December, the spring '06 semester was the last time I was allowed to submit my name to the seminary's "pulpit supply list"-- what they provide to churches that inquire about who is available to fill vacant pulpits.  Therefore, Marcie and I were uncomfortable assuming that we might receive much income from preaching opportunities for the next fiscal year (we budget from June to May)-- and we only budgeted for three or four preaching opportunities.  Yet, since June I've preached 17 times, and there are indicators that I will get a few more invitations over the coming months.

Technorati Tags: Ministry, Pastoral, Sermons

The difficulty of singleness in the pastorate

In response to a previous post on singles, ministry, and seminary, Tom commented that [PCA Teaching Elder and RUF Campus Ministry Coordinator] John Stone once remarked that "being an unmarried minister in the PCA is worse than being the devil in many people's minds."

John has a gift for hyperbole, but I don't think he's too far off in this case. But why?

I haven't done any investigation into this. I'm actually intrigued by this topic and would like to look into it more. But my gut tells me that there are a handful of factors working against the single pastor (all speculative, based on observation alone):

• Many (most?) Christians view marriage as a necessary condition of maturity in the Kingdom. (It doesn't stop there, by the way-- following this line of reasoning, having children makes one more mature than being married, while having teenagers increases maturity more still, and having grown children-- and grandchildren-- increase it even more.)
• Without knowing any stats on this, I would speculate that the married portion of the adults in the Church represent much more than half. Singles are simply outnumbered in most, if not all, churches.
• Most people want their pastor to be almost exactly like themselves-- or rather, the selves that they wish they could be. Think "me on my best day spiritually, mentally, physically" and you've got the picture that the average Christian thinks of when they think of the perfect pastor. (If this is true, it may suggest that an overweight pastor will face a similar difficulty.)

Add these up and they suggest the primary reason behind the struggle of a single pastor: he is perceived to be an inferior choice based on his singleness alone. Even many singles may not want a single pastor, if my last point is accurate, because they see their own singleness as a problem rather than simply their present (and maybe permanent) circumstance.

I'd love to get some feedback on this one. What do you think-- how far off am I?

Technorati Tags: Ministry, Pastoral, PCA

Placement where God has called us

From The Work of the Pastor by William Still:

“We must be in our God-appointed place in the ministry. This is vitally important. A minister may be authentically called of God, and may have had abundant evidence in one place that God was there, but due to circumstances, personal or otherwise, a move to another place is made and the ministry goes dead. The new congregation is out of God’s will. Alas, all the plausible excuses in the world—the wishes of a spouse, the educational needs of a family, the difficulties of office-bearers and members, etc., will not justify a move out of God’s will.”

Technorati Tags: Calling, Placement

Placement!

Those of you who have been tracking my placement progress for these many months may be interested to know that I have accepted a position!

As I've implied before, the work I've done for Wildwood Christian School this year-- originally intended to be a one-year interim position-- has opened up an opportunity for me to remain in a permanent position there. I'll continue to teach, but I will also have some great administrative duties that I'm excited about.

As the details solidify, I'll post more on what I'll be doing and why it appears to be such a good fit for me.

Technorati Tags: Education, Ministry, Placement, Transition, Wildwood Christian School

Satisfaction guaranteed?

Dr. Phil Douglass, who I work with in various capacities (see #2 and #3) and whose teaching at Covenant Seminary I deeply valued, makes a bold claim regarding calling and work: he claims that you should spend at least 60% of your time within your area of primary calling and 40% or less in other areas-- otherwise you will burn out. He calls this the "60/40 principle."

He further asserts that there should be a growing increase in the ratio on the calling side. Over time, you should strive for much more than 60%, and eventually settle in at somewhere in the 80% range on average.

Last fall I was discussing seminary jobs with a classmate-- that is, the jobs that we hold to put ourselves through seminary. This particular friend has simply hated the job he held, although he is quite good at it. At one point in our conversation, he remarked, "right now I'd just be happy to be at 40/60!!!"

At times my friend has had to make changes in his job circumstances because he found he was burning out. He was living the 60/40 principle. I think this principle is a vital part of the picture when it comes to placement: if you're not certain you're going to be well within 60% or better, you should seriously question whether that placement is for you.

