About Me

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I’m from New York but my driver’s license lists that my address is Ohio. My passport has a number of stamps in it. I’m the youngest of six, yet oldest son. I have a number after my initials, but not my name. I like music. I like coffee, beer and bourbon. I am a follower of Jesus. I watch bonus features on DVD’s. For four months each year my wife and I are the same age. “I pledge allegiance to a country without borders, without politicians.” I am an ordained pastor, but don't currently have a church. I’ve eaten raw horse meat. I’m fifteen inches taller than my wife, but I look up to her. I still prefer buying CDs to downloading music. I’m a night owl, who doesn’t mind getting up early. I like to play games. I moved to another country nine days after my wedding. I sometimes quote random lyrics. I believe in miracles. I prefer desktops to laptops. I like listening to audio books. I watch Buffalo Bills and Sabres games. I have five sons. I'm living life mid sentence.

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Churches, Jobs and Dealing With the Politics

After graduating college I struggled to find a local church that I could connect with. My work schedule made it difficult for me to attend a number of services throughout the week, and when I was able to attend I didn't feel that I was really connecting with others around me. Sunday mornings weren't a time when I was joined together with other believers, and I didn't have others opening up to me so I could help them carry their burdens, and I had no one whom I could open up to for me to share my burdens with them. That period was a dark time for me, and during that time I wrote a blog entry entitled Starbucks Vs. The Church.

After a period of searching I was able to find a local body of believers where I was able to plug in and be involved in the lives around me. At times I was able to be of spiritual encouragement to those I worshiped with, and more often others were of spiritual encouragement to me.

Skipping ahead a couple of years I found myself in a different position, having moved to a foreign country with little to no options when it came to churches attend. Not only was I outside of a "Christian" environment, but I also was in a country where few people spoke the same language as me. Some Sunday mornings my wife and I would attend a small Christian church, but with the sermon being in a foreign language we got little to nothing out of the messages.

After returning to the U.S. my wife and I quickly got involved in her home church. While the denomination was new to me, I was able to get involved in working in the children's ministry, and was able to connect with others who were my age. For the first time in years, and in some senses the first time in my life I truly had a church family that I could call my home church. My church truly takes to heart the N.T. command to carry each others burdens, and on more than one occasion has helped my wife and I out, when we were in need. Unlike other times I've experienced helping hands, when it comes to those at my church I do not feel that their gifts are out of a sense of obligation, but instead out of love.

Here is where I face a dilemma. In the past I worked for a Christian organization, and part of me would like to return to work for that organization in the future. But that organization has a policy that includes prospective workers must be members of churches that share similar doctrinal background as the organization. If I were to return to work for that organization now I wouldn't have too much difficulty, because I never withdrew my membership from the church I attended when I previously worked there, but if I do not move back to the area of my former church soon I would like to join the church I've attended for the past 11 months.

While I do not hold to some of the doctrinal positions of those in my current church, for example I believe I am the only Calvinist there, it is a godly group of believers that I am able to worship and minister with. This week I read an article online which got me thinking about why I haven't joined my church. I'm inclined to think I should join the church and deal with any subsequent issues later.