A lot of the time growing up, coming into school the first week of classes, you always notice one thing different about your friends. Sometimes it's the new clothes, a different hairstyle, maybe even a new tattoo. But coming into junior year of high school, my friend RJ Palmer grew an insane half a foot it seemed like. That growth spurt kicked in hard, and RJ went on to play college basketball and win several conference championships as well to show for all his hard work that matched the growth spurt.
This summer, it felt as if I hit a HUGE spiritual growth spurt. I think that some of the things I am processing through and dealing with come to light in different ways. I began the process of buying a house, I have a girlfriend now, I also got promoted to the director of "the awakening" and will be looking forward to all that encompasses that in the fall. Not to mention, I also gave my first ever Sunday sermon at AwakenChurch Jax a couple of weeks ago. Which is really why I decided to type away today, lol.
Getting the opportunity to teach on Sunday is something that I wanted when I first joined staff, and I made that abundantly clear to my pastors. "No matter how long it takes, or what the process looks like, I want to be groomed to teach on Sundays." I was expecting something along the lines of two years, but after one, I was given the green light.
One of the things this showed me is that my pastors have confidence in me. They believe not only in my gifting from the Holy Spirit but also in my desire, genuineness, and humility. It took me longer than any other sermon I prepped for before, almost 3x the amount. Looking back on it, I believe it is a milestone in my development as a shepherd.
This brings me to the critique that my pastor, Frank, gave me following the teaching. Preaching is not based on how gifted a communicator is. If that were the case, there would be a lot more people preaching on Sundays everywhere, not just at our church. But preaching is about shepherding. How is what I am teaching applicable and necessary to what the body needs to hear?
It got me thinking a lot about what pastors do week in and week out and the WEIGHT of responsibility that goes along with it. It also just shifted my perspective I feel like to the bigger picture in everything:
I have grown so much in the last few years. This is true, anyone close to me can say that. HOWEVER, my focus should shift. It should shift from my previous growth to the upcoming growth this next year that God wants to do in my life. I never want to be living on the faith steps I took last year, I always want to be actively taking faith steps in my life.
So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase
I Corinthians 3:7 NKJV
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