For the longest time, I had no clue what I "wanted to be" when I grew up. I knew that I did not want to be a pastor, and I knew that I really had no other skills or even main desires. The only direction I had at all, was that I enjoyed messing around with some computer layout and simple design for things like posters and such and I also enjoyed messing around some with Computer programming. So I applied to Pensacola Christian College with a double major of Computer Science and Graphic Design (or maybe computer science was a minor - I don't really remember. In fact, I had totally forgotten I was into computer programming until just now). I was accepted into the Graphic Design program with a built in Advertising minor. I chose PCC due in large part to the fact that it was in Florida, and for a Christian college - it was cheap. When I attended in the fall of 1997 it was $5000 a year: room, board, and tuition. Plus, I got about $2000 of that knocked off each year with scholarships - so the price really could not be beat.
I loved my time at PCC. Yeah, the rules weren't always my most favorite thing, and I didn't always understand them, but the more I grew, the more I realized that they were for a purpose, and to just follow while I am there (since I was voluntarily there - no one was FORCING me to attend that college). God taught me so much while I was there, and I grew a great deal.
I had the opportunity to get involved in ministry while I was there. I joined the college choir, and sang on Sunday nights. Out of this ministry came an opportunity for me to travel to Germany on a 2-week missions trip that first summer as part of a music team. I got involved in nursing home ministry and kids Bible club ministry, and even participated a couple of times at the Juvenile Justice Center ministry. All during this time, God was shaping my desire for ministry.
My dream at this time had become that God would use my graphic design skills in the church and in Christian ministry, and that I would be able to work full time in ministry doing graphic design.
I graduated in 2001 with my B.S. and continued on into the graduate art program.
It was very soon into this program (about 2 months) through God working in my heart, and a very close friend, that I decided that God wanted to use me in a way I had not anticipated. I realized that the art was no longer fulfilling my desire to be used of God in ministry with people. I had gone from being one who did not like the spotlight or attention at all - to one who wanted to be more used to have an impact and affect a change in peoples' lives for God's glory. Specifically, thanks to NLI and other ministries I was involved in - I then realized that my heart was really after full-time youth ministry.
I dropped out of the graduate art program and enrolled in the seminary - graduating in Spring of 2003 with a Masters of Art degree in Bible Exposition.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Catching Up (camp days)
As a 9 year old child, I began attending a Christian camp called New Life Island (NLI). NLI is an island in the Delaware River. I loved going there as a camper and I knew that as soon as I was old enough, I would want to work there. So when I turned 15, I began to spend my summers on staff at NLI. My first 2 summers, I worked in the kitchen: washing dishes, cutting vegetables, etc. The following 2 summers, I was promoted to Assistant Cook. This was an interesting and always exciting experience. While I was on staff, I had the opportunity to work with some very great people, and always had an amazing experience so that I was never ready for the summer to end. They were always a spiritual and social high for me.
It was at NLI as a young teen that I surrendered my life to God. I told God that I was willing to do whatever it was that He wanted me to do and that I would go wherever it was that He wanted me to go. I had not much ideas right then what that may involve, but I wanted to follow God in whatever it was.
I envied the counselors in their getting to work directly with the kids and every time I got to hear about decisions being made for God it was always so exciting to be a small part of but I secretly kinda wanted more. I didn't know how that was possible though because there was no way I could ever be a camp counselor.
Well, toward the end of my second summer as the Assistant Cook, the camp director came to me and asked if I could help them out by filling in a week as a counselor (since there were more boy campers coming then they had the counselors to cover). With much fear and in trepidation, I said yes. The nervously anticipated week came and went, and I was hooked. I LOVED counseling. I came back the following 3 summers as a counselor and couldn't imagine doing anything else.
I loved building the relationships with the campers I had, and even had the privilege of continuing many of them on beyond the week at camp to follow-up visits to their homes, hanging out with them, emailing, and talking on the phone. I saw and experienced God changing lives through me (definitely not because of anything good that I did or was, but because He is good!)
This brings me to the end of my college years, so I need to go back and update you on my college years in the next post.
It was at NLI as a young teen that I surrendered my life to God. I told God that I was willing to do whatever it was that He wanted me to do and that I would go wherever it was that He wanted me to go. I had not much ideas right then what that may involve, but I wanted to follow God in whatever it was.
I envied the counselors in their getting to work directly with the kids and every time I got to hear about decisions being made for God it was always so exciting to be a small part of but I secretly kinda wanted more. I didn't know how that was possible though because there was no way I could ever be a camp counselor.
Well, toward the end of my second summer as the Assistant Cook, the camp director came to me and asked if I could help them out by filling in a week as a counselor (since there were more boy campers coming then they had the counselors to cover). With much fear and in trepidation, I said yes. The nervously anticipated week came and went, and I was hooked. I LOVED counseling. I came back the following 3 summers as a counselor and couldn't imagine doing anything else.
I loved building the relationships with the campers I had, and even had the privilege of continuing many of them on beyond the week at camp to follow-up visits to their homes, hanging out with them, emailing, and talking on the phone. I saw and experienced God changing lives through me (definitely not because of anything good that I did or was, but because He is good!)
This brings me to the end of my college years, so I need to go back and update you on my college years in the next post.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Catching Up (My Childhood)
This is the first post in my new efforts to blog the journey of this youth pastor. I realize many will probably not choose to read all of this, which is fine, but I felt it important for me and for my future, to document this amazing journey.
I was born in 1979 to a loving, Christian family. I was (and still am) child #2. There would later come four more children. My dad was basically my pastor my entire life up until my college years. At the very young age of 5, I realized that I needed Jesus. No, I was not a terrible sinner, but I knew that according to the Bible, that I was not one of God's children, and I wanted to be. So as a 5 year old boy, I prayed on my bed, and asked Jesus to save me from my sins. A year or so later, I was baptized.
The young age at which I made this decision did cause me to have some doubt later in life when I was a young teenager, but this was quickly taken care of by talking to God again, assuring myself of my decision and once again asking God to save me.
Growing up as a "PK" (pastor's kid), I really did not have any desire to be a Pastor (okay, truth be told, at a very young age I probably did. I mean, what kid does not want to be like their dad at a young age. However, once I was old enough to begin to understand what it meant, I did NOT want to do that). I had seen from the inside what ministry was like on my dad, on the family, and I was not one to enjoy being up in front of people, so there was no way that the Pastorate was for me.
I was born in 1979 to a loving, Christian family. I was (and still am) child #2. There would later come four more children. My dad was basically my pastor my entire life up until my college years. At the very young age of 5, I realized that I needed Jesus. No, I was not a terrible sinner, but I knew that according to the Bible, that I was not one of God's children, and I wanted to be. So as a 5 year old boy, I prayed on my bed, and asked Jesus to save me from my sins. A year or so later, I was baptized.
The young age at which I made this decision did cause me to have some doubt later in life when I was a young teenager, but this was quickly taken care of by talking to God again, assuring myself of my decision and once again asking God to save me.
Growing up as a "PK" (pastor's kid), I really did not have any desire to be a Pastor (okay, truth be told, at a very young age I probably did. I mean, what kid does not want to be like their dad at a young age. However, once I was old enough to begin to understand what it meant, I did NOT want to do that). I had seen from the inside what ministry was like on my dad, on the family, and I was not one to enjoy being up in front of people, so there was no way that the Pastorate was for me.
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