Wow! It's been a while, yet again, since I've updated this. Kristin and I have been extremely busy. Just today, I turned in 3 final papers for a J-term class (1 seminary class in 1 week). Christie and one of her friends (Jenn) are up visiting with us for the weekend, and we plan to go to the Creation Museum and then the Bodies Exhibit at the Cincy Museum tomorrow (Saturday). We're then heading to Gainesville Sunday afternoon to meet up with Kristin's parents and head by train to Washington D.C. for the week for a much needed vacation. In the next 5 weeks, we'll be in D.C. for a week, I have 1 more J-term, we'll be in Hilton Head (vacation with my family) for 1 week, and in Newfoundland for 1 1/2 weeks. That's a lot of travel! July 30th is when we'll be heading to Newfoundland, Canada...this will be our first time in Canada, and we're really looking forward to meeting the team currently in the field, and getting to know their ministry and where we might fit into it. Pray for us as we travel, and especially as we prepare for the trip to Newfoundland.
I wanted to include something that's been on my heart lately. I've been reading through Evening by Evening by Charles Spurgeon lately, and the read for today was a great one. In the past several weeks, I've had several friends and laypeople in our church make comments about my position in ministry, referring to the work that "pastors" do. The reading from today was based on 1 Corinthians 7:20 which says "Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called." In this study, Spurgeon says "Some people have the foollish notion that the only way in which they can live for God is by becoming ministers, missionaries, or Bible women." He goes on to say "Fill your present sphere to His praise, and if He needs you in another, He will show it to you." Spurgeon has a great way of teaching truths so easily. It's so important that those believers not in ministry realize that the job of ministry and of evangelism falls not onto the shoulders of only pastors and ministers, but on all believers. If the work falls only to the paid church staff, we will not make a single dent in fulfilling the Great Commission. The church, as a whole, must work together to tell a lost a dying world the beautiful truth of Christ's death and resurrection. We must all be ministers.
