Our Ordination Interview

Thank you all for your prayers today. We needed them and appreciated them. The interview went really well. They had an issue with a post I wrote about tithe a while back, with good reason. I really had no idea I had left out so many details when I wrote it. I can’t say enough how embarrassed I am now that I realize how it came out of my head. It really didn’t look like that inside my head.

They asked pretty much what everyone said they would, like why do you want to be ordained and what does ordination mean to you? But, most of the time was spent talking about my blog posts and the logistics of blog writing when you are a pastor.

I really appreciate the three men that interviewed us. I appreciate the loving tone that they used when talking about this post. I appreciate that they saw that I was terribly embarrassed when I realized how bad the post was. Most of all, I appreciate that they want the best for each pastor in the district; it was obvious from the conversation and the prayers. I now covet their prayers and friendship.

It really was a great experience. I felt like I could have stayed and talked to them all day. We had already gone half an hour over when we left, though. While I was talking to them, I only felt loved.

The interview really made me realize a lot things.

 

Clarifying Tithes

This post is clarifying my thoughts from my Is Tithing a New Testament Requirement? post.

Today it was pointed out to me that my post about tithing was not as clear as I thought it was. When I took a closer a look at it, I was appalled at everything that I had left out. The pieces were all there in my head, but I did a terrible job of converting them into words. In the process, I’m afraid I hurt feelings and conveyed the wrong message about tithing.

The following is part of a response to an e-mail I received some time ago concerning this post. The writer voiced some concerns, but even then I did not see everything that I left out. I can’t publish the e-mail because I don’t have permission, but I think that my side of the conversation will still help to clear up what I meant.

I totally appreciate what you have said and I agree with it, too. God has always provided our most necessary needs (regardless of our finances). And I appreciate everything the district leadership does. I’m sorry if I came over too strong about the banquet. It’s one of the VERY few things that bother me in this district. Overall, I absolutely love all our district leadership. I really appreciate your willingness to take time with me. The district superintendent is wonderful and if I ever have the chance to talk to him, I will try to remember to tell him my frustrations about the banquet. I have found him very easy to talk to, but since being frustrated about the banquet, I haven’t talked to him and I don’t feel like its such a big issue (even though it may have sounded that way) that I should take up his time by calling or talking to him about just that. As far as the pay, I think whatever the district leadership get paid is probably perfect or too little. I know its a big job. I passionately disagreed with my mom’s saying they made too little.

 

I Need Prayer

Thursday, my hubby and I have our ordination exams. I am really, really nervous. At first I was nervous because I had no idea what to expect. I’ve learned a bit more in the last 24 hours and now I am nervous because I don’t feel ready. I was told that they ask questions from the exam. That’s only slightly bad. I’m not sure I remember all the verses that went with everything. But then I was told they will definitely ask the questions that you got wrong! Well, that’s just great! They didn’t tell us what we got wrong. I have some idea from what I didn’t know when taking the exam, but that doesn’t cover all my missed answers! I only got an 88%. I know maybe 5% of the questions I got wrong. So I am super nervous.

The other thing I have to be able to do is give evidence of my call. That doesn’t sound too hard, but I never had any “Aha!” moments. My call was gradual. At first I knew that I would be a pastor’s wife. When I got out of college I felt led to become licensed without any thought of ever being ordained. I received a specialized ministry license. I was sure I was never going to preach. I knew I was avoiding it and eventually I was ready to listen to God and switch to license to preach. At that point, I figured I may as well go all the way and get ordained. I feel called, but that’s not really too much evidence. I suppose that since it is the truth and I can talk about it passionately, I should be fine, but I’m still nervous.

I am still seeking more information if anyone has an idea of what goes on in an Assemblies of God ordination interview. I would love to have a better idea. Is there just one interview or several? You would think that since my grandfather, father, father-in-law were pastors and I grew up in the AG, I should have a better idea. I don’t!

Please pray for me. I need it. I need it now as I study and Thursday as I get interviewed. Thanks!

 

Loving Google Reader!

 

I’ve been reading a lot of blogs lately. I really like hearing other people’s perspectives on things. I started using Google Reader about a week ago and now I am subscribed to 39 blogs! That’s crazy! They range from design to parenting to ministry topics. Tonight I read a really great post by Dr. Beth Grant on the FutureAG blog. I love the whole post, but I’ll just give you an excerpt and a link.

 

My definition of godly leadership has been most shaped by the model of Jesus, servant leader, and by ministering for 30 years in very different cultures. As I pray about the future of the Assemblies of God and feel a personal sense of responsibility to be the kind of minister-leader we want “AG leadership” to be, I would love to be known for the following:

1) Like Jesus, let’s be a friend of sinners. I pray the Assemblies of God will be known as a church in which people without God are welcome on their spiritual journeys.Why are we surprised when people without Jesus live like sinners?We have tried to teach our daughters as they were growing up to genuinely care about teachers and classmates that were broken people and who were far from God. We wanted troubled young people to be welcome in our home around our kitchen table after school. Brokenness and messy lives are the natural outcome of lives without a Savior. Jesus died for those in sin, and our hearts as His people should reflect that love. It means befriending them and weeping over them rather than avoiding them. (It’s hard to lead people to Jesus & disciple them unless we as allow them to be close to us.) More…

 

Where is the line?

My husband and I are friends with another couple. Recently, we noticed that they were dressing much more conservatively than before. The women (wife and 2 girls; one teenager and one pre-teen, I think) are now wearing head coverings and long dresses and the men (husband and teenage boy) are wearing pants, rather than shorts, and beards (if possible) J. My husband and I, being curious like most people and also being pastors, wondered what their thinking was behind the recent change.

Yesterday, we got to talk to the wife of the family. (I’m not naming them for their privacy. I don’t know if they would mind or not, so it’s better to stay safe.) She enlightened us. She told us that she had actually wanted to wear a head covering since they had returned from living overseas. But because of the situation they were in they decided that it would be wiser not to. I won’t go into the reasoning behind that, but in their case I agree with their decision. However, she told us that she had been wearing a large hair clip to signify a head covering and still be discreet. They said that when they came back from overseas, they were shocked at what people were wearing (or not wearing). They wanted to keep themselves holy. They have also stopped eating pork. They said that this was because while they don’t see anything wrong with eating pork, not eating pork was a good reminder to them to stay holy and clean. This is the case with the change in appearance, too. They are more careful of what they do and read and say because more people are watching them.