Something About Me...
Let me see...
How do you fill in a page like this? What are the rules? The etiquette? The modus operandi?
Do you simply list the important things you may have done or said or written or eaten or visited or felt or... whatever, in a resume, bullet-point type of order? Is that what people need to know to discover who you are and what kind of platform you have to speak from? And, if so, how then do you list them? Does your list move in chronological order from eternity past to the present, from the "foundation of the world" until last Tuesday? Or do you maybe list them in the order of their importance? But then, important to whom? Who determines what is truly important and worthy of mention and what is just bland, boring, recycle bin fluff? Do you, the reader on your side of the screen? Or do I, the writer on this side? Maybe it should be my wife or my family? Possibly the neighbors across the street or the people I go to church with?
No, this seems too cold, too formal, and far too academic.
For the sake of brevity, I think I'm going to tell you a bit about me this way...
- Christian - I affirm that Jesus is my Lord and Savior and the passion of my life.
- Protestant- I affirm the five "solas" of the Reformation.
- Reformed - I affirm the doctrines of grace - doctrines and principles known to some as Calvinism.
- Evangelical - I believe the Gospel (which is the original and truest meaning of "evangelical") and I believe all of it.
- Conservative - I tend to be traditional and restrained in my beliefs and cautious towards change, especially when it seems to be change merely for the sake of change. Why? Because I don't particularly trust the organized church, our government, the media, or the culture in which we live. Or you, for that matter.
- Unfinished - Absolutely! The Lord is still working on me to teach me, among other things, how great He is and how unfinished I am. Seems I have to learn that lesson almost every day. Sometimes twice.
Then, on a more personal level...
- Married - I am married to my best friend and have been so for a little over 30 years.
- Father - I am the father of five and the grandfather of two.
- Pastor - I am the pastor of The Church Without Walls (www.thechurchwithoutwalls.org) in Gastonia, NC. We are a church made up of people who love Jesus but have had less than a positive experience with church. Oh, do you know some people like that? I'm not surprised. They seem to breed like kudzu.
- Author - Finally, I am also the author of Love Jesus, Hate Church, which is a book that examines the senseless and hurtful experiences we often endure within our current church structure. It is a book about emerging faith, absolute truths, and offers hope to those who have taken an honest look at the church, scratched their head, and said, "You know, this ain't the way church is suppose to be. Something must be wrong. Bad wrong."
If you want to find out more about Love Jesus, Hate Church or to download a free copy, visit www.lovejesushatechurch.com
If you would like to email me directly: preach509@aol.com
