New Guy On The Block

Well the time has come to finally dust this blog off again. The silence of this blog has come because a number of things caused me to ask; 'why am I writing this?' A few answers quickly flooded into my head;

• Vanity
• Because I like the 'sounds' of my own thoughts
• I am currently not at a church and I need some outlet for my thoughts on God, the Church etc
• Deep down I have the desire for other people to think I am brilliant
• I love checking blog stats
• Secretly I hope one day a post will explode in popularity and my phone will ring because Zondervan wants me to write a book

I could go on but you get the idea, not exactly a list of noble intentions. Most if not all find their way back to one word, PRIDE. And pride has been the down fall of many people, far too many of which were also pastors.

Likewise I found myself thinking, 'you know you have waded into some controversial issues; women in the church, science and faith, and some of your own short comings. Do you really want a window into your thoughts?' All of this can be summed up with another word, FEAR. Without a doubt fear has held back many people, far too many of which were also pastors, from doing great things for God.

So there I was stuck between fear and pride unsure of what I ought to do. Then something wonderful happened. On July 15th 2012 I received, and accepted a call to ministry. I am now the senior (solo) pastor at Sackville United Baptist Church, Sackville Nova Scotia.

So True

Sitting here in my new office I realize I cannot avoid the battle between pride and fear. I am forced to acknowledge that these are things that I struggle with. It would be easy to step in to this church and pretend like I know what to do in all situations. Even though I clearly do not. Likewise it would be easy to simply meet everyone's desires; preach well, visit regularly maybe add a handful of people here and there and don't change things to much. But that is not what God asks of pastors.

If I cannot fight the battle between submitting to pride or fear here on this blog how can I hope to fight in anywhere in my ministry? So here I am trying to wage war on my own fallen nature. Here I am ready to share my weakness. Here I am ready to share my experiences. And here I am ready to share my ideas.

As I begin my first pastorate I hope that I will find a network of support both in the church and on-line.

Even as I am adjusting to my new schedule and my new responsibilities I am excited to blog again. It is my hope that I might be able to share something useful, and that in turn whatever feedback I get will sharpen me as well.

Thank you for being part of my journey and for reading!