The Search for Internship & Trust

Notion...

I have a notion that Sunday is going to be very good.

I've been church hopping with the Assemblies of God for a few weeks here, and I see that each church has its definite strengths. One isn't thoroughly deep in its teaching, but its worship is decent, and it definitely allows the Holy Spirit to do His proper work to a definite degree. Another is exegetically-sound. The teaching is very solid. However, the fixed structure of leadership there makes me lean toward it not being the right place for an internship, as they would not really welcome me as one there.

But I just really have a notion that Sunday is going to be very good. :)

Internship Structure

I'm trying to work out a deal with one of the Supervised Ministries professors as to trying this setup for an internship --

Two mentors put together...
(1) Pastoral Internship - Local church setting, pastor as a mentor
(2) Book Internship - Working on a ministry-angle book on grief (sermons & poems to those grieving). The mentor would be someone from Trinity's Pastoral Counseling department.

This would be a huge plus since it would allow me flex time to work around my schedule where possible, but also would allow me a good amount of time devoted to pastoral ministry at the local church setting. Hours per week would probably be split 20/10 or 25/15 if I get really ambitious and my schedule isn't deadly.

I plan to take the following classes next semester:

Pastoral Duties
Pastoral Leadership
Ethics in Counseling
Preaching Old Testament
Foundation of Missions [Quad A]
Preaching Narrative [Quad B]

This is 11 hours of coursework. Do you think it's (1) possible or (2) wise to do a full internship with that load of courses? I honestly figure that the practical fuller-time ministry will be refreshing, though wearing, but welcome.

Another option with the internship would be to do it exclusively as a pastoral internship and just work on a book on the side. That's less realistic.

I. can't. wait. to. be. done. and. to. be. doing. full. time. ministry. ug.

Looking at the Past

Sometimes the key to trusting God now is to remember His faithful provision in the past. Even regardless, Jesus told his disciples in Mark 11, "HAVE FAITH IN GOD!" (yes, emphasis added)

In thinking about my age, I'm not the youngest, but on a large scale, I think at times why any church would want me to be a pastor there. It's what God has strongly called and gifted me to do, and faithful is He who calls me who actually will do it (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:24). It's a deep desire God has placed on my heart, just as a few other things new as of this year.

I think back to my childhood. I grew up in a cult. One of my prayers through that messy time was an innocent prayer, "Lord, I pray that you will make me a man of God when I grow up." Thinking about where God has taken me, and now being a very devoted man of God, His work in the past brings me hope that He will Provide now and forever.

Has He brought me here to just drop me and not use me at all?
No, He's brought me here to refine me, to mold me, and to prepare me. He has given me a vision in life, and He will bring it to pass.

He will open up the right internship, He will open up the right church for me to be a servant. He will provide everything that He's placed upon my heart in His perfect timing. But do we really pray expectantly? It's key!

So what do you make of Mark 11:22-24?

22 And Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God.
23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.
24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Obviously from James 4, we see also that people don't receive when they ask of their own sinful (contra-God) desires.

But do we actually believe that God will provide? How many limits are we placing on Him today that we haven't even discovered?

So think about the past, but as Jesus said, "Have faith in God."

WALK BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT! TRUST HIM FULLY!

Pulse Outreach - Day Zero

Today, I took off from Chicago-O'Hare and landed in Fargo, North Dakota for a full week of ministry with Pulse Outreach.

I checked my bags in, and the lady realized that one of my suitcases was really light. It was full, but all it had in it were my arcade shoes, a DDR pad, and the hard foam inserts (hahahaha). She told me, "Wow, this is light, you must be going shopping!" I told her that it was a DDR pad for an evangelistic tour, and I think she was skeptical as mess. haha, but my suitcase was indeed very light.

Our landing was very interesting -- we went down to land on the North runway, but there was a massive flock of birds that started to fly up as we came down. In order that we wouldn't crash and burn, the pilot jammed the plane up drastically, and we made another approach. After a few nauseating tight turns of the plane, we realized that the birds won.

We had to land on the East runway, which I thought was hilarious since we just got owned by a flock of birds. Thankfully we had no crisis or complications from the birds, and praise the Lord, we landed safely.

Tomorrow's brief homily will focus on the temporal vs. eternal -- what matters in life. See the video for a brief outline of what I'm thinking.

I also rocked out at an Assembly of God church up here in Fargo. It was bangin'. I generally love Assembly Churches, especially ones with order, Spirit-led worship, and especially solid Scriptural teaching. This one definitely had the first two, but it was a ministry show-and-tell night, so I actually went out with Jordan (a full-time Pulse Outreach worker) to another college service and listened to that message.

Know something cool?

All or Nothing

Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
John 15:5 - I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

So are we being strengthened to completion, or are we trying on our own strength and doing nothing significant? What really will last? Are we trying to earn our way into Heaven?

The price has been paid for us -- Jesus has already paid the price for our sins. As Paul and Silas told the Jailer: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31a).

Christianity is so basic. How much do we complicate things?

Jesus gave His life for us, so let's devote all our being to Him. Just as Romans 12:1 states, Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God!

Prayer

While we do that, please pray for the Pulse Outreach tour, that many would be encouraged and blessed, but mostly that lives will be changed through this event.