Romans 1:1 says, "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God..." Paul says of himself he is first a servant of Christ Jesus, something all Christians are. He then adds that not only is he a servant or slave of Jesus, but he has also been called. He has been called to be an apostle (a sent one). He was set apart for the gospel.
These two elements, the call and being set apart, are a big part of what we now call ordination. Ordination is a way of the church confirming the call to ministry for a pastor. It is also a way for the church to set him/her apart for service. Some say that ordination has no real Biblical basis, and yet Paul states he has both been called and set apart. In Acts 13:2 the Lord said that the church in Antioch should set apart Paul and Barnabas. They had hands placed on them and were sent out.
Is this not the same thing that happens in an ordination service? I believe so.
The reason I post this is because last Monday night I was interviewed for ordination. I will be getting ordained in June 2008 at our district conference. Exciting and humbling at the same time.
Wednesday, October 24
Wednesday, October 17
Jamie's New Job
After laying in bed for 2 hours, hoping to fall asleep before the alarm rings at 5:45, I decided to give up and type awhile. So, now it's one in the morning, I've caught up on several of your posts (wonderful late night reading), and figured I would post, as well.
The last month has been a whirlwind. I am getting reacquainted with the workforce...I started a job in September as an educational assistant (teacher's aide) at one of our local schools, West Kindergarten Center. As the name suggests, it is entirely made up of kindergarten classes (6 of them, all full day). And I am loving it. It is so fun to be able to work with children, especially because our church doesn't really have any of its own. I get my kid-fixes in all week, and I think it is making me a better wife (at least a happier wife) for Josh when I return home each day. I can't fully explain just how much I love this job . . . and there are 116 5 & 6-year-old reasons. In the last month I have had more encouragement & compliments from "my kids" than I think Josh & I have had in the last year...and coming from a really encouraging church family & work environment in Marion, that has meant a lot to us. (I don't want to sound negative--While this last year was tough and pretty discouraging, we were not alone...we have amazing support from others in our district and several in our church here...but it is so good to have that encouragement each day!) So, back to school...I work with two teachers in their classrooms, have 2 recess duties (my favorite!), morning bus duty (thus the 5:45 alarm!), and then office coverage, general cutting/pasting/laminating/copying time, and lunch duty (I can open milk cartons pretty well:). It's definitely not the same intensity that I had in World Impact by a long shot...and sometimes I miss that purposeful driven environment and mission and wonder if I am pursuing the right dream at this moment...but right now, it is so nice to not have to worry about what might happen next at work and not be in charge of anything important (financial/travel/etc!). And did I mention, I love the kids?! There are several whom I am attached to and I even have a little secret admirer--tons of fun:) The job offers just enough hours to help us financially and get me out of the house, but isn't full-time, which I know we couldn't handle right now. It's been a great way to get to know several others in the community and make contact with parents of all of these kids...so we are feeling more a part of Baraboo...Josh also comes in three days a week to volunteer in the classrooms, and the teachers just love that. All in all, it is a great arrangement. Tomorrow we all go on our first bus field trip to the pumpkin patch and apple orchard, and I am so excited! Perhaps it's time to crawl back in bed, pull up the covers and start counting sheep....good night!
