Reb Rev's Blog

(Maybe) you’ve noticed my recent absence.

My wife, Eileen, and I just returned from a week of camping in the Bent Creek area of Pisgah National Forest. It was great to get away and relax. We did some geocaching, waterfall looking, she did some painting and I did some reading. But, we did a LOT of hiking.

On Monday we did a couple of miles (and backtracked) along the Mountain to Sea Trail off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Then we watched a beautiful sunset on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Some may say, a preacher should never take a vacation! A heard of a deacon once who heard his pastor announce he was going to take a vacation. The deacon said, “The devil never takes a vacation!” The pastor replied, “You’re right, my friend, and I try not to live like the devil!” ‘Nuff said J

I’m going to share the trip with you over the next few days. Here are the pics from the trail and parkway sunset. Hope you enjoy!

I am in the (VERY slow) process of writing a book. The working title is “Bi-vocational is not a dirty Word.”

You see, I serve as a bi-vocational pastor. That simply means I have two vocations. There are many of us who serve in such a capacity, yet there still seems to be a stigma associated with the role. So, I’d like to attempt to help clear up some common misconceptions.

Bi-vocational does not mean “part-time.” If you pastor a congregation, regardless of size, it is a full time job. In fact most mega-church pastors do less “pastoring” than smaller congregation pastors. That is not a slight toward them, but you just can’t minister one on one to 5000 folks the way you can 50-100.

Bi-vocational pastors, at least the ones I know, are serving in their capacity because that is where God has called them. We aren’t in a bi-vocational setting because we “can’t get a big church.” Some of the best sermons I’ve ever heard were preached by bi-vocational pastors. We aren’t bi-vocational because we “don’t trust God.” In fact, I think one could argue you have to trust God a whole lot more to be able to keep it all together when serving in both roles.

There are many challenges to being bi-vocational. Time management is one of the greatest which goes hand in hand with maintaining perspective and priorities. A short list of advantages to being bi-vocational include, a greater understanding of the current culture and challenges facing church members and greater opportunities for evangelism.

So , whether in a “fully-funded” position or bi-vocational, the blessings of serving in the place to which God has called the pastor far outweigh the challenges!

Okay, I’m not passing out cigars or having to change diapers – but we do have a “birth announcement.” A new blog has been born. And we all know the world needs more bloggers, right? J

My wife, Eileen, has kicked off her art blog. Eileen has always been an artist. Sometimes her art is expressed through drawing, sometimes in cooking, sometimes in painting and, at times, through music. I have always been one of those blessed by her creations.

Her blog can be found at http://www.psalmart.wordpress.com

Now, you can join in her in on her journey. I know, you’ll be blessed as well.

I just wanted to let you folks know I am potentially available to endorse you for any office you may be seeking this political season.

In the interest of full disclosure, I think I should tell you that as a pastor, I:

1. Do not cuss. So, if there is something attractive to you about a preacher who cusses and takes God’s Name in vain from the pulpit, you should look elsewhere
2. Do not demean people for their race. Regardless of what race that may be. DC Talk’s song “Colored People” is still a favorite. So, if you want someone who will run down folks for being white, black, red, yellow – I ain’t your man.
3. Do not promote individual candidates from the pulpit. While addressing issues which may be political in the sense that politicians have delved into promoting or taking sides on a moral issue, I don’t do politics in the pulpit. That place and time are for promoting only one Person and that is Christ. So, I’m not going to do you any good there.

I guess this may explain why the phone isn’t ringing.