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the Nickelback option...b/c I would make so many people mad.
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the Nickelback option...b/c I would make so many people mad.
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Hmm...that's a tough question. He such a cool kid. Probably the coolest thing about him is that he thinks I can do anything. He gets really excited first thing in the morning when I wake up and and when I get home from work. He's always pumped and wants me to hang out with him. That's probably the coolest thing so far.
In ten years he'll probably be doing something incredibly offbeat. Or he'll probably be the complete opposite of what I expect him to be. He'll probably want to play baseball or something lame and normal like that. But I hope me and him can hang out, listen to music, watch movies, and make fun of people for fun :-) -
Sure, you can have a job in my shop :-)
The reasoning for the non-paid position is kinda complex but i'll try to explain it briefly. My experience as a paid staff member of a church has all been within the Southern Baptist Convention and i'm not saying that this is in EVERY church or even in most churches. However, in my experience, based on the ministry I feel led to pursue it would be best for me to be connected or affiliated with a church rather than working directly FOR a church. Maybe outside of the SBC it might be different for me like in an Acts29 church network or something similar.
In my experience, as a paid staff member within a church I always felt very limited in my position. In my most recent position there were several instances where I would have otherwise stepped in to minister to students. At one end of the spectrum I saw instances of child abandonment and abuse and at the other end I saw general apathy from parents in regard to the gospel. In all these instances my hands were tied. I could either expose this mess and lose my job or keep smiling on Sunday morning or resign (I chose expose to as much as I could and ultimately resigned). The abandonment and the abuse were both being done by deacons and "high-up" church members and the apathetic parents were the same people that controlled whether or not I had a job the next week.
If it were up to me I would have offered to have the abused teens to come live in a safe place with me and my family and for the students that weren't being taught the Gospel at home I could have ministered to them without worrying about stepping on the toes of the ones writing my check.
So...for me, it's better to not mix money with ministry. Now, i'm not saying that I wouldn't take a position if it were the right one, i'm just saying I haven't seen or been given an opportunity to serve in such role as of yet.
I like to think that places like Vintage21 and similar Acts29 churches would be an exception to my experience. I can't imagine the same type of limitations being as abundant in a non-SBC style church. At least that's my hope. -
Regulators by Warren G and Nate Dogg. Because it's the G-Funk era
funked out with a gangsta twist.
I like old school story-telling Rap and this is the cream of the crop. -
Simply put, my future career plans are to make money to provide for my family and love other people too.
A more detailed answer would be, I plan on working a "secular" job AKA a non-church-paid position. This way I can have my ministry to students separate for my income. This keeps things from getting too tangled up. Similar to Paul (from the Bible) and his tent-making job.
My ultimate goal is to own a Pizza restaurant to "pay the bills" and have a ministry reaching out to orphaned/fatherless teenagers. My hope is to reach out to teens in the Raleigh area and connect them to Vintage21 church. This way they can get connected to a place that really teaches and lives out the Gospel. My wife and I will care for them in our home and help them with both spiritual and practical (earthly) needs. To do this we need to get out of debt...thus the move to Wilmington. We're living here for free so all my work money goes to getting debt free and on with what God has in store for our lives.
If you'd like to know in more detail why i'm choosing not to take a church-paid position let me know...i'd love to explain :-) -
I think a better question might be, "What are your views on marriage from a biblical standpoint" or "What are your views on sin and sinners".
Sadly, I think Christians (myself included) tend to gradate certain sins. We grade lying or lusting as a SMALL sin but we turn around and grade something like homosexuality, rape or murder as a HUGE sin. However, if we're consistent with scripture then we know that it's all the SAME...sin. So, Asking what my views on homosexuality would be the same as asking, "what are your views on any sin or any sinner". It's all the same thing...sin (AKA something that goes contrary to God's design).
So as not to single out our homosexual neighbors for their sin alone, I think it's best to group all sinners together (myself included) and point each individual sinner toward Christ. If Christ calls them, then the Holy Spirit will teach them through the Word of God how to live their lives. Our job is to magnify Jesus to sinners...then if they become our brothers and sisters in Christ, we help guide them to live their lives as Christ has intended through the Holy Spirit.
