Recapturing Joy: A Short Testimony

This week, I was invited to do something I haven’t done in a while: to be quiet before the Lord.

I know what you’re thinking. But Mike, don’t you do that all the time? Well…no, I don’t. It’s a common assumption that pastors get up before sunrise every day to pray for three hours, but that’s just not me. I’m a night owl thanks to my mother, and more often than not my prayers are written down, sung, or expressed in an ongoing dialogue between me and God.

That’s not to say that I don’t value traditional silent prayer. In fact, I’d like to cultivate that discipline. But, like anyone, I make excuses for why I can’t won’t (school is starting back up, my second job is keeping me too busy, some days I just need rest, etc.).

Regardless, on Wednesday I was given permission to slow down and hear from God. I’m spending the week in Denver for a Covenant Orientation class, and our instructors have been starting our time together with daily devotions and prayer. On this particular morning, our instructor gave a brief talk and then asked us to be silent and present ourselves to God.

I quieted my heart and prayed these words, over and over: “Restore to me the joy of your salvation.”

Lately I have been feeling stress from several areas of my life, so much that sometimes I feel like I’m rushing through everything just to get it done. As a result, I’ve felt my joy slipping. It’s not that I’m depressed or that I have any reason to be sad; it’s just that I feel like sometimes I’m simply existing rather than living into my identity as a child of God.

So in the silence, I asked the Lord to breathe newness into me – and that’s exactly what happened. I felt a peace that I haven’t known in quite some time.

And get this: at the end of our quiet time, our instructor broke the silence by reading these words…

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
For the Lord is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.
– Psalm 95:1-7

God used these words to remind me that he’s in control, he’s got my back, and he’ll take care of me if I let him. I don’t remember if it came to me during my prayer or not, but the words that have stuck with me since then are, “Be still, and know that I am God.” What a gift.

I don’t know what it will look like yet, but when I return to my normal routine I’m going to carve out more time for being silent before God. I want to continue recapturing my joy. I don’t want to rush through my days; I want to experience new life in Christ to its fullest extent!

Seminary Update – October 2011

Today’s post is for my church family, as I promised to give periodic updates regarding my studies. Thus far, my experience with Sioux Falls Seminary has been overwhelmingly positive – few times in my life have I ever felt such a strong sense that I’m right where God wants me to be.

Here’s a quick overview of what I’ve been up to:

This semester, I’m taking two classes: Biblical Foundations of Sermon Preparation, and Introduction to Spiritual Formation and Vocation. Sermon prep is all about the basics of preaching, and the Spiritual Formation class is focused on self-care. In addition to learning practical information that I’ve been able to implement at church, I am also learning a lot about living a healthy spiritual life.

Last Friday, I was asked to speak and perform at the seminary’s board of trustees dinner here in Omaha. I shared a bit of my story (which you can read about here), performed an original song, and finished with the song Jesus Paid It All. I received a lot of affirmation from the seminary’s representatives that night; they truly care for their students, which means a lot to me.

And here are a couple ways to support me:

Prayer. I cannot stress how important this is. Although I feel that I’m up to the challenge, the reality is that being in full-time ministry and taking graduate-level classes at the same time means more work and more stress. Please pray that I will trust in Christ alone to provide the spiritual, physical, emotional, and financial stability needed to complete my studies. I don’t want to simply survive seminary; I want to thrive. I know this is only possible with your help. Please remember to pray for me regularly.

Financial Support. Through Sioux Falls Seminary’s LIFE Fund program, you have the opportunity to make a tax-deductible donation toward my educational expenses. While I am grateful that the church is providing some support for my education through the general fund, this only covers a fraction of the total cost. Your support will help me “bridge the gap” between my current income and the costs required to attend seminary, allowing me to concentrate on my studies without becoming distracted.

Please consider giving to the LIFE Fund (and thank you to those of you who already have!). If you’re interested in providing financial support, please contact me and I’ll be happy to pass along some literature. If you choose to contribute to the LIFE Fund, any giving should be above and beyond what you currently give to your church. I do not want to take away from anyone’s tithe or other commitments.

That’s it for now…for my next update, I plan to share some of my coursework so you can get a “taste” of what I’m doing.

