Hey Y’all–
Right now my blog is called “Chad Stuart’s Prose”. I feel like I want a new blog name.
Help me name my blog! Send me your suggestions.
Thanks,
Chad
So driving to my Coaching Network yesterday I was pondering the reality that I believe the time is coming when as a Seventh-day Adventist Minister will have to work for free…or at least only at the level my basic needs are provided for. I can’t really lay out for you all the reasons I feel that day is coming, I just believe it is.
Then during our Coaching Network during our Pressure Points time, one pastor discussed providing all his team with cell phones and paying for their bill. There was immediate push back on this issue. The leaders of the Network and other sage folk in the Coaching group showed several ways and examples of how this then becomes an area of entitlement. Where people think they “should” have their phone paid for by the church and become disgruntled if this “privilege”, which they have come to believe is their “right” is taken away or not available to them anymore.
That entire discussion and what I was thinking about on the way to the Network had me pondering on the way home from the Network, how we that work for the church or a religious organization need to be very careful about the condition of our hearts in regards to the “privileges” we have in working for the Kingdom of God. I believe too often our hearts may go astray and begin to see it as our “right” to have insurance, retirement, a salary, our phones paid for, assistance with schooling. None of these in fact our “rights” though, these are simply “privileges” and if they were all to leave us tomorrow if our hearts are in the right place it shouldn’t change at all the way we feel about doing ministry!
This past year the pastors in my conference received a 3% pay cut. Now no one likes to get a pay cut, but as I heard different discussion around the proverbial “water cooler” it made me wonder, “If this is how these folk feel about a 3 % cut, what is going to happen on the day we get a 100% cut?”
The question I believe all who work in ministry must ask ourselves is, “Would I still give all my life for ministry? Would I be broke for the sake of ministry if all the “privileges” were taken away? Do I work for the “privileges” or for the PRIVILEGE of being a full time servant of the Most High God?!” If we wouldn’t be doing what we are doing on the day we will no longer get a pay check, or our cell phones paid for, or insurance, or retirement, or school assistance, then I think it may be time for folk to find a new job! The full time ministry is a LIFE CALLING, not a job!
Just a few thoughts!
So today was a mixed bag…there was one really awesome thing…I am in a coaching network for the next 6 or so months and today I attended my first session and learned a TON! Otherwise the day was kinda rough…
Since I had to drive all the way to the Milpitas I was up a little before 5 a.m., as was Christina since she is a crazy light sleeper and actually the one that came around to my side of the bed to turn off my alarm :). The best thing would have been for us to be able to get up and get ready quietly and peacefully, but well before they were supposed to be up both boys were up and ready to vie for our attention.
Then I drove 3+ hours to the Coaching Network. Again I learned a ton and had a great time. But my stomach hurt most the day and the only pizza they ordered was covered in meat, guess I forgot to tell them I am a vegetarian.
On the way home I got stuck in some traffic. And while in traffic suddenly had to go to the bathroom very badly! That was rough!
Driving home I listened to the Mavericks vs Heat game. I am not a Heat fan at all yet I lost the signal when the Heat were up 15…I was bothered that I had listened to that whole game and then the Heat were just going to blow them out. Oops…I guess after my signal died the Mavs went on a crazy run and won the game, of course I missed it…my trip home took about 4 or so hours.
Oh and I forgot to mention probably the most frustrating thing of the day…while I was standing in the shower trying to wake-up…the water running over my head, reminded me of the water running into our pool…
Yep, I had decided the evening before to add a little water to our pool…only problem is I never turned off the hose…so our backyard was flooded, that is a nice waste of water and going to be a pretty bill.
I guess today was just an average day…mixed…full of some frustrating things and some highlights…
But as I get ready for bed…the day becomes great because I am thinking of four things:
1. God loves me and has forgiven my sins
2. My wife is healthy and happy
3. My two 1/2 year old looks like an angel while he sleeps
4. My 9 almost 10 month old was just crying and self soothed himself back to sleep without us having to go back in there
Those four individuals really make up the primary good in my life and so every day ends well because I am with them:
God, Christina, Dayton, & Landon.
May tomorrow be just as blessed!
The Ark exists to impact EVERY life by boldly calling people to follow Jesus, transparently loving others (as Christ does!), obediently serving the community, faithfully teaching the full truth of the Bible, and intentionally training witnesses for the Kingdom.
