First, before I get to the point for this week, I want to tell you about what will be happening here in November. I was wandering around the internet this past spring and I found a website for National Novel Writing Month, which just happens to be November. It's not just a celebration of writers; it's the opportunity to become a writer. The object is to literally write a 50,000 word novel (about 175 pages) from the 1st to the 30th. Some 42,000 people actually completed the task last year. I hope to be one of them this year. And the best part is - I'm going to post ALL of my work in November here at True Heart Times! So you can read along with me in the whole creative process. Please be kind if you think it stinks!
Now, you know me. This won't be just some fluff to enjoy yourself while waiting for a train or something. I'm going to call it "Pastor Spike". It's going to be about a pastor who goes on the journey of desire to find his true heart. I'll use the month to develop a ministry tool that I can use to help people understand what being alive in Christ is really all about. I highly doubt what arrives on Dec. 1 will be a final draft. But a heavy first draft of a book will be a great step.
Well, that's my November. December, of course, is all about the holidays. Then comes 2006. I will be starting classes through Berean School of the Bible in January! I've talked and talked about Bible training. Now I've got an opportunity to get started...finally. The Berean School is a ministry for lay leaders to get solid Bible training on a flexible schedule. Now it's not a true Bible college or seminary. I won't get a Master's degree when I'm done. But if I follow the three levels all the way through, I'd have everything I need to be ordained through the Assemblies of God. I'm not really doing it to get a title, though. As we've discussed here at great length, I feel there are a lot of things God has in store for me and my family. I want to take the classes to be ready to do all I am called to do. I have to enrich myself so that those who rely on me down the line can count on me to be the best I can be.
Pastor Lorenzo and I were talking last week about what the church is doing and how we're all moving forward. He is putting together a network of ministries and churches on each continent to further the Kingdom of God around the world. I told Lorenzo I'm planning on doing the Bible school, not that I'm necessarily going to end up in full-time ministry, but that I'd be ready to serve. Lorenzo said, "Why wouldn't you serve full-time? The laborers are few, you know.". I had told many others pastors and leaders that I'd love to serve in full-time work. They always downplayed it, like I'm some freak who's ready to jump on the first plane to Papua New Guinea. But it's the burden of my heart to serve. There's so much left to do; why not use me? If you can use anything, Lord, you can use me! Lorenzo is the first church leader who simply said, "Let's go!" He mentioned that he'll be doing pastoral training in Africa and China next year. I pray I can go on one (or both) of those trips. God will work out the finances and the time off. God will protect Tricia and the girls. It is time to get to work! I'm so pumped that I go to a church that is so pro-active in sharing the gospel and working for his purposes. And that there seems to be a big place for us to occupy.
Also (Boy, it has been a while since I've written about all this stuff, huh?) I'm going to be a group leader at Good Fight of Faith. Anthony asked me this past Tuesday night. I, along with Jim Zipp I think, will be taking over Anthony's group, which is with the first-time guys who just start coming. Jim and I will facilitate the "getting current" with all the guys, manage the phone calls, and help these guys develop a strategy to get out of their holes. It's exciting, because now I get to really build into these guys lives. It's a main reason why I want to get a book out to continue being used.
Then, let's look a little bit at work. Starting in January, I'm going to be working full time between Rotterdam and Cobleskill. It's awesome for many different reasons: I'm not going to Albany at all during the week, I'm going to make more off of each sale. I'm not sure if there are any negatives, to be honest! I guess you can call it a promotion! September was incredibly busy. I sold 51 hearing aids! Now, October is about servicing all I sold and trying to do more so I can keep my numbers up.
WHEW! It has been pretty crazy, huh? But God has been incredibly faithful through it all. And He keeps revealing Himself in awesome ways. We're in the grip of the Master and He's leading our every step. Funny, isn't it? For seven months, I've been writing here about my desires and how I wanted God to show Himself strong and move mountains and change my life. Well, now I'm on the other side of some stuff. Sure seems different. Different church, different attitude. Free from fear. He's taken care of everything. Didn't He say He would? And He did.
Walk with God...
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