Examine It

Every season and experience of life can be helpful if we take a closer look at it. Each change we undergo offers opportunities to learn and to become more than we are today. With that idea in mind as we begin another year, I recently found myself contemplating the question, "What has 2018 taught you?"


-Your calling isn’t defined by your profession. Your profession gives you an opportunity to live out your calling.

-Even when you strive to look at people through the lens of grace they won’t always act gracefully.

-When you’re unsure of where your future path may lead focus on doing the next right thing.

-Your impact on the people around you is greater and longer lasting than you realize.

-You and your family are tougher and can endure more than you might have thought.

-Freedom is a powerful feeling especially when you haven’t experienced it for some time.

-You can start new things no matter your age.

-Sometimes we need to be told someone believes in us so we can take the next step forward.

-Voices and influences that were once vital to your growth can become detrimental after time.

-Seasons and friendships change and that doesn’t take away from the value they once had even if they are no longer as relevant.

-If you’re the only one working to maintain a relationship it’s clearly not as valuable to the other person as it is to you. Have enough respect for yourself to graciously walk away. 

-New beginnings are always available. You may have firmly believed that for others, but it is solidified as one of your values when you experience that truth for yourself.

-You are a survivor and always have been. Don’t forget that key part of your identity just because certain things you once held closely now fall apart.

-What you once thought was the worst thing that could happen to you can turn out to be best thing for your future.


Your perspective on your present will determine your mindset for your future. Keep going and don’t forget what you’ve already learned.

Answering the Call

Earlier this year I wrote about the power of a "one word" focus and how it shapes the rest of the year. My word for this year is "calling" and I'm still working through what it means and how the rest of my decisions should be shaped by it. There is more depth in this particular word than I can adequately define right now, but I think that's part of the process of spending the year working through it. I do believe we each have them (several actually) that should guide us the decisions we make and the way we spend our energies.

I don't want to reduce the power of a calling to an action list of behaviors, but I also recognize some necessary steps to live it out:

-Realize you have one. This isn't just about your career passion, but the total person you're becoming.

-Develop the skills to support it. A passionate desire needs to be paired with a willingness to learn how to be better.

-Let it be the mission that fuels your choices. This should lead us to make decisions to increase our integrity and strengthen our character in pursuit of our calling. Everything we do should be structured by our desire to completely live this out.

Exploring your calling can be frightening especially as we are stretched to grow in new areas and to work on our areas of weakness. The satisfaction we gain from living fully in this will be worth the work we have to put in to make it a genuine part of who we are becoming.

Firm Foundation

My mother and father divorced when I was very young and I have very little memory of my dad's family. There is a big gap in my life history from the paternal side and I don't know it will ever truly be filled. Too much time has passed and most of those older generations have passed on as well.

My mother has told me my paternal grandfather was a pastor. The picture above has him seated on the left hand side. The book next to the picture is The Star Book for Ministers, a helpful guide for functioning as a minister, and belonged to my grandfather. These two items were passed on to me after my father's death and while I don't know their complete story, these things signify a foundation.

Even though I am unsure of the depth of their influence, there were things established for me before I knew what path in life I would take. The personal path of ministry was chosen by my dad's father long before I even existed. I don't believe this means I was destined to become a pastor because of his choices. My awareness of this legacy has influenced me in some measure however.

I don't mean to overplay the significance of this book and picture, but it reminds me of the value of the foundation I am setting for my future generations. The decisions I make today are not just affecting me and my children, but also those generations I may never see. It helps me (and scares me a little too) to think about the influence my dedication, faith, and character may have on my future family.

My One Word

Our lead pastor shared a book with the staff at Christmas this year which expounded the principle of selecting one word to focus on for the next year. Deciding on the word is a matter of prayer, meditation, and even a little inspiration. It becomes the main focus for your goals, fuels your actions, and keeps you centered on mission.

My “one word” for this year is calling. It’s a term used in many different ways, but often refers to the purpose you feel God has given to you and in many aspects, specifically for ministry. While I believe in the power of that particular principle I also believe we have a calling for each of the roles we should fill in our life.

Recognizing I have a calling as a husband and father shapes many of the decisions I make. I realize the power of the relationship I share with my wife and children and my need to choose to live that out with the best impact and integrity I can. I believe I have a calling as a friend and will choose to be present in times of need and be ready to sacrifice to help when necessary. I am called as an influencer in my community and should realize the potential of my impact and choose my words, actions, and generosity very carefully. I am also called at this stage in my life to be a pastor and must always keep that in the forefront of my thoughts as it shapes so much of what I do and say.

I don’t have all of the parts of this “one word” figured out, but I realize the power of staying focused on discovering the depth of it this year. I want to live fully in my calling—not just now, but also for what the future holds.

Real Success

"It doesn't matter how much money you have when you die, how many people know your name, or what position you held. If you never got around to doing and being what your destiny is, then all you were was a successful failure." Tony Evans

We can accomplish many things, but if we aren't following our calling we're missing out. We can have a great resume, but if we fail to lead our families towards Christ we've missed the real objective. It's not that we aren't successful, but that we aren't successful where we're supposed to be.

Like What You Do

I've had several different jobs in my lifetime. I've worked in landscaping, maintenance, catering, fast food, telemarketing, restaurant management, sports medicine, teaching, and now ministry. I appreciate (especially in retrospect) all the various experiences and can see how they taught me necessary lessons. I don't believe that my job history is more detailed or special than anyone else's list. What matters for each of us is that we find some enjoyment in what we do.

