Mikessocalledlife

It Works It Works It effin Works

Hey everyone.  There is only 2 - 3 people that I know of that read this.  But hey.  We have been doing Underground in my basement now for 3 months.  It has had its ups and downs.  Today I looked at our tracking software we use to keep track of students birthdays.  One of the things it does is shows how many people are there and who came as well as the amount of visitors.  As I looked at this I noticed a steady incline in the amount of students attending and keep attending.  Our high #s are higher and our Lows are Higher.  We have also seen some of the adults in our area get interested in UG and God.  My neighbor a person who went to catholic church when he was a kid until his dad died started coming and bringing his younger than high school students (Not what were shooting for but we won't turn anyone away) and has started talking about UG as his ministry.  Something that is very exciting to hear people who r interested in a group of misfits who are just trying to love God and Love people.  We also have a couple who have been basically shrugged away by the church and our now helping us.  They fit perfect into our dysfunctional ministry and play a great roll in it.  We also are having great conversations with students about there drug use and drinking and it finally seems its sinking in about not doing things that are bad for u.  Of course they r still doing alot of the stuff but hey its a start.  We had a great meeting on Thursday it was the best so far.  I loved it and had alot of fun.   I guess Loving God and Loving Others works.  There are so many stories and Its totally not about #s but its hard to love people if there are none to love.  We r excited to see people enjoy what we do and are not ashamed to bring friends.  We LOVE UNDERGROUND.  Well gotta go.  If your in the McHenry, IL area and want to visit, come check us out.  We r not fancy, flashy, hyped up or even really that organized for that matter, but we have fun and try to figure out what it means to follow God in 2008.  Thanks for your time.

Later,
MIKE

Killin The Dream

Today I started a new book Called Pagan Christianity.  It is written by Frank Viola and George Barna.  It basically is about how the roots of our church practices (buying buildings, having a sermon every week, Sunday school, salaries for pastors, and etc.) come from pagan rituals and pagan tradition.  I really like it so far.  The problem as I read this book the last little bit of my dream to become a full time minister (meaning thats what I'm paid for) is dying a slow painful death.  You see my job as a carpenter I have mostly looked at as temporary.  I took a more flexible job so I can be free to do the ministries I have been apart of at the expense of $$$$.  If I took a union job years ago I could be making alot more $$$ than I make now.  I would of started off making less but now I would be making somewhere in the range of $39 per hour.  I make less than that now.  My family has sacrificed in there living so I could become a full time paid minister and I am grateful for all they do to support me but the more I live and delve into this world of questioning church and tradition to better know Christ I find myself in a Job I don't particularly enjoy and it become more permanent as my dream dies.  <I am mikes regretful past>  The more I study and look at church and how it should be the more i realize I have wasted time trying to accomplish something I don't know if I believe in anymore.  The more i read this book the more i realize that paying pastors is maybe a waste of money.  In the book They say that between a building and paying staff a church uses about 80 - 90% of there income (tithes).  As I read this my heart dropped.   I'm a world were it takes so little to help we are giving church staff fat salaries to do what Preach a sermon most people don't remember and alot fall asleep during.  I know pastors work hard but getting paid so much when we could help so many for just a little money seems counterproductive.  I have been to churches were they have 10 -12 people on staff but say they can't afford to help a widow with some bills.  That seems so backwards to me.  So I guess I say all that to say my dream is dead.  I am now in a job I don't particularly enjoy running a Church in my basement with students that it seems no one else cares about.  I love these students and am excited about what God is doing in our midst.  I feel like i am doing what I am called to do but to my surprise there is no salary.  I figured by this time in my life I would be a Student minister somewhere with a good sized group and livin the good life.  To my surprise I am the leader of a bunch of church rejects in my basement who I love for there honesty and Lack of experience for what following God is all about.  Thanks for reading Look for more on this book I'm sure it will get the gears turning in my noggin a bit more.  I want to say thanks to my family for all they sacrificed and keep sacrificing for our ministry as a family.

Later,
MIKE