Friday Five: House Hunting
My wife and I have recently begun the house hunting procedure. It's quite a bit harder than we had anticipated. Here are five things I've discovered while looking at house descriptions.
1. Cute. When "Cute" is in the description, it either means small, tiny, minuscule or very old. Think less than 1000 square feet or built before your grandparents.
2. Great View. This could mean it either has a great view from one window, or a great view from the southwest corner of the property.
3. Great Investment Property. Needs a lot of work done.
4. Must See. These ones are hit and miss. But a lot of times, they're not really a must see.
5. Needs A Little TLC. Needs a lot of TLC!
Ahhhhhh!!!!
You'd think after doing an evangelistic series that my second one wouldn't be as much work. Well, as it stands, I'm still doing a lot of work on these sermons. I only did 12 in my previous series, and this one I'm doing 18. Of the 18, only about 8 of them I did in my previous series where I used 12. If you followed that, then you realize that I have to write 10 sermons.
So that is what I have been doing for the last couple months. Sermons, sermons, sermons. It's a lot of work, but I am almost completely done. I have 15 totally finished. Just three more to go and I can breath a short sigh of relief before I realize I need to get the powerpoints done as well. Ahhhhhhh!!!!
Talk about a lot of work. Each sermon takes quite a bit of time, and the powerpoints take almost as much time, and I'm expected to keep up with the other aspects of my job as a youth pastor and chaplain. Now I understand why pastors don't do evangelism very often. It's a lot of work! However, once I'm done with this series, I have an 18 sermon series that I can at future points. That's a good thing! So the stress is worth it.
Our next meeting is Wednesday. In the meantime, I'll still be working on sermons and powerpoints.
Friday Five: Procrastination
Wow...It has been quite awhile since I last updated. I blame procrastination. Here are five things about procrastination for Friday.
1. Slacking Off. When I procrastinate, I am slacking off...well sometimes. Sometimes there is a legitimate reason why I procrastinated...like the dog ate my homework.
2. Relaxing. This is more a reason why I procrastinated. I was relaxing. I was chillin' by the pool in the summer sun and I couldn't move (interesting since it's not summer and I don't have a pool and it's been raining pretty much all week).
3. Finding Something "More" Important to Do. There is always something more important to do. Hence, procrastinating!
4. Boredom. Sometimes I'm just too bored to even be bothered to do what I'm supposed to do. Sound familiar?
5. Don't Want to do It. This is the root of it all. This is why I procrastinate most of the time. I just don't want to do it.
In all honesty, I've procrastinated on the blog mostly because I have just started an evangelistic series. Yes I know, I've already done one (see archives, September 2010 and October 2010 to read on that series). But I've started another one in which I will be doing all the preaching.
Our first night was two nights ago and I just realized that I told everyone that I would keep you up to date as to what I was doing. Procrastination! Our first night went well. We talked on Daniel 2, King Nebuchadnezzar's dream. This one is always a good one to start on.
Tonight we will be discussing the signs of Christ's return. I expect that this one should go over well as well. I look forward to how the people will respond to tonight's message.
Tomorrow we have two presentations: Why Sin and Suffering? and Peace in a Wild World. If you're in the Medford area and interested, we're meeting at the SonRise Christian Fellowship Church on 434 Oak St. in Central Point, OR. Prayers are always welcomed.
I will provide another update on Sunday!
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas to one and all. Hope your holidays are blessed and that your time with family and friends brings about many memories.
Youth Pastor Blues….
Even though I have an evangelistic series going on I still have duties to perform at the other church I work at as a youth pastor. Which means I'm still going to the school for awhile each day to be available for the students, planning youth events, etc... But many of you may be wondering about the title: Youth Pastor Blues. I'll explain.
You see, youth pastors are a funky bunch. We love working with teenagers. Their energy, their excitement, their openness are all things that edify us. But there's a downside. Many tend to get apathetic towards spiritual things if it's not entertaining them. Because of the society we live in today they expect to be entertained at every event, function, and hangout. Which is tough because I want them to have a deep relationship with Christ, but all they want to do is have fun. Why is it always separate in everyone's eyes?
Well, one of things that tends to get youth pastors down is comments that are mentioned by these youth and by adults/parents as well. Here are a few that I have heard in my year here (I'm paraphrasing the comments, not actually quoting them).
1. Pastor so-and-so (read previous youth pastor) did it this way.
2. If the youth learned hymns instead of camp songs we'd be better off.
3. Can we have Pastor so-and-so (previous youth pastor again) back?
4. You're too young
As a youth pastor, I have a wade through comments like this frequently. They are said behind my back and right to my face. And let me tell you, it's a humbling experience. Every time I hear a comment similar to this I have to swallow my pride and fake a smile, despite how much it hurts. Sometimes I believe that people forget that pastors are humans too, and we feel and hurt just like everyone else.
But these comments are in the minority. Most of the church members are encouraging and edifying and I am happy to be serving them as their pastor. The toughest part is learning to let it all slide off my back. Because ultimately, the only person I need to please is God. As long as I'm doing what He wants me to do, everyone in the world could hate me, but God would be pleased.
If you think of it in the next few days, or even right after reading this, send a note to your pastor. Let them know you support them, care for them, and value their ministry to you. Coming from a pastor, you will definitely make their day!