As I reflected on my friend's comments later, I thought of the work I was doing this fall for the school where I teach and work. What would my ratio be? I wondered. Upon consideration,
I decided that I would have to rank it somewhere around 90/10!


Now, I have no illusions that the job will remain at that level for the long-term, but even if it dropped off by, say, 10%, that would still leave me at a place that Dr. Douglass encourages students to aspire to over the lifetime of their ministry.

That's cause for careful scrutiny: dare I expect more from someplace else? Shouldn't I remain here until that ratio changes substantially?

When it comes to job satisfaction, it seems like a satisfaction guarantee.

Technorati Tags: Calling, Covenant Seminary, Effective, Ministry, Wildwood Christian School

When the interest isn't there...

This is a "Check-in" of sorts, but there's a lot more to it than just checking in, so I won't call it that.

If you count the "false start," such as it was, of last year-- when I began the candidacy process under the impression that I would graduate in Spring 2005-- then I've been candidating for a pastoral position since June 2004. I've sent out over 60 resumes and other information since then, and I've also had the PCA Administrative office circulating my Ministerial Data Form. Of those 60+ resumes, only about 25 of the churches have announced that they have filled the positions. There are 20 churches that I have contacted in the last three months, and only four or five of them have responded.

Now in late January 2006, 19 months later, I haven't had a single phone interview. I've had only one request for sermons. And only a few (four, if my memory is accurate) requests for additional information.

What is more, there was more interest shown at this point last year, only to meet the disappointing termination when we postponed graduation, than this year, when my declaration was that I would finish seminary in December. (For instance, the church that showed the most interest, not far from St. Louis, actually invited me to preach for them a few times in the early part of the Spring 2005 semester, ostensibly as a precursor to an interview.)

Now, I'm fully aware that I esteem myself more than I should. But I think I'm not that bad a candidate. Maybe I'm not the kind of guy just anyone would want as their pastor, but I've had enough people (whose sincerity and honesty I wholly trust) tell me that they appreciate my ministry to them that I don't totally doubt my ability to have some moderate success as a pastor.

Which is why it is striking to me how little action I'm getting on the candidacy efforts I've made.

Since fairly early on, I went through seminary pretty convinced that I would emerge with a call to a solo pastorate. "Maybe a small staff," I would say, "but not anything very large." In fact, I was fairly certain that the direction I was headed was for a "revitalization church." Even though I began to re-think what my sense of "calling" meant for my future, my focus remained on pastoral ministry and especially on becoming a solo pastor.

As I moved through the late fall, finishing up my seminary studies and transitioning into Christmas break, I became more aware that this was not the case as much as it had been. I'm not as convinced that God is moving me in the direction of a solo pastorate. (I'll reflect on this more in the next few days.) I realized sometime in late November that I was as content in my work at Wildwood Christian School as I might ever be as a pastor. And I was at least as interested in a seminary position that might emerge as I was in finding a job in a church.

It seems that God has been changing my heart on this. He shook me up enough in early August to make me re-think the idea of calling in general. Now He has shaken me into holding more loosely to what I believed that sense of calling implied. And I think He is acting fairly clearly to guide my heart and mind away from it now.

January 22nd is late enough in January that the "holiday slowdown" is no longer a viable excuse for the lack of response from churches. I'm starting to think that I'm not hearing anything from the churches I've applied to because there is nothing to be heard.

In other words, I think God may be closing the door for us on that option.

Technorati Tags: Candidacy, Ministerial Data Form, Ministry, Pastoral, Placement

Officially finished

The transcripts published today: I'm officially a graduate! All forms approved, all final grades in, all classes passed.

The only thing left is to walk in the ceremony in May.

Between now and then, I'll be receiving my graduation present: a very nice Geneva gown (in black, not white like the one in the picture) from my mother. Thanks mom! And hopefully I'll get a Covenant Theological Seminary graduate hood; these are beautiful, with the Covenant tartan (that's plaid for you non-Scots) imported from Scotland and nicely integrated.

There it is-- I finally can say that I'm finished.

