David's Blog

By October 1st, Lauren and I will be at our new home in Phoenix AZ.... More to come.

America's Toughest Jobs is for everyone who's ever wished for a chance to leave behind the safe, comfortable monotony of their job for something more. And for everyone who's ever heard of a dangerous, adventure-filled job and said, "I can do that!" From the producers of Deadliest Catch and Monster Garage comes an adrenaline-pumping series that exposes contestants to careers that require every ounce of energy they've got. From working on the windswept deck of an Alaskan crab boat and being an ice road trucker, to making a living as a roughneck on a Texas oil rig, we discover if the average person can really succeed where professionals sometimes fail.

Source: http://americastoughestjobs.blogspot.com/

Part of maintaining long term employment is loving what you do. In ministry it can be challenging. The average pastor remains at a given church between 3-5 years and while I was reading this morning I read that the average Youth Pastor only sticks around for 19 months!

I have spent some much needed time studying my Bible today in the book of John. While reading I came across the following verses in John 3, after Jesus was speaking to the Samaritan woman:

30 They went out of the city, and were coming to Him. 31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?” 34 Jesus *said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. 35 “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.

What Jesus said is so true. There is something satisfying about doing the work that God the father has created you to do. Despite the challenges we face at times in ministry, there is something that is so thoroughly satisfying about the work that I do. Plus I feel so privileged to be doing it!

Do you love your work? Does it bring you to a place of satisfaction? If not, why do you do it?

Since yesterday I took time to watch a repeat of one of my favorite shows on television, HOUSE. The new season starts in two weeks and I am very excited about it. The show is an innovative take on medical drama. Dr. Gregory House solves odd medical mysteries where the villain is a medical malady and the hero is an irreverent, controversial doctor who trusts no one, least of all his patients.

Last night's repeat episode started with House waking from a concussion and only remembering that someone was going to die if he didn't find them soon. He spends the entire episode in and out of self induced hallucinations to remember what happened and who is dying. Turns out that the person dying is his best friend’s girlfriend and it is all his fault. His best friend is a fellow doctor and is watching the love of his life pass away. She is one of the only patients that House has ever lost and he ultimately caused her death.

This is the only time you ever see House feel guilty. In his last hallucination he says that he doesn't want to wake up because he doesn't want to feel guilty and he doesn't want his best friend to be mad at him.

NOBODY likes to feel guilty. Yet, the power to make somebody feel guilty is like none other. If you condemn someone and invoke guilt, you humiliate them and raise yourself above them. Living a life full of guilt would be horrible. Living a life condemning others would be detrimental. Where do Christians fit? If we are truly a depraved and sinful creature, shouldn't our God condemn us for our sin and leave us in guilt?

The answer is Grace...

Because we have a gracious savior we can live a life of peace and joy knowing that God loves us even when we betray him, curse him, and transgress against his will. Most people believe that being a Christian is slavery and living in guilt. But Christianity should be freedom from the pagan bondage of lordship salvation.

Belief in Christ is to follow his ways. When Jesus was on earth he only promoted faith and discouraged devotion to traditional sacrifices and meaningless acts of zealously to God.

Let us follow Jesus' ways. Let us fellowship together bearing the guilt burdens of each other and humbly lay down our condemnation.

Author Lois Cheney tells a story about a man who clung to the railing of his life. It goes like this:

“The man saw people love each other, and he saw that all love made strenuous demands on the lovers. He saw love requires sacrifice and self-denial. He saw love produce arguments and anguish, and he decided that it cost too much. He decided not to diminish life with love.

He saw people strive for distant goals. He saw men and women pursue high, high ideals, and he saw that striving was frequently mixed with disappointment…And he decided that it cost too much. He decided not to soil his life with striving.

He saw people serving others. He saw men give money to the poor and helpless, and he saw the more they served, the faster the need grew. He saw some ungrateful receivers turn on their serving friends. And he decided not to soil his life with serving.

And when he died, he walked up to God and presented him with his life. Undiminished, unmarred, and unsoiled, his life was clean from the filth of the world, and he presented it proudly, saying, “This is my life.” And the great God said, “What life?”

I’ve had a string of difficult days. Late nights with no sleep where I’ve been haunted by decisions. Long days trying to figure out solutions. Difficult conversations I wanted to run from. Personal reflections that were, at times, very painful.

I don’t mention this for sympathy’s sake. The reality is this is life. I choose this. Why? I want to love, strive, sacrifice, and serve. Because I want to live life. I want to minister. I want to live life to the FULL.