But back to your original question. Homosexuality is sinful ONLY in that it goes against God's plan for marriage. Not because people say that it's "icky" or "gross" or whatever you want to call it. God had intended man and woman to complement one another. What men lack, women were designed to make up for...and vice versa. Two gay men or two gay women together in a romantic relationship, although HIGHLY functional, can never wholly complement one another as God intended. Just as the Church complements Jesus, a husband and a wife should complement one another. Like the example of the Church, Marriage is an earthly representation of the relationship between God and His people. Homosexuality does not represent this thus making it outside of the plan for God's creation (a sin). Therefore, anyone who takes part in an act running contrary to God's plan is sin-ing.
Another part of the issue is SEX. Sex was created by God for a man and his wife. It's purposes are for both recreation and procreation. If you're doing it with only the intent of recreation then you're missing the point. There's a duality to sex. Its for fun and for making babies. And biologically/anatomically, no matter how hard you try, two males or two females can NEVER make babies. It's just not possible. A crude analogy follows (and i apologize in advance if a female asked this question). An example of this principle can be shown in electrical supplies. A male plug was intended for a female socket, and conversely a female socket was designed to receive a male plug, right. Although you might have a blast banging two plugs together, in the end, you don't really get anywhere. The same goes for homosexuality. Like any premarital sexual acts or "relations", it's fun i'm sure, but it's just missing the point.
Jeez, this is becoming a long and increasingly inappropriate response...i'll shut up for now...tell me to keep going if you want me to ramble more... :-) -
Prolly because she is going to give me $8000.00. True story.
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He was actually predestined to be "a gay". His love for candles was the first port for his Adventures in GayOdyssey.
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You'll gaze upon my face when the seven stars and the seven moons collide at the rivers edge.
AKA maybe next week? -
Of course. Good things can come from almost anything. Most of the good things that came from my position at Highland come from things that I learned through negative or destructive activities practiced by the congregation and its' staff.
Examples:
a) I learned about the futility of moralistic religiosity. This revelation reintroduced me to the idea of "grace alone". It's easy to forget that Christ's death, burial, resurrection and ascension is a completed act accounted to His people at the time of their justification. No amount of moral works can add or take away from this act of Christ. I saw many people try to add to Christ's accomplishment by being moral. So through seeing moralism practiced in a real life circumstance I learned to avoid such foolishness in my own life, preach against such heresy in the "pulpit", and lead others to grace as I disciple them.
b) I learned the value of discipleship. I saw many biblically illiterate church members. Through this I learned that if Christ's people are ever going to live out His commands then they must first know what He has told them to do! Those who are "weaker" in the faith MUST have a brother to come along side of them and teach them to live. People have to be discipled!
c) I learned about humility. It sounds kinda silly but, I learned that nice people are always gonna get crapped on. But, Christ tells us to be humble. So as much as people try to pull me down to their level for a fight, I learned that humility always wins out because it is rooted in Love. It's not always an instant win, but in the long run...it wins. The meek will inherit the earth, right? :-)
d) I had a handful of students really understand who Christ is and they aim to tells others about Him. So that's definitely a good thing. I made disciples that can make other disciples. That's probably the only reason I don't see my ministry as a total failure.
e) I learned that gay kids and black people need Jesus too. I can go into detail on this one if ya want me too :-)
I learned plenty of other lessons too. Just ask if you want some more :-) -
Leg. Because if I only had one arm and I had to give two high fives at the same time...i'd be really pissed. Plus, peg legs have really stood the test of time (pun intended).
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I would! First, I'd smother myself with brown mustard and relish. I'd be so delicious!
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C: Jon Michael.
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That means so much right now. Thank you, honestly.
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well, Giacomo (my gay matador statue) was my most prized possession but one of my students accidentally destroyed it the day I moved to Wilmington. So I guess it would either be my 2 foot Freddie Mercury Statue, my Old John MacArthur Study Bible, my "Europe" poster, or my iPhone.
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It was mainly a financial decision. When I resigned from my Youth Ministry position in November my finances dropped of significantly and I could no longer afford to pay my mortgage in Raleigh. So I rented out my house (b/c selling it now is almost impossible). My dad is letting us stay in a rental house for free so we can get our finances in order. Plus I grew up in Wilmington and my parents live here too. As soon as we get "back on our feet" we'll be headed back up to Raleigh to continue with life :-)
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Well technically Robert Hyder already has that honor. But, if I had to choose other people it'd probably be Matt, Jon, Toby and Carter. They could co-manage the responsibilities of raising Isaiah and making sure Joanna is safe and provided for financially.
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Lyle Sacco
Wilmington, NC
Lyle Sacco’s Bio
Husband, Father, Facetious Beardsman.