Technorati Tags: Covenant Seminary

Check-in: January 4, 2006

Welcome to the first Check-in of 2006. The Christmas holiday brought, unsurprisingly, no substantial developments in candidacy. Here's where things stand:

• The outstanding resume count remains the same as before; I elected not to send out more until mid-January, as I am fairly convinced that anything that had been received between December 15 and January 7 or 8 would find itself in a tall pile of unsorted mail. Perhaps I'll send out some more next week.
• No significant developments have happened in the aforementioned consideration of the position at Wildwood Christian School. My guess is that January will hold the answers to this position. More in a few weeks.
• Covenant Seminary has done something-- offered? inquired? let's say, "begun exploration..."-- with regard to a position in their Development department. (While nothing is firmly on the table, the tone of the interview, added to their desire for me to meet with the V.P. of Development, leads me to believe that something not unlike an offer was being made.) This position is interesting to me, though I cannot confidently say to what degree.
• Note this: the position at Covenant Seminary just mentioned is
• not
• the potential seminary position I've mentioned before, but something entirely new. I hope to get more details on the other seminary position in the next week or so.

All in all, it seems like you'll be more interested in the mid-to-late January Check-in than this one. So stay posted.

On another note, I've undertaken a new project for 2006: I'm participating in a new blog with a group of writers who are readers. We're reviewing and discussing books we've read. All of us are Christians, but the books we're reviewing are not only mainstream Christian literature. If you're interested, check it out-- the blog is called Writers Read.

I promise to blog something more substantial soon.

Technorati Tags: Candidacy, Covenant Seminary, Ministry, Placement, Wildwood Christian School, Writing

Check-in: Dec. 10, 2005

Here's the latest of the news regarding our candidacy and transition:

• There are a few more churches that we'll be sending resumes to soon, including one in Texas, one in North Carolina, and one in South Carolina. (The one is South Carolina is one we're already familiar with-- in fact, I had a dream last night that I was the pastor there...)
• The Board for the school where I work-- Wildwood Christian School-- asked me to officially consider myself a candidate for the position that I'm helping them to create. Ethical concerns aside, this is an exciting prospect for me.
• Another position I'm interested in (which I've mentioned before) working for a seminary has not materialized yet, but I'm still hopeful. I recently spoke with one of the faculty at that seminary, and he was encouraging about it. More on that as it is available.

On another note, I'm working on my last paper/project for seminary-- the prayer class project I mentioned in an earlier post-- which I plan to finish tomorrow (for you strict sabbaterians, I hope you'll agree that writing prayers might constitute acceptable activity for a Sunday; if not, think of it as "my ox is in the ditch"...). After that, I have a single final exam-- though probably a doozy-- and I'm done.

Thanks for checking in with me.

Sin and spiritual warfare

A church I'm familiar with just announced that their pastor was being removed from the pulpit due to a moral failure on his part.

The results of his sin for the congregation seem obvious at first:

many will be devastated by this, possibly leaving the church immediately. Many will struggle against the leadership as they lead the congregation through it. Some will refuse to believe it and may deem the leadership as improperly judgmental about their pastor. And he will, of course, face a long, difficult road for repentance, reconciliation, and restoration-- if he makes it that far.

But that's just the short-term. In the bigger picture, the implications are far greater.

Some will inevitably question their faith or even abandon it altogether.

Some of those who remain in the congregation will struggle with trusting and second-guessing their leadership.

Others will become jaded toward sin, especially the sin committed by the pastor. "If he can do it, so can I."

This pastor may find that, even if he is "restored" in ministry, this particular congregation will not be led by him any longer. He may have difficulty finding another call. He may leave the ministry, not by choice but because he simply cannot find a church that will extend a call to him. Thus, what God created him to do will not be done by him.

This particular church has a young seminary graduate on staff as a church planting intern. Will he be able to remain on staff? Will there still be a purpose for him to be around? My guess is that any plans to plant a church will be delayed, perhaps for longer than the church's income (or the intern's fundraising) allows for him to stay. He may be forced to move on rather than plant the church he would have in that town. In fact, any momentum gained toward planting a church may be completely lost by this congregation.

Some of the members of this church had been exploring the possibilities to start a school. They were hoping to do so in the church's facilities, and as a partnership with the church in ministering to the families of this congregation and community. Will they be able to continue their plans? Will their hopes be dashed? Or will they take them someplace nearby to locate their school? It may be that any possibilities for starting a school will be taken elsewhere, and this congregation will not extend their ministry in that way.

