Back to School...Sort Of

Today I begin a voyage back to school of sorts. Specifically, I'm taking a "mini-mester" class at Armstrong Atlantic State University (ASU). Armstrong is located just five minutes from our home here in Savannah; it's also where two of my kids currently go to college. Our third child has already graduated from ASU.

I've already earned a Bachelor's degree (from here) and two Master's degrees (from here and here). So why return to school? The answer is simple. In order for me to become re-certified as a school psychologist, I have to take a couple of college classes. I'm taking one this fall, and another in the spring. My goal is to become re-certified through the state by next April and then apply for a school psychologist position in the local schools. I worked as a public school psychologist from 1996 to 2002, so the transition would not be difficult.

I'm pursuing this not because school psychology is a wonderful thing. It has plenty of pros and cons. However, it would be a life improvement over my current situation at JCB. I'd have a much nicer schedule, including a large chunk of time off during the summer. I'd also be on salary, which would allow us to set a budget. Additionally, it is an occupation that I could do until I'm 70ish (almost no physical component).

The class should not be too difficult since it is just entry level. However, it is fully online. I've never done that before. It should be interesting. My kids can help me since they are of the technology generation.

My schedule is about to go insane for the next month. Not only am I starting this class, but I'm also in training for the Savannah Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. I'm hoping to not only complete the 26.2 miles, but also to do so fast enough to qualify for the Boston Marathon. We'll see about that.

Due to all of the above, I have no idea how much blogging I'll be doing between now and Thanksgiving. It may have to take a backseat for a while. I'm certain that the world will not come to an end because of it.

A Bad Reason for Returning to the Institution: It's Easy

This is part five of the blog series entitled Ten Bad Reasons for Returning to the Institution.

This particular post is short and simple. Quite frankly, it's easy to go back to an institutional church. It is especially easy if it is a place you feel comfortable and have friends. The easiness comes from being able to arrive at the building, sit in a Sunday School seat, sit in a pew, and then go home for lunch. Since the pastors do almost everything, you can just sit and relax. After a long week of work and (some) play, you simply want to sit still. The institution happily lets you.

Simple church life, while more rewarding, is also more difficult. It requires activity. It requires investment. It requires action.

Please, I exhort you not to allow the lure of easiness draw you back to institutional Christianity. I guarantee that you will despise it after a few weeks. Put forth the effort to be the church we read about in the New Testament (well, the good aspects). An active body is a vibrant one.

It's worth the hard work.

From Columbia to Charleston!

Friday and Saturday were challenging days, but challenging in the good sense.

I participated in the Palmetto 200, a relay race from Columbia to Charleston, South Carolina. As part of a twelve-person JCB team, I ran three of thirty-six total legs that took us from the middle of the state all the way to the coast. My mileage sum was about twenty.

I'd never taken part in anything like this event before. As a team we collectively ran more than 200 miles over the span of about thirty-one uninterrupted hours. We used two vans, alternating between running and sleeping (sort of). One very enjoyable aspect for me was that all three of my legs were far different. On the first, I ran six miles in the early evening from out in the country into a small town. Second, at five in the morning in the dark I ran eight miles through a largely barren section of a national forest. It was so dark! My final leg, in the afternoon of the next day, took me over a huge bridge in the middle of downtown Charleston. That last segment was a long five miles.

The best part of the relay was the camaraderie. Prior to this I did not know many of the other team members very well if at all. It was a blast to spend over a day with people who love to do what I love to do. We had a lot of time to simply talk about all sorts of things. I already cannot wait until next year's relay.

Below are pics of A) me sprinting to the finish line of the relay in order to beat the guy in the banana suit (you simply cannot let yourself be beaten by a banana), and B) the entire JCB team.

Taking a Blogging Break Until the New Year

The title of this post pretty much sums it up: I'm taking a break from blogging for a month.

My JCB work schedule has been more insane than normal lately; in one recent two week span I totaled 155 hours. It likely won't let up significantly until the new year arrives. This combined with various Christmas festivities means little time for anything else (except running of course). Therefore, I just don't have time to blog well. Additionally, I currently have a little blogging burn-out going on. Maybe a month off will help. I believe it will.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas. See you in 2016!

My Place of Work: JCB North American Headquarters

One of the advantages of finally getting a smart phone is the awesome camera. Today I took these photos of where I spend much of my time - at JCB North American Headquarters. While I actually work in the factory that makes up the rear 80% of the building, these two pics are from the more picturesque front areas.

Why Are So Many Pastors Paid Salaries?

This is a question I had to wrestle with when I was a professional pastor. I resigned because I came to the conclusion that the bible does not support the practice of pastors receiving salaries. Why, then, do so many churches continue this practice? (This question comes from my prior post Sorry, But I Can't Stop Asking Questions).

Five reasons stand out to me as to why this keeps happening:

1. Church history. Roman Catholic priests received payment of various sorts. The Reformers kept this practice, as they did many other Roman aspects of church life.

