Early in my Christian walk, as a high schooler and in my early collegiate years, I ran into a pastor by the name of Gary Denbow. He taught me always, always, to trust what the Bible says. It doesn't matter what we think about it, what does the Bible say about it? Great question.
Some years later I ended up teaching in a Christian school where the headmaster, Don Post, reminded us all that in God's providence there are no bad days. There are difficult days, but there are not bad days.
About the same time we were involved in a church with another pastor who was highly influential. Dr. Robert D. Jones, now a seminary professor, taught me a great deal about a biblical view of eldership in the local church, how counseling is pastoral and biblical, and many other invaluable pastoral formation lessons. During the years I spent laboring alongside Bob my desire for pastoral ministry grew again, after several years of disappointment.
When we were abandoned by Bob, who somehow thought it would be a good idea to go teach seminary students the same things he had been teaching in the local church, my fellow elders stepped up to the plate and assigned me more duties within the local church during the year it took to locate and call another full-time pastor. Without Fred, Gerald, and Danny encouraging me I'm sure my overall journey would have been quite different.
Now it's time to lay some real blame. My good friend Terry Roush started talking about the Law and Gospel distinctives in Lutheran theology. He got me turned on to the Issues, Etc. radio show (see the widget in the side bar). I had long been dissatisfied with the Arminian theology from my early Christian years. I had never been able to swallow some of the Calvinist theology among those I had been involved with since graduate school. Yet it always seemed the Calvinists were the sound thinkers. As I started looking into Lutheran theology I saw point after point where this historic faith approached the Scriptures clearly and answered the weaknesses I was finding in Calvinism. It seemed to be well balanced. So my friend Terry and the people at Issues, Etc. are receiving the blame for my eventual departure from the Calvinistic church where I had served as an elder, nurturing people in God's Word. All this because I became convinced of a truly effectual sacramental view of baptism and communion - yet I could not stay as a representative of a view which I could no longer embrace. Terry remains a great friend, despite his rearranging my life. I still try to listen to all the segments of Issues, Etc. as part of my continuing education. They always provoke me to thought - sometimes to annoyance, often to prayer, always to thought about God's mercy in Christ.
About two and a half years ago, then, with firmly Lutheran convictions and twenty plus years of experience on various levels of part-time ministry, along with innumerable hours spent in reading and discussion of biblical matters, I joined a Lutheran congregation. I'll lay some blame now on another pastor, Mark Kloha, who treated me and my background with considerable respect. He gave me a chance to watch and learn, to ask questions, and to explore some of the implications of Lutheranism "on the ground" as opposed to in theory.
About a year ago I was looking seriously at biting the bullet and getting myself through that seminary education toward the goal I'd had for so many years - serving a local congregation in Word and Sacraments. I ran across The American Association of Lutheran Churches and pastor Rich Shields, who serves as the head of their seminary and distance learning program. Again, he took me seriously and investigated my background. He told me that it would be possible for me to serve in a local congregation while completing my academic training, provided I was under adequate oversight and was deemed adequately prepared by an evaluating board. At his urging I took the hardest test I've ever taken, went through the most difficult interview I've ever had, and was brought into their ministry program which will allow me to serve in a local congregation in Word and Sacrament while I complete coursework and pastoral formation opportunities leading to full and permanent ordination.
With the encouragement of Rich Shields and pastor Frank Hays, presiding pastor of The American Association of Lutheran Churches, I've accepted a call to serve Faith Lutheran Church in Watseka, Illinois, which call I take up in about two weeks. So maybe they are also to blame for my disturbed sleep, sore muscles, and the smell of cardboard boxes which is currently permeating my life.
So there you have it. I'm shifting blame. Would I trade those opportunities? Not on your life. All these events are adding up to yet another step in this amazing journey called life in God's grace.
1 comment:
It is amazing to me to see how God has led you (and me along with you!) step-by-step and woven together all these threads to get you where you are now. We could never have planned it ourselves or foreseen where we would go. We'll continue to trust Him together. :-)
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