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
MIKE! dont let your dream die! me and bitzy really wanted to talk to you about real shit when we went out to eat with you and julie but its just hard so maybe i can type it. okay...so im going to start by saying that i dotn think you really understand what an impact underground has ahd on my life, it has completly changed me as a person and when it ended to be honest it felt like my world was collapsed. it really killed me inside to think that everything was changing so quickly, anthony left, my dad was being ridiculous and then underground ended. but that all happend for a reason, it got me and kelly and haley and cameo closer together. then the 2.0 started and to be honest i was very apprehensive. i didnt want it to be so drastically different form the original underground that it would "ruin" it for lack of better word. and it didnt the new underground is still underground which is awesome. but i cant help but feel that the students not all but a majority need to gain some respect for you. it seems like they dont realize that its not just hanging out in ur basement like they do everyday and they treat it as though its just another day in ur basement but what they dont realize is that this place on thursday nights becomes a place where we can openly talk about god and our issues and with the way that some of them are acting it makes it absolutly impossible to do so. im not going to name names but i really do think that if they arent going to underground for the right reasons then they shouldnt go at all because it really is hindering to the others. if they want to stay and give it a try i think thats great but they really need to show some respect and stop thinking that they are the shit because we both know that they are NOT in any way. haha so idk this is really long so sry for that. but really just dont give up on your dream and know that you dont go unappriciated becasuse without you in my life my journey to god would be totally corrupted and gone especially now that the crossing is down the tubes.
so thank you
laterssss =]
and PS ily man
=]
hah
Posted by: oliviaaaaaa | March 03, 2008 at 09:10 PM