The Decision 2011...Or The Next Step For Me

"What a long strange trip it's been."  I seem to quote Bill Walton quoting the Grateful Dead at regular instances in my life.  Once again, that seems to be the case.  To be honest, this entry has been about 4 months in the making.

When I graduated from seminary back in May, I had already been in the process of looking for a ministry position.  I loved the position that I had in Kansas City but it was an unpaid position and I needed to find a paid position.  In some ways,  it is like a free agent in a professional league.  You look around at what's out there (send out resumes), give "tryouts" to show off talent (participate in interviews) and wait to hear back on an offer.

It has been a long process.  There have been hundreds of resumes sent out.  There have been several interviews that I've done.  And there has been a lot of waiting and a lot of rejections.  I personally have gotten to know the phrases "We are going in a different direction." and "We wish you the best in your ministry." very well, even to the point of never wanting to hear or say those phrases ever again.

It has definitely been a lot of learning (or better yet relearning) patience.  There were several times throughout this process where I really thought I was about to hear a yes, that I got a certain position only to get a no.  It has been a lot of trusting God that He knew what was best for me.

Finally, today I received word.  After over four months of praying and seeking and waiting, the decision has been made.  I will be bringing my talents to.....Spartanburg, South Carolina.  Yes I will be taking a position as an Associate Campus Minister for the Spartanburg BCM (Baptist Collegiate Ministries).  There are 5 universities in the Spartanburg Area and I'll be helping out on a couple of those campuses.  I'm excited about the opportunity.

There is still a lot to work out.  The position does not start until January.  That's good because there are several things that need to be taken care of before then.  One of those is the fact that at this point it is only a part time position (or better described as a part-part time, 10 hours a week).  I will need to find something else to help supplement my income.  The BCM Director has assured me that she along with the DOM (Director of Missions) of the Baptist Association in the area will work to help me in maybe getting a part time church staff position.  It might be an option to raise support but that's still to be determined.

I'm excited and thought I don't know how it's all going to work out, at least now I know what the next step is.  Looking forward to 2012 and starting the next "season" of my life.

Twitter, Sports and Opportunities for Encouragment

I've thought about writing on this for awhile and finally have found the time to do it. One of the trends in the past few years is the use of Twitter. For those who don't know what Twitter is, it's a form of social media that people use 140 characters to convey messages about where they are, what they're doing, or what they're feeling as well as conversing with others. It has grown in scope and usage to where people from a variety of places and popularity use it. It has become a place where people get their news (I found out the death of Michael Jackson's death from Twitter first), some promote products or connect with other people. This is particularly the case with celebrities/athletes as many have Twitter accounts and regularly tweet (write a message).

Back in January there was an ESPN.com article written by Amy K. Nelson that touched on the access that Twitter has given to fans and athletes regarding Chad Ochocinco (Johnson) and a fan of his who passed away and the tribute Chad gave to the fan last season. I would recommend reading the article and you can find a link to the article here.

I personally initially did not get into Twitter but I eventually did get an account and have regularly tweeted since then. Of course most of what I've tweeted about has been either about my faith, what's going on in my life and about sports. I follow friends of mine along with following athletes, coaches, sports reporters, analysts, and other "famous" people in the arena of sports. From this, I've found it a great way to learn more about my favorite teams and players and people that I watch on TV. A great example of this is Mark Schlereth. He is an analyst for ESPN for the NFL. He was an offensive lineman who played for the Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos and on Super Bowl winning teams with both franchises. Along with tweets on the NFL and his chili that he promotes, he regularly talks about his faith. On Sundays, he shares a "churchy thought" which consists of sharing a Bible verse and a thought along with it. I've found it to be a nice source of reflection and a blessing to read as I'm out the door to church or back from church.

One of the cool things that Twitter allows people to do is a thing called at reply. Basically you put the @ symbol along with the username of someone on twitter and you can communicate with them. I use that a lot to talk to friends. I also use it to communicate with those athletes, coaches, reporters and analysts. It is a opportunity to communicate in ways that previously weren't there. And what I've tried to do along with expressing my opinion on sports is to also send a word of encouragement. I'm sure many of them get thousands of messages or more a day. But just as I'm called to encourage those I come in contact with in real life, in reflecting Christ to them, Twitter is a way to encourage and reflect Christ not only to those you know but also to those you don't. In some small way, I hope that word or two is an encouragement to them. I truly believe that God can use you through Twitter just as He can use you through other means of communication.

The cool thing is God has gifted each one with talents and passions to use for His glory. When we're doing that, He's being glorified and we're doing what He's called us to. So whatever your passion and talent, see how you can do it for God. For me, that's blogging and tweeting about Jesus and sports. :)

One Year Anniversary

It has been one year since I started this blog. The experiment of doing a sports and theology blog. I've enjoyed doing this and it's something that I look forward to continuing to do into the next year. I'm sure there will be plenty of stories to choose from and reflect upon. For those of you that have been here since the beginning, thanks. I hope you continue on with me on this journey and bring others along with you.

Here's to another year reflecting on sports!