THE ADVENTURES OF A BI-VOCATIONAL PASTOR
Being a pastor is a difficult job being a bi vocational pastor is an adventure! Well not really but being a bi vocational pastor is a very unique experience with many difficulties attached.
You have been to school you have planned and dreamed of the day you would be a pastor. The day finally arrives you are now a pastor however something else happens that you did not plan on, you still have to keep a full time job to support your family.
So now in reality you have 2 full time jobs. By day you are just another worker they may know you are a pastor but they think things like, if he was a good pastor he wouldn't be working here! They see your ministry as more of a hobby for you and not a real job. At church you are called pastor and they don't really think about the fact that you have another job.
They expect you to be prepared when you preach and to be there when they need you. In some ways the bi-vocational pastor finds themselves in a frustrating place. They see themselves as Pastor but they spend over 40 hours a week with people who don;t see them that way. They ask week after week, "hey, what are you doing this weekend?" You have told them a thousand times that you will be preparing for your sermons but they never seem to understand.
Many times they ask you what are you going to do when you leave this job and you will tell them again that you are a pastor and that is what you are going to be doing but they never seem to get it! Back at the church people seem to completely forget that you have spend 40 hours during the week doing your other job. You still have to prepare the sermons, Sunday school lessons etc.
Many forget that you have a family that you have to at least say hi to sometimes! I am writing all of this because of where I am right now. My other job has required of me this week to work from 4:00pm Thursday until 7:00am Friday. My job basically is to answer phones and ensure patients medical needs are properly addressed. I am by myself in a room with a phone, TV, security camera monitors.
I have brought with me a very large back of books, my I-Pod loaded with sermons and news programs and of course a lot of food! So for the next 15 hours I am going to share with the readers of the Preaching Today blog what happens through the night. Because I am a bi-vocational pastor I have some things I must do. Prepare for my sermon Sunday morning. I am preaching on 1 Corinthians 5:9-13. I also need to prepare for the Sunday School lesson. I am teaching through the Puritan Catechism and we are on the section dealing with the attributes of God. I also need to prepare for the Sunday night sermon. I will be preaching on Zechariah 13. So there is a upside for working this shift tonight, I have more time to study then I usually have.
The downside is trying to stay awake and then tomorrow trying to revert back to a day schedule so I can be ready to preach Sunday morning!
I have the weather channel on the T.V. keeping up with the winter storm that is moving into the area. They are expecting freezing rain overnight into the morning. If this happens I will be responsible for ensuring all the employees are called if the leadership decides to delay the report time tomorrow.
On my I-Pod I just listened to the latest news from Africa. It is a podcast by the BBC. I have always been interested in the country of Africa and this way I can hear the latest news everyday.
The key story that has been the focus of many programs the last few week is the crisis in Kenya. I have been posting information about the situation of the Worldview blog. You can read the article at this link: http://www.worldvieww.blogspot.com/
Next on my I-Pod I listened to world news from the BBC.
One major story was about the wall being built on the border between Mexico and the United States.
Another story that was featured was:
Social networking websites could be "romanticising" suicide, an MP claims after the deaths of seven young people from her area in the past year.
You can read the story at this link: Suicide
Going to take a break and eat.
I am back, it is 7:19pm I have a little over 11 hours to go!
Next up on my I-Pod is the White Horse Inn. The title of the program is, Christless Christianity!
Here is the description on the program:
Christless Christianity Countless sermons in churches across the country focus on moralistic concerns and personal transformation. But has Christ gotten lost in the shuffle? Have we inverted Paul's warnings by intentionally preaching ourselves, and not Christ crucified? On this edition of the White Horse Inn, the hosts introduce the new theme for 2008: Christless Christianity!
Here is a link to an article about the same subject: Christless
It is 7:54pm and the bad news is that I already feel tired! I did not sleep in today so it is going to be a long night. As I am listening to the White Horse Inn I am looking at the 1 Corinthians text for Sunday. The good news is that for the most part it is a simple text and I should not have much difficulty in getting it ready. The struggle is going to be tomorrow. When I get off work it will be 7:00am and I am going to feel like I am ready to die. If I go home and sleep to long then tomorrow night I will not want to sleep so then I will be messed up come Saturday!
The White Horse Inn program is over and everyone should take the time to listen.
Next up on my I-Pod is a chapel message from Baptist Bible College.
The text is John 9:4
The speaker states that the verse is about time management.
He has three points:
1. You have to accept your identity: We have to understand that we are the Lord's we are not our own. We have a calling on our life.
2. You must accept responsibility.
3. We have to seize opportunity.
Many stories in the sermon but one thing seriously missing! There is not real teaching about the text. For example:
What is the context?