Thanks for reading, and thanks so much for investing your friendship, your money, your time, and – most importantly – your prayers in this endeavor. I am moving forward in faith, trusting that God will guide me every step of the way!

A Seminal Announcement

I am pleased to announce that I have been accepted into Sioux Falls Seminary‘s new program in Omaha! I will be attending my first class, held at Grace University, tonight.

The essay I submitted with my application is included below. It is a testament to the many people who have supported and encouraged me over the years. I covet your continued prayers and involvement. Thank you!

I was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and so far, I have lived here my entire life. I am blessed to have been raised in a family of faith. While my mother and father come from somewhat differing religious backgrounds (my father was raised as a Catholic, and my mother was brought up in the Baptist Church), they both have Jesus at the center of their lives. I also have a brother and sister who both believe in and follow Jesus.

I can trace the beginnings of my faith story to my mother’s desire to see her children know Christ. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of my family attending the Baptist church where she was a member. When we moved to a new home in the early nineties, we began attending an Evangelical Covenant Church. I still attend that same church, where I currently serve as the Director of Worship and Student Ministries.

Just like most Christians who grew up in the Church, I can recall when I finally made the decision, on my own, to follow Christ. Through attending my home church on Sundays and being heavily involved in the youth program at my friend’s church, I had a basic understanding of the Gospel by the time I was in junior high. I made the decision to be a disciple in the 7th grade when a speaker at a youth event presented the Gospel and held an altar call.

Since then, my faith in Jesus Christ has defined me. Throughout the rest of my school years, I sought out Christian friendships. I spent much of my time in community with other Christians as we studied the Bible together, seeking to learn what it means to follow Jesus.

I have also been in and out of numerous musical endeavors with other Christian musicians over the years. As I learned to play the drums and, eventually, the guitar, I took advantage of every opportunity I had to serve God through music. I have played in praise bands, led summer camp worship teams, led Bible songs for toddlers and pre-schoolers, and served as an instrumentalist and vocal leader in other various settings. I am currently in a band that sees our music as a ministry to both the churched and the unchurched. We had the privilege of playing at Sioux Falls’ Lifelight Festival this last year, where we partnered with a speaker who presented the Gospel in the middle of our set.

My faith has also been a source of comfort and strength in times of adversity. When I was a senior in high school, my mother was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. If it were not for our faith in Jesus, I cannot imagine how my family would have responded to such devastating news. While I would not wish her disease upon anyone, her struggles and questions have caused me to hold on even more tightly to the hope I have in Christ.

It wasn’t too long after making the decision to become a committed disciple that I began receiving unsolicited encouragement and affirmations regarding my gifts. I can distinctly remember my pastor telling me that I had a strong potential for ministry when I was still rather young. While I was open to the idea of going into ministry, it wasn’t until I started helping my youth pastor lead various youth events that I felt I had a specific calling. I had been accepted to the University of Nebraska at Omaha and was planning to pursue a degree in computer science, but after one semester, I changed my major to Religion.

While a major in religious studies is not intended to equip students for vocational ministry, I feel that I benefited greatly from the academic study of the world’s religions. I generally agree with the popular colloquialism that states, “To know one is to know none.” By being able to understand the Christian faith in the context of the world’s religions, I believe that I can better interface with the spiritual views and vernacular of people who believe differently than myself.

While attending college, I was also privileged to work under my youth pastor as our church’s youth intern. It was during this time that I felt a strong calling to work with youth, and I have since decided to pursue ministry as a vocation. After graduating, I came on board as a full-time staff member in 2008, working with the youth and planning and leading the music for our Sunday morning services.

Since I started working in a full-time capacity, I have felt that God is calling me to take a “next step.” I have looked at various options including internships with other ministries and additional undergraduate degrees, but nothing has come to fruition thus far. The only constant leading I have felt is that I believe God has called me to remain in Omaha during this season of my life. Until now I haven’t been able to explain why, but Sioux Falls Seminary’s Omaha program looks like it may be the answer to my prayers.

As of now, I have not discerned that God is calling me to a specific ministry after receiving a seminary education, but I feel that He wants me to further my education so that I may be better equipped for what he has in store for me in the future. I do, however, feel affirmed and called to vocational ministry, so I am moving forward in faith, trusting that God will guide me every step of the way.