http://www.dordt.edu/cgi-bin/news/get_news.pl?id=4199
Hey all,
Erica is in the news...check it out
Monday, February 15, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Life after college
Life after college. Those might be three of the mosting daunting words to think about right now...life after college. It's really easy to get caught up in the hoopla of "the rest of your life", but I don't think that's how we should be understanding it.
We have decided to both persue jobs at this point. Seminary is by no means out of the picture for me, but now is not the right time. I kept asking God to show me something that would allow me to know this to clear up the murky water. I had an application for Western Theological Seminary sitting on my desk and both Erica and I loved our visit there. The people were great, they had a fantastic community, and the housing even included a dishwasher:) Everything seemed to fit in place so nicely, but I just couldn't fill out the application. It would sit on my desk and I would sit down to write, but the words wouldn't come. I couldn't do it. I got to thinking about this, as I have for the last 5 years or so now, and I realized that I had all kinds of external confirmation for me to go to seminary, but I don't know that I ever decided it was what I am passionate about. I am a bit sick of school and I don't know that I can say that I would look forward to doing the research necessary to write sermons. I would rather take what I have learned thus far from far wiser people than myself and go put that into practice in the workplace for a while. I am gifted in ministry in many ways and I don't intend to stop working with youth, leading worship, and working with community development, and it could very easily take me back to seminary someday, but not right now. So for all those who I have disappointed, I am sorry, but if I go to seminary it has to be because I can't see any other reality for me than to be in seminary.
I am applying for a job at Group Publishing in Loveland, Co. I feel as though this job is a great fit for me as it combines marketing with youth ministry. The position is a Marketing Coordinator for the Youth Ministry division at Group. I am fired up about who Group is as an organization and am looking forward to the chance to possibly work there. Please continue to be in prayer that if this is what God has for us and for me, he would open the doors through interviews and jobs and that we would be able to continue to strive to be faithful to the passions God has given us and the abilities he has gifted us with.
We have decided to both persue jobs at this point. Seminary is by no means out of the picture for me, but now is not the right time. I kept asking God to show me something that would allow me to know this to clear up the murky water. I had an application for Western Theological Seminary sitting on my desk and both Erica and I loved our visit there. The people were great, they had a fantastic community, and the housing even included a dishwasher:) Everything seemed to fit in place so nicely, but I just couldn't fill out the application. It would sit on my desk and I would sit down to write, but the words wouldn't come. I couldn't do it. I got to thinking about this, as I have for the last 5 years or so now, and I realized that I had all kinds of external confirmation for me to go to seminary, but I don't know that I ever decided it was what I am passionate about. I am a bit sick of school and I don't know that I can say that I would look forward to doing the research necessary to write sermons. I would rather take what I have learned thus far from far wiser people than myself and go put that into practice in the workplace for a while. I am gifted in ministry in many ways and I don't intend to stop working with youth, leading worship, and working with community development, and it could very easily take me back to seminary someday, but not right now. So for all those who I have disappointed, I am sorry, but if I go to seminary it has to be because I can't see any other reality for me than to be in seminary.
I am applying for a job at Group Publishing in Loveland, Co. I feel as though this job is a great fit for me as it combines marketing with youth ministry. The position is a Marketing Coordinator for the Youth Ministry division at Group. I am fired up about who Group is as an organization and am looking forward to the chance to possibly work there. Please continue to be in prayer that if this is what God has for us and for me, he would open the doors through interviews and jobs and that we would be able to continue to strive to be faithful to the passions God has given us and the abilities he has gifted us with.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Haiti
I have this burning desire to do something for the people of Haiti, but what do I do with it? It is really easy to just get caught up in the moment and want to go "make a difference"...but I think this is something more than that. As American members of the body of Christ we are in an extremely influential place. We have the resources to take a good hard look and something and get things done. We have the networks, the money, the technology, and the list goes on. However, we also have the abilitiy to shut all of this off. To turn the channel so that we don't have to think about the devestation and loss of life. To change the conversation topic to something that is a bit more user friendly and doesn't necessarily call us to action.
Sometimes I think we get so caught up in the fact that we have all this that we take the side of apathy and instead of action, we wait. We wait until someone comes directly to us and begs us to use our abilities and use our resources and then go to action after we feel needed. I am very guilty of this in my career search. My desire is that someone or something --preferrably God or possibly the angel Gabriel-- would just drop in and slap me across the face and say, "Listen, you have these gifts, I have these needs, let's get going with this. That hasn't happened...so guilty as charged. But what would it look like if I simply trusted God. If I took a step myself and organized a trip to Haiti or a drive for money or prayer or both. How would God be active if I was simply obedient to what I felt he was asking of me? Maybe this is more what Paul had in mind when he talked about the body of Christ in Romans and Corinthians.
So I understand this, but I still get caught up in the if's, ands, and buts. For instance, if I go to Haiti over spring break, I won't have the opportunity to visit potential jobs and go interview. Or if I go to Haiti I probably would leave Erica behind due to safety reasons. I don't know. These are some of the things I am struggling through right now: What does it look like to be an active member of the body of Christ and what does that look like for me vocationally? Is there a business in for profit or non profit that I can work for that really excites me and allows me to use my abilities for the needs of the world? And how can I make all this knowledge into a tangible, functioning faith that is visible and can be used. I don't have answers in this struggle, but I cling to Romans 8:28-29a.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. for those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son..."
Sometimes I think we get so caught up in the fact that we have all this that we take the side of apathy and instead of action, we wait. We wait until someone comes directly to us and begs us to use our abilities and use our resources and then go to action after we feel needed. I am very guilty of this in my career search. My desire is that someone or something --preferrably God or possibly the angel Gabriel-- would just drop in and slap me across the face and say, "Listen, you have these gifts, I have these needs, let's get going with this. That hasn't happened...so guilty as charged. But what would it look like if I simply trusted God. If I took a step myself and organized a trip to Haiti or a drive for money or prayer or both. How would God be active if I was simply obedient to what I felt he was asking of me? Maybe this is more what Paul had in mind when he talked about the body of Christ in Romans and Corinthians.
So I understand this, but I still get caught up in the if's, ands, and buts. For instance, if I go to Haiti over spring break, I won't have the opportunity to visit potential jobs and go interview. Or if I go to Haiti I probably would leave Erica behind due to safety reasons. I don't know. These are some of the things I am struggling through right now: What does it look like to be an active member of the body of Christ and what does that look like for me vocationally? Is there a business in for profit or non profit that I can work for that really excites me and allows me to use my abilities for the needs of the world? And how can I make all this knowledge into a tangible, functioning faith that is visible and can be used. I don't have answers in this struggle, but I cling to Romans 8:28-29a.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. for those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son..."
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