Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Finals...and such

So I halfway through my finals and so far so good. This last final I took pretty much will decide if I pass the class or not. I am a little worried. I think I did alright, but i do not know if i did well enough to bring into a passing grade. If not then I will not be graduating in the spring. Uh oh...I love college. I am experiencing a real feeling of not exactly caring about school anymore. I am tired of classes, of wasting time around here in Bible classes that I do not learn anything in. Two of my youth ministry classes this past semester have been great. All we really did was pray for each other and watch clips of other pastors and youth leaders that had amazing vision. But we did not really learn anything practical that I could apply. So basically even though this semester has really helped me to grow in my spiritual walk, I have really not learned much else. So I am spending ubelievable amounts of money and time doing something that I already do on my own or with my small groups. I feel like I have enough Bible background to get me going and I would like to learn something that will be helpful to my ministry. I feel like I am stuck in the growth stage of a Christian and am almost being overloaded with information that is just coming through me unto that tests I take. After that, I do not remember anything. I retain Bible info that I get at church or through my devo's or in my small groups, because I study and learn because I want to, and I desire to. I jsut cannot seem to translate that into a school setting because so much emphasis is on being able to take a stupid test. I want to learn something in the way of counseling, or acheology, areas that will benefit my ministry. It is not that I am tired of learning, but rather that I am not learning from the classes at LBC and therefore am paying all this money for nothing.
Right now my walk with Christ is awesome. He is showing me new things everyday, and i am learning and growing all the time. But then I come to school and it is just discouraging. So here I am with about a semester left and I want to change my major or even transfer to another school. I do not know. I know that it would not be "wise" to transfer. But I want to be able to grow in my walk with Christ and learn something at the same time. Or even just get out and do ministry full time. That would be the ultimate. I am limited in what I can do in my ministries because my focus is my classes. I gues this is just a frustation post. I guess I should just finish strong. But the more I grow in my relationship with Christ the less and less I feel like this is where I should be. Christians place to much emphasis on what you have accomplished and not enough emphasis on character and your personal walk with Christ. The whole philosphy just makes me so discouraged. I have been communicating lately with some popular Christian worship leaders. I have been setting up different woprship seminars for the upcoming year and have trying to fill some gaps. This has frustrated me even more with Christianity today. Many of them, I will not name names, had unbelievably outrageous demands for them to come and worship. I know that this is how they make a living, and thats fine, but when you demand a certain type of hotel, meals, ride from the airport, temperature in that vehicle, and many other things then you are not in it for the right reasons. When you refuse to give a testimony because you are only coming to play music, you are not in it for the right reasons. The Christian music industry has become the poster boy of all that is wrong with Christians today. We are so consumed with our needs and or success and or fame, that we forget that we are here for the Success of God, to bring fame to Jesus Christ!
I am rambling again, and I am sorry, I am just tired of being bogged down with "christianity" as we know it. I want to be known as a Jesus Follower, completely sold out and commited. I am tired of sitting on my hands and I am ready to act. I am ready to stand for Jesus no matter what the cost. I am ready to go out and radically make disciples. I am done talking and I am ready to start acting.
At this point I am sure people have stopped reading a long time ago. And that is ok, for those who are still reading this is just me getting thoughts out before God. God has something planned for the life of every believer. I am striving to reach that Lord, please direct me and make me your servant, willing to follow you whever you lead me. Thank You Lord.

2 comments:

Sara said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

(first of all, sorry about that "S" thing- I signed in with the wrong account...)

Derrick- of COURSE I remember you! Wow... I loved reading how you're doing on your site! Actually, I'm a teacher now (long story, really)- I'm finishing my first semester- I taught 9th grade Geography, and I showed them all of our pictures from Guyana- brought back all sorts of memories!

I am married, too (congratulations, by the way!) My husband is a chaplain in the Army- we spent the first year of our marriage with him in Iraq! We're living near Atlanta now and are getting ready to move to Savannah (southern Georgia) so he can be full-time in the Army.

As far as your post, don't give up- you only have one semester left. I know that it's frustrating- that was one of the reasons I left Moody. It's just kinda one of those necessary evils to do what you need to do. Hang in there.

Hope all is well- email me sometime at srfish82@yahoo.com!

(btw- you really need to post pictures of this wife of yours!)