It seems clear that true spiritual warfare is taking place at this church. A young, thriving congregation, they have a great location, great facilities, and great potential. They have visionary leaders and lay-people who dream big for the Kingdom-- a church plant and a school both in the works. A perfect target for spiritual war.

One of my good friends recently told me this:

"Two things happened when I was ordained. First, I began to truly feel the burden of other people's growth, sins, and the spiritual care that I was entrusted with. Second, I realized that my own struggles were brought to the forefront.

"I think this is what happens with all pastors," he said. "They don't realize how much the well-being of other believers will depend on them. And they don't know how much their own sin will affect them. Whether your sin be money issues, anger issues-- they will be heightened."

Sobering words, and a sobering situation, as we prepare for the coming transition into ministry.

Check-In: November 14, 2005

This afternoon, Marcie and I were looking at the whiteboard where we've listed all of the call possibilities we're interested in. There are currently 20. That's a pretty big list. Here are some surprises:

• Two of them are not directly pastoral calls at all, but educational ministry.
  
• One of them is a church where we've been members.
  
• One of them is in a town that we both think is one of the best in the world.
  
• Five of them are well outside of the “bubble”-- the circle we once drew on a map indicating target maximum distance from our hometowns.
  
• On the other hand, three of them are within an hour of our hometowns.
  

We've barely begun getting trickles of response back from some of these, so there's not much more to tell.

On another note, I finished writing “Effective Placement Benchmarks #2” last Wednesday, hit “publish” and it vanished. It's not on my hard drive. It's not on the server. Needless to say, I was discouraged enough not to bother re-writing it right away. I'll get it up here soon.

One more note: I've begun writing a column for the website Low End Mac, a website that takes an “anti-consumerism” approach to computing. My first article was posted last week here; another should be coming up fairly soon. You can keep tabs on my articles through this page.

And for the final note: As I write this, I'm taking a break from my last ever graded translation from Hebrew into English. Note: not the last translation I'll do, but the last one I'll get a grade for (hopefully!).

Another update

My article is now up on the ByFaith Magazine website; you can link to it here.

Updates

Here are just a few updates on me (and some reasons excuses for why I've been such a slacker with this blog):

• School suddenly got busy. I'm behind on an assignment and anticipating (a bit nervously) an exam later this week.
• Work remains busy. Hey-- I don't care what anyone else tells you, casting a long-term vision then organizing an implementation strategy is hard work. And time-consuming work. Add to that two other significant projects, and I'm in committee meetings every week this month. Did I mention it was time-consuming?
• Teaching got busy, too. In addition to my administrative work at the school, I'm also a teacher there. Last week saw parent-teacher conferences and a mid-term exam.
• Sickness and suffering. OK, so that's hyperbole, but I have been sick this weekend-- the echoes of a cold that hit our house three weeks ago (I caught it then, too) and has done the rounds twice now.

On another note: my article for ByFaith magazine is out in the current (Sept./Oct. 2005) issue. It is not yet available online, but if you get the hardcopy version, it's in there.

Thanks for sticking with me, if you're still around...

Check-in: Oct, 17, 2005

Well, things are finally starting to get active and more noticeably underway. In other words, my preliminary efforts are about to give way to essentially jumping in with both feet. Here's what I mean:

• I'm about to send out a bunch of resume packets; the regional breakdown looks like this: South Carolina-- 2; North Carolina-- 2; Tennessee-- 3; Georgia-- 2; Mississippi--1; Kentucky--1; Florida--1; Iowa (yes, you read it right)--1.
• I've submitted my name for a seminary position at an undisclosed seminary that I can't talk about; sorry, but that's as good as it gets. The position is still under development, and there's no sure guarantee that there will even be a position. (Budget concerns are the main goal to its establishment.)
• It has also been suggested informally that I may be offered a position at a school, but nothing formal has developed out of this.

I know those are all vague, but I'm uncomfortable talking about positions that haven't materialized as firm-- or even spongy-- possibilities. More details to come, I'm sure-- and probably more frequently, as time goes on.

[Postscript: once again, apologies for the length of time between posts. See my next post for more...]