What is fulltime ministry? Most of my adult life, I have served
full-time, even if that meant poverty wages. I was a pastor in Pittsburgh, a church planter in Florida and central Pennsylvania and a missionary in Peru and Ecuador. All during that time, I would hear from people who had a
non-church career, and who counted themselves as less committed just because their salary came from a business and not a church.
I recall preaching that “just because you are not a pastor does not mean that you do not have a place for ministry.” For the first time in a long time, I get to live that out!
Teaching at
Grand Canyon University is an exciting change for me. My primary course is called
Christian Worldview and while many of my students are from Christian homes, many are not and some are
outspoken that they are not believers. They come from the United States, Asia, Europe, Africa, and South America. I have the blessing of sharing a Christian point of view with students who may have never given it a thought, previously.
Every new student at Grand Canyon has to take my class! This semester, I have three sections of these classes and we wrestle with some tough questions: “If there is a God, why is there suffering?” and “Why should I believe that Jesus is the only way to God?”
There is great discussion but not a great deal of heated argument. My prayer is that my students will be changed as they hear the word of God and that
His worldview will become theirs. During this week before Resurrection Day, we have watched the Jesus Film in class and had discussion about how the power of the resurrection changed the Disciples from followers to leaders and is mankind’s only hope of salvation.
Missions
Now that our work life is stabilizing, we are really able to begin thinking about God’s missionary calling on our lives. Since July of last year, I have been to Mexico three times.
- In July, I went with the Church at Arrowhead to Coyuca, Guerrero, Mexico. Arrowhead has had a relationship for church planting in this area just north of Acapulco, for several years.
- In the Fall, I was in Guaymas, Mexico delivering some relief supplies to a church that had been flooded out after a hurricane.
- In January, I accompanied several pastors from the West Phoenix area and we were back to Acapulco and Chilpancingo.
- From that vision trip, we have several churches returning this July.
I plan to be in Acapulco and surrounding areas for about two weeks. In addition to the basketball clinics/tournament in Coyuca, our churches will be working in a youth prison, an adult prison, an orphanage for children with HIV and a church plant. My work will be in reporting on the groups and their activities.
Later that same month, Julie and I will travel to
Peru! We will be celebrating our 25th anniversary and visiting with friends along the coast. Our hope is that we will be able to assess the current needs and begin recruiting people to work with us in the Summer of 2011. If you, your church, or groups are interested in going with us, please let us know and we can start working on it, now.
Yes, start praying and planning now, for summer of 2011!
The House
It is tough to explain…it really is.
Two years ago (June 2008), we landed in Phoenix, Arizona. We moved into a house that is owned by
Arizona Baptist Children’s Services and funded by some great churches. Some months later, a car was donated to the Missionary House and we were able to drive it. All of that was supposed to end in July 2009, but nobody was ready to move in, so we stayed. As of this writing, we will be here until the start of September. If nobody is ready to move in…we are prepared to stick around a little longer. We pay a modest rent to live here and are happy to keep the house occupied!
God has really provided. The house, the car, the hunt for work…we have really seen Him at work. It is good to know that He is still in the business of doing amazing things.
We will work harder at being in the business of posting more regularly,
Be Blessed.
