Subscribe to BlogA New Adventure
As if most of the readers of this blog did not know already, God is God and…well…I am not. I can still remember vividly when God called me to work with students as a senior in high school in Arkansas. A number of years later while working as a student minister, God revealed to me a way in which that call was to be fleshed out. That revelation was Imagine Ministries. While in seminary, God continued to reveal ways I was to flesh out my call to minister to students and those that invest in students (ex. Youth Ministry Lab, weekly discipleship of four young men that continues today, etc.). A little over three years ago, yet another way to live out that call was made known to me when I began serving with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention in their student evangelism area. Though God has allowed me to serve in various ministry capacities, the call to work with students and those who invest in students remains the same.
As God is God and I am not, His timing and revelation of ways to live out my call is not under my control or timing. This has been evident over the past month or so. I have been content with my current ministry which is likely why God has worked in the way(s) that He has recently. About a month ago, I received a phone call from the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Alexandria, Louisiana (David Brooks). To be honest, I really did not want to talk with him due to my ministry contentment and the fact that the church was in Louisiana. For years, I prayed solely for selfish reasons that God would never reveal to us His intentions of us serving in Louisiana. As conviction settled in and my heart was softened, I decided to at least interview with the church. After having quickly bonded with the staff, the vision/direction of the church, and the people that I met in the community, I told the church that we would like to continue our conversations. (NOTE: My wife pretty much knew after the first phone call that we were moving to Alexandria. Oh to have the gift of discernment.) The following weekend my wife and I visited Calvary and their student search team. Our hearts continued to soften while excitement and vision began to bubble up for what God was quickly unfolding before us.
After that weekend visit and much prayer on our part, we accepted their invitation to progress to the final step in coming on staff as the Student Minister with emphasis on Senior High. This past weekend we met with the personnel committee and were presented before the church. As has been the case throughout my ministry, God’s revealing this way to flesh out my call has been continually confirmed. Saturday evening we made and offer on a house which was accepted by early Sunday morning. Our current positions were more than encouraging and flexible regarding this new adventure. Movers are being prepared to help us with the transition. Everything is in the works for us to engage in the new adventure beginning January 21.
So what will actually be my duties? Great question, in fact I asked this of the senior pastor. His response, “whatever you make it.” How exciting and intimidating! I will actually be the primary visionary behind the student ministry of Calvary’s 300+ students. Bryan Masters (currently on staff as Minister to Junior High), along with a number of other interns, parents, and adult volunteers, will help make this vision a reality and make it better. Our student ministry will engage students from 7th grade through college and all of those that invest in this age group (parents, adults, other church staff, etc.).
So what happens with Imagine Ministries? Once again, because God is God and I am not, He has already made the necessary adjustments to continue the growth of Imagine Ministries. The church has allowed me to continue leading the curriculum, resource, web, and financial arm of Imagine Ministries. Additionally, I will continue to mentor those God has prepared to take over the travel side of Imagine. Caleb Miller (caleb@imagineministries.org) will be the primary speaker and one of the coordinators for Imagine. Veterans Dan Whidden (dan@imagineministries.org) and Ricky Cotto (ricky@imagineministries.org) will serve as the primary coordinators for the travel side of Imagine Ministries. This team of servants, in addition to the dozens of other volunteers, will lead Imagine in helping churches staff their DNows, provide event budgeting and coordination, and assist student ministries in the normal and ever-increasing capacities that Imagine has been known for from its’ creation. Bios on each of these men will becoming soon to the Imagine website and will be posted on the “Oh the Possibilities” blog. Imagine Ministries will continue to impress upon God’s people to ’step out of our imagination and into the reality of making multiplying disciples of students and their families.’
In closing, I’d like to challenge you all to consider where your contentment is. As stated earlier, my contentment as of late has been in what I’m doing and what I’m called to do. Though both good things, they are not necessarily the right things to root our commitment in. Our contentment should be in Christ alone! When we are content with striving to glorify Him in all that we do, He reveals things to us that we never thought would happen. What if we truly evaluated where our contentment is…what would that do us individually? Our marriages? Our churches? The Kingdom? What if our contentment was truly in and where we Christians…we ministers…are assumed to have it? What new Kingdom adventures await you when you truly determine where your contentment lies? Oh the possibilities…
To view more information on our new church, check out www.calvarynet.net.
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