My primary ministry has been teaching full-time at a Christian university in the CU School of Theology.  But bi-vocationally, I have been honored to serve as an interim pastor, a ministry consultant, a workshop/conference leader, a Christian writer and a pulpit supply preacher. 

After being in full-time church ministry for several years, I had forgotten the benefits of bi-vo, which was a vital part of my early ministry life in seminary.  I have found several advantages to this type of ministry. 

1.  Your financial stability is not church-based which allows you to lead with conviction.  When leading in various church settings, the pastor/ministry can be afraid of rocking the boat too much and possibly offending the congregation that pays their salary.  Leaders can become timid and avoid necessary change because it would cause them to be in jeopardy with their church.  As a bi-vo pastor, my financial security is not tied to my church job and therefore I am able to lead more freely in the local church.  I can be a catalyst for healthy change and not be worried about feeding my family.

2.  Connection to unbelievers.  Unfortunately in full-time church ministry, I had limited contact and connection with unbelievers.  As a pastor, I was constantly surrounded by believers.  Nearly all of my energy and work was meeting their needs and supporting their spiritual care.  To be frank, I only knew a few unbelievers in the neighborhood in which I lived.  In bi-vo ministry, your primary job gives you extensive opportunity to meet, talk and engage with unbelievers.   Because you are in the “real world” you are surrounded by real people who need to hear about Jesus.

3.  Connection with working people.  No matter how hard we try to change the perception of pastoral ministry, many people still believe pastors have it easy just working a few hours a week.  When you’re bi-vo, you have a Monday to Friday 9 to 5 day-job that puts at least 40 hours on your weekly plate.  I believe people in the church connect better if they can identify with your working schedule.  You’re as strapped for time as they are. 

4.  Finally, bi-vo is biblical.  We all know Paul was a tent-maker by trade and often would not let a church support him financially.  He instead worked and supported himself.  This gave him credibility.  It showed he was not using his ministry as a means to financial gain.  That goes a long way to prove authenticity and genuine commitment to Christ and to the mission of God.

So let’s hear it for bi-vo.  This season of my ministry life has been some of the most fruitful years so far.

The annual Garrison family outing to the KY State Fair.  Its Your Fair Kentucky.

1.  The Bible is ALL TRUE.  This view holds that the Bible is God’s Word, the very spoken word of God himself.  It is without error.  It is trustworthy.  It is absolute truth.  It is holy, like God is holy.  It is therefore something we obey and follow.  Something we believe in. 

2.  The Bible is PARTLY TRUE and PARTLY FALSE.  I pick which parts are which.  Most people fall into this category.  This view holds that the Bible has portions that are true, but other parts are false folk tales or legends.  For example, most people believe that Heaven is real and the Bible accurately describes it, but they don’t believe in Hell or the manner in which someone gets to Heaven (only through Jesus).  So they pick the part they like to believe is true and disregard the portions they don’t like.

The individual is the judge on each particular section of the Bible.  You can like Jesus, but not Paul.  You can like 1 & 2 Samuel, but not Genesis.  You pick.  Your choice. 

3.  The Bible is ALL FALSE.  This view holds that the Bible is worthless.  It has no value.  It is all a bunch of religious lies that people have created to control others.  Every single word is pointless to our lives.  In other words, the Bible is just a book like any other on the shelves at a bookstore.

These are the only options.  So which view do you hold?  My sense is that as we move further and further into postmodern culture, view no. 2 will dominate our culture.

I want to live out this passage before my students.  I want these phrases to be quick on my lips and rising from within my heart.  This is my declaration.  This is my hope.  This passage contain my purpose for this semester.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Ichabod Crane from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

The events leading up to Ichabod’s birth are horrific.  On that day his father, Phineas, was killed in battle.  When his grandfather Eli heard about his son’s death, he fell off the city gate breaking his neck and died.  When his mother hears that her husband and father-in-law are both dead, she goes into premature labor.  She ultimately died shortly after giving birth to her new baby boy.  She lives long enough to name him, Ichabod. 

All this took place on his birthday.  The magnitude of tragedy surrounding this baby is astounding.  On the day he enters the world, all his family is taken from him.  He will never know his parents or grandfather.  His birthday will forever coincide with the memorials of his mom, dad, and papaw. 

You would think his name, Ichabod, points to these tragic events.  It is a terrible, depressing name.  It means, “the glory has departed.”  Surely his mother chose this name wisely.  Happiness has departed from this family.  Joy has departed.  Laughter, smiles, fun have all departed because of these deaths.  

But the name Ichabod is not necessarily referring to the wholesale departing of her family.  It is referring to the glory of God departing.  It is referencing the Ark of the Covenant being taken by the Philistines in battle (1 Sam. 4:11).  God’s presence had been taken away from the people of Israel and Ichabod’s mother is mourning this devastating turn of events. 

When God’s presence leaves you, it is Ichabod.  If God was not with you, you could not breathe.  You could not move or think.  You could not be or do anything without his presence.  There is only one moment in all of our lives that we can experience Ichabod.  It is that moment when someone dies without having received Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.  

Without Christ, we are all destined for Ichabod – an everlasting existence without the glory of God. 

Movin' In is Tough

Student-athlete are here and starting camp week.  The vast majority will arrive next weekend as the semester starts in about a week. 

