Licensing

     THE BACKGROUND:  A few weeks ago I was given roughly 5 pages of questions to fill-out to begin the process of being ordained in the denomination interested in providing me with the financial support for a church plant.  I filled them out, turned them in, and today sat in a room discussing my answers.

     One of the men, a pastor of a church, asked, "Your answer concerning Biblical prophecy was a bit vague.  Can you expound on it?"
     "Sure," I say, "I hate it."
     It's becoming a running theme with me. 
     Unfortunately this group of men really love Biblical prophecy.  If Biblical prophecy were one of those long body pillows, they'd be the first to straddle it.  Their entire denomination revolves around a deep-rooted love for the stuff and I just said I hate it.
     I go on to explain that it isn't the fulfilled prophecies concerning Christ that I hate; those are mind-numbingly awesome.  There are dozens of things Old Testament scholars said concerning Christ (who He had to be and what He had to do), and He fulfilled them all to the letter.  I'm cool with those.
     And come to think of it, I'm cool with all the ones concerning the return of Christ.  The Bible says He left and He's coming back and while vague in nature, it's very clear it's going to happen and we're even given some hints about what to look for and what it will be like when it happens.
     What I hate about Biblical prophecy is the amount of time believers spend chewing on it, discussing it, and arguing over it.  It reminds me of the scene in 'The Life of Brian,' when Reg (the leader of the Peoples' Front of Judea; more commonly known as the PFJ) and his cohorts are sitting around a table talking about their revolution.  Then Brian's girlfriend Judith bursts into the room telling them Brian is about to be killed and they immediately go right back into their discussion of what to do rather than getting up and actually doing anything. 
     I guess this is how I view Biblical prophecy; it's like the "Bejeweled" for Christians - an epic time suck that rarely gets anything accomplished.  But instead of yelling, "Look at my score," these scholars get all puffed up over how much they know on the subject and yet fail to realize that this knowledge concerning the return of Christ should have them running in droves to their neighbors' door yelling, "He's coming back!  Please let me tell you more about Jesus!"
     And what gets me most about all this is when Jesus' disciples went to Him and were all, "Tell us more about your return," and Jesus was all, "Don't sweat that - I'll come when you least expect me - Just make sure your house is in order..." and then we, the ones reading this, spend all our time trying to figure out when He's coming back!  Didn't He just say NOT to do that?
     As I stated before, I'm writing these posts to both remind me of these times and to inform others of the church planting process.  I felt this one was of particular importance.  Today was the first major step toward my ordination and served to remind me that it isn't about the prophecies - It's about the man the prophecies talk about.  The Apostle John ends the book of Revelation by writing, "Come Jesus come," but I'm much more of the mindset of, "Give me a minute, I've got a few more people to talk to about You..."
     Pray for us.
    

Insanity

     "How do you feel about the church?"  The men, old but passionate, lean forward in their seats.
     "I hate it," I respond and then enter into an hour long rant explaining why I've grown disgruntled and disappointed in what is supposed to be God's church but reflects more the face of Man than the image of Christ.
     That discussion took place two years ago and between then and now, these same men have agreed to enter into a partnership with me to plant a church.  The intention of this blog is to record my experience and this first post, hopefully the first of many, is intended to remind me of the insanity I am agreeing to allow into my life.
     Here are some rough statistics about what I'm about to do.  Each year in America:

• 4,000 churches open while 7,000 close.
• 1,500 pastors leave the ministry permanently each month.
• 50% of pastors experience divorce, 80% of pastors' wives feel their husband is overworked, and 80% of children raised by pastors eventually seek out professional counseling for depression.
• 70% of all pastors are grossly underpaid.
• More than 50% of pastors' wives feel that their husbands entering ministry was the most destructive thing to ever happen to their family.
• 70% of pastors battle with depression.

     It's like applying for a job posting that says, "WANTED:  Individuals willing to work for little to no pay, open to the possibility of destroying their marriage and family, and aware of the likelihood of complete and total failure." 
     So why would I apply?
     Because I was invited. 
     Not by some guy who sits around all year collecting numerical data to file a report filled with terrifying percentages.  Nor by a group of men who, recognizing the decline of their denomination and hoping to instill in it new life, are suddenly motivated to plant new churches with "fresh blood."  These weren't the guys who invited me; it was God.
     More than 10 years ago He pressed upon me His desire for me to be a pastor and I promptly told Him no.  I didn't want the job.  Over the years God has continued to shape and mold me, and I don't know if I'm ready for the job but I've hit a point where at least I'm willing to take the job.  I keep going back to that conversation I had two years ago and the words that I spoke:
     "I...  Hate...  Church." 
     I can't help but wonder how many others feel the way I do; of how many people are open to discussing Christ but can't stand Christians.  Those are the people I want to be in fellowship with and if even one person can come to understand Christ in the way Christ intended and not in the way Man misrepresents Him, opening myself up to all those "percentages" will have been worth it.
     So with that said, I'm in the process of re-arranging my living room with the help of my two children who are excitingly yelling out our windows, "We're building a church!  We're building a church!"  And I keep whispering harshly, "Stop that!"  When I should probably be yelling out the window as well...
     Pray for us.