I don't think every day on the job is supposed to be a celebration filled with cake, balloons, and a pinata, although that wouldn't be totally awful either. I do believe we are supposed to seek contentment and enjoyment in what we do. If we are unable to discover consistent joy, we need to either adjust our attitude or pursue a new avenue. Passionate engagement in our calling makes a difference in the results of our work and our personal sense of satisfaction.

My Higher Calling

There is a part of my personality that thrives on making a difference in others. It's the piece of me that gives me vision for reaching people and innovative ideas for ways to make that happen. This is where I draw my inner strength and connectivity that allows me to be part of mission trips, leadership events, middle school camp, and other large events. Even with the amount of work that goes into planning and implementation I find myself energized when I am part of these opportunities.

As much as I come alive during these times of connectivity and influence, I know that I need to find time to counterbalance this output with downtime as well. It's not just about the need for rest and rejuvenation although that is extremely vital after busy weeks. It's the fact that I draw complete satisfaction by being with the people that need me the most-my family. It's in the peace of my own home that I can be made whole through the love of my family, the affection that we share, and the perfection of my calling as husband and father.

I won't give up the part of my calling to reach other people, but I will make sure to place my highest priority at home where it belongs.

10 Years

This year marks a decade since I transitioned into full-time ministry from the high school level. In fact, I have now spent more years as a pastor than I did as a teacher/athletic trainer. While I couldn't possibly do justice to a comprehensive list, there are several things that I have learned in the last ten years:

• You have to work just as hard to maintain your own spiritual relationship while working in ministry as you do out of it.
• I was working as a pastor and caring for people on a deeper level long before I ever figured out my calling.
• Just because I accepted my calling as a pastor doesn't mean I won't miss what I left behind.
• The biggest focus for athletic trainers is in the prevention of injuries even while we respond to the immediate hurt in front of us. Working in ministry isn't that different. We strive to lead people to Christ and equip them for ministry in hopes of preventing personal catastrophe even as life calls us to step into the midst of tragedy and triumph.
• Working in the church is the hardest thing I have ever done--no doubt about it.
• I have to work to intentionally protect my family as they will endure harsher scrutiny in the ministry than anywhere else but perhaps politics.
• The satisfaction of seeing lives committed to Christ, miraculous healing taking place, relationships restored, and incredible acts of generosity is greater than I could ever have imagined.
• Even though I have come so far in my own journey with Christ there is still so much more room for growth than I originally envisioned.
• You have to intentionally create your own rest opportunities in ministry as there are no complete down times. If you don't honor the Sabbath (no matter what day of the week it needs to be) you won't be sustainably effective.
• No matter how much satisfaction I took out of my former career (and it was a large amount), leading a church is what I was created & called to do. 

I clearly see how God has been preparing me for this journey my entire life. I am thankful that He is patient with me and continues to mold me for what He has in store next. I am also forever grateful for those that have influenced & invested in me over the last ten years. I'm eagerly anticipating what comes next. 

Failure of Nerve: Career Path

(This is part five of a series of blogs on failure of nerve. Click here to read the introduction blog.)

It's becoming more common to change your career path in the middle of life, but it's still not an easy decision to make. I still remember being completely unprepared when God offered me the opportunity to leave the high school level and step into ministry. I mentally and spiritually battled through the decision for four days before deciding to take the leap of faith. It was difficult to think about leaving behind a program that I had worked diligently at for years, the incredibly close friendships that had been developed, and the young lives that I was having an impact on each day. It was a difficult enough decision that I changed my mind several times before saying yes. In fact, I had firmly made up my mind to say no, but was encouraged by my wife's direct, gentle honesty and a good friend's counsel. 

I attribute my hesitance to my failure of nerve. Leaving something that I knew well and was good at was an enormous risk. For the most part I knew what the future held for me at Mainland and the path that I could choose to walk down for future advancement and personal goals. The potential of where God was leading me was much more abstract than what I already had in front of me. I had to set aside my trepidation and trust that God's plan was more fulfilling than the one I was already on. 

How many people walk up to the edge of new opportunities and then quietly shrink back to their "comfortable" present reality? It's a definitive leap of faith to change our career-a part of our lives where we place so much of our identity. At the root of our indecision is a lack of trust in God's power to direct our lives and our fear at letting so much change take place. Let God keep transforming you and opening you to the potential for new possibilities. Don't let the failure of nerve keep you so focused on job security that you miss out on the grand adventure that could be waiting.

Break My Heart

I took part in a free webinar today that shared insight from pastors around the country about how to be better preachers. I took away a lot of good information and encouragement, but was deeply impacted by one pastor in particular. Dr. Charles Stanley spoke about how he prepares for a message and the way that God has worked through that process over the years. He is an incredible author, speaker, and pastor and has impacted countless lives through his obedience to God's calling. 

He was asked if he still got nervous before preaching-especially in light of the years that he has been doing this. At this point he broke down emotionally and had to take a minute to compose himself. He said that he is still nervous when he realizes the magnitude of the calling on him to share God's Word. He has been faithfully serving for over 50 years and still has his heart broken for the people that need to hear God's truth. He understand his responsibility as a vessel for God and knows that what he is doing has eternal impact. Dr. Stanley possesses an urgency for sharing the message and knows that he can't take that calling lightly. 

This isn't about over-glorifying the role of a preacher, but is more about understanding the unique position that God has placed us in to have an impact. We must allow our hearts to be burdened for broken people and commit ourselves 100% to the task of communicating truth. When we do this we experience a union between us & the Holy Spirit that allows truth to be spoken for the purpose of transformation.

I take that responsibility very seriously. I pray that I would never take for granted the opportunity to speak the Word of God with passion, integrity, and commitment.