2. Misinterpretation of scripture. Nowhere in the New Testament is it said that pastors should receive regular salaries. The I Corinthians 9 passage refers to traveling evangelists, not pastors. As for I Timothy 5, "double honor" may or may not be talking about money. However, if it is then it's referring to love gifts after the fact as opposed to salaries given beforehand.

3. People think they need an "expert." The folks in the pews want a person to come in from the outside who has attended seminary. He's given a salary to preach, administer, and coordinate the worship ceremonies.

4. Pastors like it. I can say from experience that it is nice to receive a paycheck for studying the bible and reading theological books much of the time. Why would pastors ever speak against this? Instead, what they do is perpetuate it.

5. "It's what we've always done." Churches have been paying salaries to pastors for so long that many people cannot imagine any alternative.


The above five reasons are not exhaustive. Churches have their combination of reasons for handing out salaries to pastors. The big problem is that they have no scriptural support for doing so.

Busy, Busy, Busy

I haven't blogged much lately because life is extremely busy right now.

This is not a bad busyness, but it certainly requires quite a bit of time. Last weekend our younger daughter graduated from high school. In a couple of weeks our older daughter gets married. We are currently trying to both get the house ready for guests and plan the last details of the wedding ceremony and reception.

On top of all this my job at JCB usually has me working at least fifty hours per week. Added to that is my increasing running schedule; I run almost every day after work. This is a choice, but again it takes time.

My wife Alice and I are what you could call "joyful but busy." If we can just make it through the wedding with no major complications everything should be fine.

On Linking

I rarely know well in advance what my work schedule will be at JCB. Some weeks we work forty hours, but others more like seventy. This makes it difficult to blog regularly.

Like many of you, many times I see excellent blog articles throughout the week. While I might not be able to blog, I can still point out these good reads by linking to them. While I've done this numerous times before, my frequency of doing this going forward will probably be increasing (while my own writing dips a bit in number).

My posts that simply link to others will start with the word "Linking." Not very original I admit, but at least you'll know what's going on.

Today I'm linking to two different interesting posts. First, Benjamin Corey has penned an excellent piece entitled 5 Reasons Why So Many Christians Are Feeling Burned Out Right Now.

Second, thanks to Arthur Sido for pointing out this interesting post from the Gospel Coalition of all places: Why Aren't Calvinists Pacifists?

I will by no means agree with all the posts I link to; rather, my intent is to point out thought-provoking pieces.

Reason #19 - Professional Pastors Should Get Real Jobs That Provide Goods or Services

Generally speaking, pastors are able-bodied men who are capable of working a job. In light of this, they should do so.

Normal jobs provide a good, a service, or both to society at large in return for payment. Having a normal job is beneficial for all men (and some women, but that topic is for another day). Professional pastors actually hurt themselves by not having regular employment.

Working a regular job keeps men in touch with the normal hum of society.

Working a regular job reminds those doing it that it is often a struggle.

Working a regular job, when the job is a noble one, adds to society.

Working a regular job means the church won't have to pay the pastor (and thus more money can go to the poor and needy).

Working a regular job helps the pastor better understand the people of the church.

Working a regular job keeps the pastor in regular touch with unbelievers.

Working a regular job makes the pastor at least fairly normal.

Working a regular job keeps the pastor from irrelevancy.

Most of my posts so far in this series 25 Reasons Professional Pastors Should Resign have focused on the damage that salaried pastors are doing to the church. This particular post is different. The reality is that professional pastors are damaging themselves by being employed by churches. For their own sake and that of the body of Christ, they must resign now.

Safe Arrival

I've landed safely and made it to my hotel in New Delhi. After a very quick night's sleep, it's off to work for JCB. It should make for an interesting day. I don't really know what to expect. I appreciate your prayers for God to use me in some small way while here for two weeks.

Off the Blogging Grid, On to India

I'm going to be off the grid for the next couple of weeks - off the blogging grid that is.

Tomorrow I fly to New Delhi, India for fourteen days. I'm traveling for work-related reasons. Many of you know that I'm employed in the Quality Department for JCB here in Savannah. The purpose of my trip to India is to assist a factory there with some quality issues.

I hope to have time to do some sightseeing while there. The Red Fort looks like a good choice. As for blogging while in India, that depends on time, work demands and internet connection. If anything interesting happens I'll try to blog about it.

Trying to Blog, But...

I've been trying to blog lately, but I just can't find the time. I do have a good reason: my job required me to work 77 hours last week. I want to continue with the series on Why Sermons Won't Go Away; this coming holiday weekend may provide opportunity for that.

My hope is that you are having a blessed week in the Lord. Take joy in living as the saint you are and as the active priest He has called you to be!

150 Hours

I've worked 150 hours over the past two weeks. It's crazy. Because of this I don't have time to blog. I may put together a short post from time to time, but for the most part my writing will be sparse. I'm just too tired.

