Wow, 2 Weeks is a long time...

Man, I can't believe it has been a whole two weeks since I last blogged. I need to get back into it. The last two weeks have been pretty hoping for me. And this is a good thing. I have spent so much time with my kids and my wife that it isn't funny. My kids have been on spring break, so we have been able to do stuff and just hang out. I am not doing ministry, so I have so much more time that I have moments where I don't know what I should be doing.

I am thankful for this break, and the opportunity to spend more time with my family. I think God knew what he was doing when the events of my life happened. :)

Anyways, life is moving right along. Beth and I are continuing to look at full-time youth pastor positions. We have talked to churches all over the Eastern half of the US. We are getting good vibes from a couple and hoping that God will bring our search to an end. We are getting more and more excited about this possibility. I have begun to start researching lessons that I am wanting to do, trying to get some stuff done before I move forward. That way I can hit the ground running. We are spending a ton of time doing research of different areas.

We did have one major setback. We were hoping to head to MD for a church near Baltimore but they decided to hire another guy. I wasn't too disappointed when I found out he had a master and bachelor's in religion... I would have hired him also. One thing I have learned from all this, is that most churches don't equate volunteer experience (no matter how much) with paid experience. I have been doing volunteer ministry for over 3.5 years and when some people hear that I am not paid, you can almost tell the change in their voice. And I know they aren't exactly the same, but some people haven't had the opportunity yet to get their feet wet and paid. At Covenant, I ran my ministry like I was paid. We had a full blown youth program, and there wasn't anything I didn't do. I probably put in at least 40 hours a week (on average) into that ministry.

Anyways, not a huge issue. I know God has a place for me. He has begun to open up at least 3 new doors for us to look into. All of them would be great positions for us, and we are continually praying for His will in our life. One of the biggest things I have learned in the last 6 months is that God is in control, not me. No matter how much I plan or scheme or hope, what I do doesn't matter. My gut can tell me anything it wants, but if God has something else in mind, He will do it.

I live you with these verses from Matt. 6:25-34;
25“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
26Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
27Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
28“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;
29and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
32For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.