How does verse 4 connect with the context?
Does the use of terms like, day and night have significance considering the context is Jesus healing a person who is born blind?
no answers were even hinted at for these kinds of questions.
Some of the points may have been good application for the text but the text was never truly taught or interpreted!
The sermon was all about us and Jesus in a sense was forgotten even though the verse was about Jesus!
It is now 8:40pm and I still have many hours to go!
As I sit here I am thinking about just how amazing I-Pods are. I can sit here all night and listen to sermons and programs from all over the world. Christians should use this technology for their own spiritual growth and churches should ensure people can obtain their sermons with an I-Pod.
I just went outside and wow, it is cold!
Still listening to the message from Baptist Bible College. It is just so sad that this is being preached at a Bible college and when this sermon is over I will have not really learned anything about the bible! In fact I will have learned very little about the text! Yes he makes some very good points but why can't pastors expound the Scriptures and then add points of application at the end?
We have the typical closing story at the end. It is a sad story about a gentleman who died on September 11, 2001. The man is Todd Beamer who was on flight 93.
Sermon over and I know no more about John 9 then I did before I listened to the sermon.
It is now 9:00pm I have 10 hours left!
Next up on my I-Pod is the, Orthodixe podcast. I have been saying for the past year that the Greek Orthodox church is growing and that most Christians have no idea what they believe or teach. So I have been listening to Orthodox podcast for 2 years to ensure I can offer and intelligent opinion and engage in a meaningful conversation about the subject.
Here is the link to the blog that is connected to the podcast:
http://southern-orthodoxy.blogspot.com/
The podcast was hilarious! You can listen to it yourself at this link:
http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/orthodixie
Next up on my I-Pod more Eastern Orthodox podcasts: The Illumined Heart Podcast.
The subject is one that should keep me on the edge of my seat :)
St. John Chrysostom on Marriage and Monasticism.
You to can share in the excitement and listen to the program at this link:
http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/illuminedheart/P32/
I took a break from the podcast called Jim Leavenworth one of the contributors to this blog. I then ate a apple Cinnamon role! Lots of sugar and I drank a coke lots of caffeine, not very healthy but I feel more awake for now.
Back to the podcast. It is 10:34PM I am still listening to the Illumined Heart podcast. It is a very interesting conversation with a lot of information about church history.
It is 11:23pm the podcast has ended. Next up on my I-Pod more Greek Orthodox podcast. The Illumined Heart podcast on the subject of God: Essence and Energies.
The program is going to deal with Greek philosophy. The program brings to light the idea that in Christianity we believe that God is:
1. Transcendent: This means God is outside of his creation
2. Omnipresent. God is present everywhere at the same time.
These are both true yet seem to be in conflict.
We have a transcendent God who is yet present everywhere.
While listening I checked out Theopedia.com and did a search and found this:
Transcendence of God
From Theopedia
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9, NIV)
The transcendence of God is closely related to his sovereignty. It means that God is above, other than, and distinct from all he has made - he transcends it all. Paul says that there is "one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Ephesians 4:6). Scripture says elsewhere, "For you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods (Psalms 97:9; cf. 108:5).
To affirm God's transcendence and deny his immanence is to arrive at deism. To deny his transcendence and affirm his immanence is to arrive at pantheism.
It is now 12:40am. I have taken some time to walk around and basically try to wake myself up.
It is now 1:10am I have turned on Redeemer Broadcasting, it is a Christian radio network committed to the historic Christian faith. We serve our listeners on both FM radio and internet streaming. Redeemer programming is heard on WFSO Olivebridge 88.3 FM, in areas west of Kingston, NY. The signal is further repeated via translators on 105.3 FM in Kingston, Rhinebeck and Poughkeepsie, NY; and on 90.7 FM in Jefferson Heights and Catskill, NY. We offer fine sacred music, Christian teaching, sermons, news, helps for the family, home schooling helps, and engaging interviews.
Redeemer is committed to historical Biblical Christianity. We seek to be thoroughly Biblical, comprehensively catholic, and true to the Reformation faith. We affirm the historic faith as presented in the Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds, and in the great statements of the Reformation such as the Canons of Dordt, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Belgic and Westminster Confession and Catechism.
You can listen to them via the Internet at this link: http://www.redeemerbroadcasting.org/
It is 5:40am. The last couple of hours has been rough. I stopped listening to anything and walked around. When I get home I am going to be so tired. I did not get to study as much I hoped. I have a lot to do before Sunday
1 Comments:
Hang in there Pastor, I'm praying for you.
Just finished my shift. Now I have to drive 30 miles on ice, please pray for my travel.
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