Working and Editing

I haven't blogged much lately simply for lack of time. My job has me working about 70 hours per week right now. When there's any free time, I'm editing chapters in What We're For. The book is coming along nicely; almost all the contributors have sent me their chapters. After I spend time with my family and sleep a little, there just isn't time for much blogging. I want to scratch out some time to write about Christian unity, edification, and missions. I'm just not sure when this will happen. Thanks for reading!

Five Beneficial Reasons Why Pastors Should Switch to Bi-Vocational

Bi-vocational ministry is something that has been around for a long time. It basically amounts to pastors working two part-time jobs: one as pastor and one out in the normal job sector. I realize that most pastors aren't going to quit their pastoral jobs like I did. However, full-time salaried pastors should at least strive to become bi-vocational. This change benefits both them individually and the church as a whole.

Five reasons why this change is beneficial:

1. Bi-vocational ministry shows and/or reminds pastors just how difficult it is to work a normal job.

2. Bi-vocational ministry forces pastors into regular contact with the real world.

3. Bi-vocational ministry demands that the rest of the church body perform more ministry.

4. Bi-vocational ministry relieves some of the financial burden on the church.

5. Bi-vocational ministry frees up more money to be given to those in need and toward missions work.


The big issue is that when pastors become bi-vocational it improves the health and vitality of the church as a whole. This alone is enough reason for pastors and churches to pursue it.

70

I worked seventy hours again this week. Because of that, I'm simply too tired to blog much. Despite this, I still think about Jesus Christ and his church quite a bit. Ten simple truths come to mind right now:

1. The church belongs to Jesus Christ.

2. Jesus Christ is the one and only head of his church.

3. Christ has shown us in scripture what he demands and desires his church to be.

4. The Holy Spirit testifies to these truths revealed in scripture.

5. The church's greatest characteristic must be selfless love.

6. The church must live as the holy people we are.

7. The church must be united.

8. The church is on a mission to the ends of the earth.

9. The church needs every member.

10. Servanthood is the path that pleases Christ.

Please feel free to add to this list.  It is hardly comprehensive.

Out of Time

For about the past year and a half I have been working over sixty hours per week. Because of this schedule, I'm chronically tired/exhausted. I realized recently that I don't do some of the things I used to enjoy doing such as exercising and reading. On top of that I'm not really involved in church life except on Sundays. Most concerning to me is my lack of time for my family. Because of all this I've got to do a better job of prioritizing how I spend the little free time I have. I cannot any longer justify blogging very frequently. Therefore, my blog post frequency, which has already been dropping, will continue to do so. Although I enjoy it, I just can't spend time on it any longer. You'll see posts from time to time, but not very often. If I do manage to find a different job with fewer hours I'll probably return to regular blogging. Now back to spending time with family.

Promotion

Today I received the good news that I'm getting a promotion at work. I'm moving from a Quality Inspector position into a Quality Team Leader. As the name implies, I'll be in charge of a team of inspectors. Our job, simply, is to make sure that all construction vehicles that leave our plant are of high quality.

I thank God for His faithfulness in providing employment. When I resigned from the pastorate a few years ago I had no idea what I was going to do. God provided a job for me in the manufacturing field even though I had no experience whatsoever. It seems to be working out pretty well.

Our Lord is truly great and greatly to be praised!

What's Important When Working 60-70 Hours Per Week

For a while now I've been working 60-70 hours each week. It can be a struggle, but I'm grateful to God for the job.

Working this many hours has placed very significant time constraints on both me and my family. We simply don't have time to do much more than what each day requires. This has forced me to prioritize what is most important.

Related to church life, all I really care about any more is getting together with friends. I don't get to do this too often; therefore, whenever it happens it is special. I don't care so much what happens specifically when we get together. I'm just happy to be together. It's a thrill to simply be with brothers and sisters in Christ.

Talking (and usually eating) with Christian friends is what's important in church life. That's, of course, not all that matters, but it does take priority when time is at minimum.

Not a Virgin?

I love it when God provides opportunities to testify about His truth.

This week a young man approached me at work to ask a question. I've talked with him previously, but never about matters of much substance. Out of the blue, he asked me what I thought about Jesus being born of a virgin. Another man in his specific work area had been saying that Jesus wasn't actually virgin-born because the word used in the OT just meant a young woman of marriageable age.

I was asked this question while on break, so we were able to talk for about ten minutes. I was able to explain several reasons for why I believe Mary was, in fact, a virgin. I'm thankful that this young man had already heard almost all of the arguments I made. Therefore, I wasn't really telling him anything new, but was rather helping cement what he already believed.

This was not a conversation I pursued in any way. God gave the opportunity, and I praise Him for it. Sometimes I go through the day wondering if I'll ever have chances to speak of Christ. Then I'm reminded by God that He provides the opportunities. We just have to be open to them.

I don't know what will come from this conversation I had. If I was able to help a brother a little bit then I'm pleased. Thank you Lord.