A New Direction

The Morning I Heard the Voice of God by John Piper

Yes, James MacDonald has a blog now.

And he's going to write a book about the Church.

Here's about all I'll say about politics.

You are a Social Moderate (41% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (28% permissive) You are best described as a: Totalitarian Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid

There are quite a few things I'd like to share so this could be a very random post. I'll try to catch you up on my life. We'll start with last weekend... I took off Friday after work with a friend, Jon, from Bloomington and we headed for Cincinnati. There we met another good friend, John, and later Eric and Tony. All these but the latter were in the Bible study I led while at IU so it was a joy for all of us to get together again after parting in the years prior. We all stayed at John's place and got more acquainted with the greater Cinci area, checking out their famous German pub and visiting the aquarium. It was great for each of us to have a relaxed weekend to catch up with one another.

Well, it was relaxed until I had to race back Sunday morning for church where I was being introduced as a member. We left on time, but I a bit think Mapquest’s calculations were a bit off. Thanks to Route 44 I was able to shave off some time and make it to the service. I had never become a member at a church before, and this was a huge commitment for me. I don’t like doing things half-heartedly, and the vows we as incoming members made to the congregation really expressed our devotion to be united in Christ. This made the morning service especially sweet, and I am growing strongly in my love for this church. This last statement would also show up later in the coming week.

Monday brought me the first opportunity to get “on the floor” and sell cars. I’ve learned there are two things that I do well that will really help me sell cars: I ask a lot of questions and I’m genuinely honest. However, I’ve also come to see there are two things about me that could ruin my career as a car salesman: I’m very confrontational and I like to deal with issues. Through Joe Verde’s Training Network I’ve been learning how to answer buying objections and move the sale forward. This is completely contrary to my nature, but learning these skills will prove to be a great stretching experience. It has so far, but I’ve also been praying that God would simply bring me people who want to buy cars. Surely, He has answered, and I’ve already met the monthly quota of vehicles sold in my first week. That’s God’s way of showing His abundant provision in all things, even selling cars.

Thursday is my day off and I was running around all day like a madman. In the afternoon I had my interview with the elders for the Pastors College. I was fairly confident going into it, but you never know what might come up. Overall, it went really well, but one of the questions that they asked has stuck with me: What Scriptures or call have led me to believe God has called me to the gospel ministry? Half a year ago I wrote a post on Ephesians 4 that detail my convictions about ministry leadership, but it didn't specifically pertain to my "calling", if you will. As I stumbled over the question it hit me that my heard and passion aligned with all of the pastoral letters. It wasn't a particular passage, but the whole of them compelled me to minister to others. Later I realized the reason I spend most of my time in Paul's letters is because they align with my heart for the saints of Christ Jesus. As for the verdict, the rest of the elders met later that evening and agreed upon accepting me into the REPC. This was really good news.

In other news, I've just recently been attacked by pollen. I've never had allergies in the spring before, but apparently the Bloomington area is one large valley that traps all the pollen that blows in and doesn't allow any to go out. My nose literally drips and I had to get some Carmex to heal my schnoz from being raw red. I also just want to share two things in particular that I love: Indiana University and Tim Bayly. I've always loved IU, but after taking a walk on campus today I think it might be my favorite place on earth. As for Pastor Bayly, I have to admit I was a little skeptical at first.  This is certainly not the case anymore.  I'll keep it short for now because I want to write more later, but he, like Paul, bears the brand marks of Jesus.

There's a Goodwill a block away from my new workplace and I've been tempted to take a look inside. I finally caved after work on Thursday thinking I might find a nice polo. Well, nice to me. But after searching the racks I found nothing so I headed over to the blazers. I didn't find anything there either, but something to the left caught my eye. It was the shoe rack to the left of the jackets. Now, I always thought it would be so dirty to wear someone else's shoes, especially knowing the way my own feet stink. I'm too neat and clean for wearing someone else's shoes. I jokingly tried a pair on, a brand new pair that hadn't sold in the stores, of course. The sole made me feel like I was wearing high heels and it was no wonder they hadn't found an owner while on the retail shelf. I put them back, and as I did these thin, brown leather grandpa looking dress shoes caught my eye. Curiosity got the best of me and I stuck my foot in. They snugly fit my long, slender foot.

The sticker inside said $3.99, but again these shoes were worn by someone else. Trying to gather more evidence before buying a pair of shoes that someone had clearly broken in I had to do it. I brought the right shoes up to my face and yes, took a whiff. Nothing. And another whiff to make sure. Again, no odor except a little bit of leather. They passed the second test.

But I didn't really need a pair of shoes. In fact, I'd been wearing the same model of Dr. Martens since my junior year of high school. It's like my feet and these shoes have become one over the years and nothing else could compare. I was very comfortable in them. And besides, they were pretty similar to the pair I held in my hand. But then the question came to my mind, "What's it like to be in someone else's shoes?"

Recently, I've recognized I am horrible asking myself this question. Almost all of my thoughts revolve around my well-being and rarely do I think to remember how others are doing. It could be a friend struggling with sin or the death of a family member, but often I don't think about the circumstances of others after I am first informed about them. This is the definition of being self-centered. But as I thought about buying these shoes I considered that they might help to remind me in a very tangible way to consider and love others. "I'm wearing someone else's shoes, and I wonder what's it's like to be the person right in front of me?"

"Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men." - Philippians 2:3-7

Needless to say I bought the shoes. They're pretty snug so I'm not completely comfortable in them. I hope this works to remind me of the circumstances of others that I so easily forget. In all reality, I hope that being in someone else's shoes will help me consider "what it's like".