Moms and dads will drop students off with everything in tow: clothes, mini-fridge, microwave, laundry basket, and a debit card.  But most parents will not leave any instructions or advice on how to find a local church to attend while at school.  

Students who are committed believers in Christ will be left with two options: (1) Go to the church where all their friends attend or (2) Just venture out to some random church that sounds interesting and see what happens.  

Both options leave much to be desired. So here are 5 tips of advice for finding a college church from a guy who loves college students and the church deeply.

1.  The most popular church is not always the most healthy.  Just because “everyone” goes there doesn’t necessarily mean the church is a good place for you.  Every college town has a “sexy” church that attracts the masses.  But in my experience, sexy churches are often pretty and alluring on the outside, but not so healthy on the inside.  Just be cautious in going to the place that everyone is talking about.  There’s a reason their talking.

2.  Consider the lead preacher/pastor’s preaching style.  You’re going to have to put on your theology caps here and try to discern where the lead preacher/pastor stands on the BIBLE.  This is a huge issue.  Are they committed to teaching God’s Word or do they use the Bible to teach modern pop psychology?  Do they open the Word of God and explain its meaning to the lives of their people or is the Bible just something that sits on the pulpit opened, but not taught.

3.  Consider the atmosphere and authenticity in worship.  When you go in and everything starts, do you sense that the majority of the people are there because they love Jesus and want to grow closer to him?  This can’t be determined by just counting the number of people who raise their hands or how many go forward at the end of the service.  You must look for something deeper.  Look for people whose lives have been changed and are still being changed by the power of Christ.

4.  Pick a church where you can serve IMMEDIATELY.  The most dangerous thing for a young believer to do during the college years is to become a church-consumer.  You were not a consumer in your hometown or in your youth group.  You were out serving others, going on mission trips, making a difference in the world.  If you can’t serve in a church the very next Sunday you attend somewhere somehow, then find one that needs you.  Don’t put your spiritual gifts on the shelf during these 4 years – they’ll dry up.

5.  Don’t visit too many.  The more you visit, the more likely you are to keep changing.  As Joshua Harris so eloquently said,  ”Stop dating the church.”  Visit 2 or 3 times, make a decision and stick with it.  You’re delay in commitment will severely stunt your growth in Christ. 

Remember the church is Jesus’ bride and you need to be in one quickly.

It is always fun to take our family to one of Campbellsville’s greatest establishments.  Phillip’s Lanes is a Campbellsville institution.

We’ve had a universal remote for our bedroom TV for quite some time.  A few days ago it stopped working.  So we bought another universal remote yesterday at the store. 

This afternoon Jennifer programmed the new remote and it works fine.  But then, as if inspired by woman’s intuition, she decided to try and re-program the old remote as well.  We thought it was broken.  But in fact it wasn’t broken at all, just needed to be re-programmed.

So now one remote sits on my night stand.  The other remote sits on hers.  Time will only tell when we actually go head to head over who has dominate control of the TV.  Instead of two people fighting over one remote.  We are two people with two remotes fighting over one TV.  It is going to get interesting.

We’ll keep everyone up-to-date on who wins more often.  My bet is on me.

• August 5:  January Bible Study Preview: Galatians at Campbellsville University.  I will be leading two sessions on Galatians 3 -4 helping pastors and teachers dissect this important New Testament Book.
• August 22: I will be preaching @ Bethany Baptist Church, Louisville, KY.  I am being considered for Bethany’s interim pastor.
• September 11:  KBC Super Saturday, Williamsburg. I will be working with Sunday school leaders and teachers in 3 workshops entitled Great Expectations for Sunday School, Moving Attenders from Spectators to Participants, and Reaching Adults for My Class.
• September 13: I will be presenting  for the Campbellsville Univ. School of Theology Biblical and Theological Lecture Series. His paper topic is “Postmodernity and the Shift in Millennial Christianity.”
• September 18:  KBC Super Saturday, Bowling Green. I will be leading two deacon ministry sessions entitled Deacon Teams and Healthy Conflict Management.
• September 23-24: Campbellsville Univ. Pastors and Church Leaders Conference.  I will be leading a workshop entitled “Leadership Across the Generations” along with my mentor,hero and colleague, Dr. Ted Taylor.
• October 5 – 9: I will be taking a group of students to the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta, GA.
• October 16: I will be preaching at the annual Youth Revival hosted by St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Columbia, KY.

We are very excited for him to return to school, but like every other parent, we’re sad as this is another step in him growing up.  He will be going 4 days a week, half day.

Isaac and I have been working on “getting his brain turned back on” for the past three weeks.  We have been practicing his letter writing in a new notebook Jennifer got for him.  He picked the notebook out.  It has a Chocolate Lab puppy on the front…so cute and so little boy. 

We have also been working many math problems, only addition right now but I make them pretty hard for him.  He can count all the way to 50 on his own with no help whatsoever and then up to 100 with a few nudges at 60, 70, 80, and 90. 

Ethan is very excited for his big brother to go back to school.  Because that means he has Momma all to himself 4 days a week.  But I know he is going to be missing his big brother as the morning wears on.

Tomorrow morning Jennifer will take him to school and get him settled.  I will be leaving for a 2-day retreat with the School of Theology faculty early in the morning, so I will have to send him off tonight as I put him to bed.  Pre-K is just another milestone in what will be a long tenure of formal education.