The last month has been a whirlwind. I am getting reacquainted with the workforce...I started a job in September as an educational assistant (teacher's aide) at one of our local schools, West Kindergarten Center. As the name suggests, it is entirely made up of kindergarten classes (6 of them, all full day). And I am loving it. It is so fun to be able to work with children, especially because our church doesn't really have any of its own. I get my kid-fixes in all week, and I think it is making me a better wife (at least a happier wife) for Josh when I return home each day. I can't fully explain just how much I love this job . . . and there are 116 5 & 6-year-old reasons. In the last month I have had more encouragement & compliments from "my kids" than I think Josh & I have had in the last year...and coming from a really encouraging church family & work environment in Marion, that has meant a lot to us. (I don't want to sound negative--While this last year was tough and pretty discouraging, we were not alone...we have amazing support from others in our district and several in our church here...but it is so good to have that encouragement each day!) So, back to school...I work with two teachers in their classrooms, have 2 recess duties (my favorite!), morning bus duty (thus the 5:45 alarm!), and then office coverage, general cutting/pasting/laminating/copying time, and lunch duty (I can open milk cartons pretty well:). It's definitely not the same intensity that I had in World Impact by a long shot...and sometimes I miss that purposeful driven environment and mission and wonder if I am pursuing the right dream at this moment...but right now, it is so nice to not have to worry about what might happen next at work and not be in charge of anything important (financial/travel/etc!). And did I mention, I love the kids?! There are several whom I am attached to and I even have a little secret admirer--tons of fun:) The job offers just enough hours to help us financially and get me out of the house, but isn't full-time, which I know we couldn't handle right now. It's been a great way to get to know several others in the community and make contact with parents of all of these kids...so we are feeling more a part of Baraboo...Josh also comes in three days a week to volunteer in the classrooms, and the teachers just love that. All in all, it is a great arrangement. Tomorrow we all go on our first bus field trip to the pumpkin patch and apple orchard, and I am so excited! Perhaps it's time to crawl back in bed, pull up the covers and start counting sheep....good night!
Tuesday, October 9
Donald Miller
Last Thursday night Jamie and I got to hear Donald Miller speak at Elmbrook Church (www.elmbrook.org). Phenomenal! Brandon Heath and the Robbie Seay Band opened for him. He spoke about story and what it means to live a good story. He said a good story involves a main character who has a dream who goes through conflict on his/her way to achieving the dream. He related this idea to the story of Joseph in the Bible. Joseph had a dream from God that his brothers would one day bow to him. He is sent to Egypt, then sent to prison (conflict), but eventually becomes second-in-command to Pharaoh.
Donald Miller said that the main character may mess up, won't be perfect, but never thinks of him/herself as better than anyone else. You may hate some of the things a main character does in their pursuit of the dream, but they treat others as equals. He didn't explicitly say it, but I think this is Jesus' love your neighbor as yourself.
He said the dream has to be better than "I want a Volvo." Who goes to a movie all about someone trying to buy a Volvo and leaves the theater with tears? The dream is bigger than that. It's better than that. He told a story of a woman he knows whose dream is to build 1,000 wells in Africa. He said if she got hit by a bus and died today, hundreds of thousands of people would die.
In dreaming there's always fear. Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of embarrassment. And the only way to overcome the fear is to dive into the dream. Don't worry about next steps and possible setbacks along the way; just dive in. He said in a movie you don't know what a person is thinking. You only know if he's going fishing if the camera takes you to the boat and you see him sitting in it with a fishing rod out on the lake. Same thing with our dreams. We have to do something with them.
Then comes conflict. But conflict enables us to appreciate the dream all the more. What sports team loves going undefeated if they're playing the JV team all year long? There must be conflict. And finally the dream is reached. The character is changed in the process.
It's made me question if I even have a dream. At this point I don't think I do. What's your dream?
Donald Miller said that the main character may mess up, won't be perfect, but never thinks of him/herself as better than anyone else. You may hate some of the things a main character does in their pursuit of the dream, but they treat others as equals. He didn't explicitly say it, but I think this is Jesus' love your neighbor as yourself.
He said the dream has to be better than "I want a Volvo." Who goes to a movie all about someone trying to buy a Volvo and leaves the theater with tears? The dream is bigger than that. It's better than that. He told a story of a woman he knows whose dream is to build 1,000 wells in Africa. He said if she got hit by a bus and died today, hundreds of thousands of people would die.
In dreaming there's always fear. Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of embarrassment. And the only way to overcome the fear is to dive into the dream. Don't worry about next steps and possible setbacks along the way; just dive in. He said in a movie you don't know what a person is thinking. You only know if he's going fishing if the camera takes you to the boat and you see him sitting in it with a fishing rod out on the lake. Same thing with our dreams. We have to do something with them.
Then comes conflict. But conflict enables us to appreciate the dream all the more. What sports team loves going undefeated if they're playing the JV team all year long? There must be conflict. And finally the dream is reached. The character is changed in the process.
It's made me question if I even have a dream. At this point I don't think I do. What's your dream?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