Please pray for this movement! Our first preview service is this Sabbath/Saturday at 4:30 p.m.. if you are around feel free to join us it is at the Willow Glen Elementary School in Visalia, CA.
Thank you for your prayers!
If you don’t like Christian music, at least not what is played on the radio 99% of the time, you will like the album below. Even if you do like more of the pop Christian music out there, but also appreciate some soulful, folk, bluegrass style of music you will like this as well!
A fella I know, Josh Cunningham, has released his first solo Christian album. Josh is a very accomplished musician, he has been a part of the Australian band The Waifs for close to 20 years. The Waifs a multi-platinum selling group, and winner of several ARIA awards (Australia’s version of the Grammy’s I guess). Josh several years ago gave his heart to the Lord and while continuing to be a part of the Waifs has also been working through ARISE as a Bible worker and utilizing his skills as a musician to spread the Gospel.
His new Album Into Tomorrow is available through his above website or if you are like me and work in the wonderful world of Apple:) You can go to itunes and purchase it there as I did.
Folk I would urge y’all to go have a listen and pick this album up. I have been listening to it the last couple of days and it is tremendous…I thought I may just be bias because I know Josh. So I had my little sister have a listen, she is very critical about music, and I think fancies herself as a ‘bit of a music connoisseur…I knew she would tell me if she thought it was junk as she has done about other things I have liked in the past, and she said, “I really like this!”
So go listen and buy this spiritually deep, mellow, accoustical brilliant album!
If you haven’t heard Harold Camping is predicting that the end of the world will take place May 21…that is tomorrow in case you were wondering. Maybe as you are reading this for some of you Down Under. I wanted to take a moment to share a few thoughts I had regarding this prediction.
Harold Camping’s prediction and the prediction of William Miller in 1844 should not be seen in the same light. William Miller came to the wrong conclusion but the process by which he got to that conclusion is still in existence today within Adventism and without. Camping uses numerology to get to his conclusion, William Miller used a Bible based exegetical process.
That said, my second thought is that while William Miller’s methodology was more sound his prediction was still wrong! His prediction was wrong, just like Theudas in 44 AD and probably John Denton’s will be in 2034 A.D.. (There have been 242 known apocalypse predictions since the life of Jesus). We should never get caught up in predictions! God will come when God will come. Our only hope for being prepared is to live each day completely committed to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour!
As Adventists I hope we would not mock Harold Camping, we should remember that in our history many of our forefathers were once confused as well! I have heard many folk comment about how stupid and foolish people must be to believe such claims. Was our church founded by stupid fools, or people that were sincere, just sincerely deceived? I believe that rather than mocking the followers of Camping we should pray that just as God led our founders to discover greater truth as they went back to their Bibles following “The Great Disappointment”, that the folk following Camping will in their disappointment do the same and come to a greater understanding and appreciation for the Word of God!
My friend Kessia Reyne Bennett tweeted the following: “Seems like so many people are insisting that heaven isn’t coming on May 21st but we haven’t stopped to ask why we’re so glad that it’s not.” I believe this statement is very thought provoking. I can think of only one reason that we should rejoice that Heaven isn’t broaching our solar system: Because it means we have more time to reach more people for Jesus. If this is not the reason you are glad that Heaven is not here, than there should be an examination of our heart. In all of us I believe there should be tinge of sadness each day that this world and it’s sin continues on! Probably something we rarely think about, but this world is not our home…and every day I am away from my earthly home I spend a moment thinking about my wife and my boys and wishing I was with them. Do we do that in regards to our heavenly home?
I believe people need to be careful. I like sports, and I like some sports talk radio. One of my favorites is Colin Cowherd. Well today I was very disappointed, Cowherd labeled his email inbox: the Judgement Day inbox. He was mocking what Camping was saying was going to take place. In the process of mocking Camping, which I don’t believe is right either, but they were truly mocking God. I think folk need to be careful, just because May 21st, 2011 may not be the day of judgement, a judgement day will come and folk will have to give an account of the words they spoke and did not speak, and the deeds they did and did not do.
These are some of my thoughts on this Sabbath evening. I look forward to worshiping our Lord tomorrow and I live with the knowledge of the truth, though I do not know the day or the hour “He who is coming will come and will not delay.” –Hebrews 10:37