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It’s the Fourth Quarter: Not Half-Time (part one)

While this blog began for those in Bible College wrestling with things Bible College will not discuss, it has evolved as the original cast of readers are now pastors or church leaders themselves and dealing with older people in their congregations.  I am an older person, so even if you are not, pay attention because this is a real struggle for aging believers.

Yogi Berra, the baseball legend, was famous for the phrase, “It ain’t over till it’s over”.

Yogi was right.  I am staring down 70 and my body has probably already crested that exalted number as the years have not been kind.  Once you hit 60, you can deny it, but you are in the fourth quarter of life.  There’s no tie. Mortal life just ends.

You cannot do the fourth quarter of life like you are about to sit down and enjoy half-time. There is no time to slack off or sit back or redefine the story of your life.  The life you lived is the life you lived. We are adults. We need to act like it.

So, I address the Jesus believing community here:

Absolutely no one got this far in life without major, serious, traumatic, incidents. If you have, please DM me so I can get your autograph. Illness, death, divorce, accidents, kids or grandkids in trouble, kids or grandkids with disabilities, financial losses, and on goes the list. You have faced huge challenges. The desire to record your hurts or curl up in a ball to prevent more is understandable. The desire to spend your time in recreation and relaxation after a lifetime of office stress is understandable. It is simply not a biblical option. Do you really want to meet Jesus and say, “I spent the last part of my life hitting a small ball into a hole because it made me feel safe. I mean really, it was the younger generation’s responsibility to follow You.”  (No offense to golfers, the same can be said of quilting, video binging, or a host of other things. As relaxation, they are fine, as our main focus, they are deadly.)

However, you are living in the end days. Your end days and the end days of all your peers. If you are over 60, they will begin dropping like flies and it only increases every year. People have one lifetime to hear. Your job is to be sure they do know this great truth: “There is no other Name given under heaven by which we can be saved” (Acts 4:12). A lot of our age-mates are disappointed with what life has offered. Life is not kind. Jesus is. Give them Hope, that will prove true, while we still have time.

Correct, Don’t “Over-Correct”

I could make a list of many of the wise sayings friends have shared over the years, but this one stuck with me as it captures that which I have oft observed but never been able to express so well as my friend, Dana. We were talking about life and how it seems that many people who began extremely conservatively in their Christian walk, became wildly liberal in their later years and we’d observed those who were incredibly liberal become exceptionally conservative to the point of legalism. I often said people dislike balance because it is so hard to maintain. Extremes are easily defined. Staying even keel that is the real trick.

To this Dana replied, “People don’t correct. They tend to over-correct.”

That’s it precisely. I recall a couple with whom I attended university who married a year or two after we did. The wife’s vows were so “submissive” I thought it staggering that the minister approved them, if indeed he saw them beforehand. She was marrying a flawed human being, not the Lord, yet she vowed total submission to this man’s will, to have him be her priest and the priest of her family, and the entire vow sounded like this man was to her as Jesus is to us all. I won’t even broach the topic of the priesthood of all believers.

Five decades later, of course, life changed. They remain a lovely couple who apparently became progressively liberal over the years and one time suggested I might want to “get out and get to know someone in the LGBTQ+ community.” I think the reasoning was if I believe in the Bible, which I do, and being a missionary, which I am, I am in some bubble removed from the real world, which is about as ridiculous a notion one can have if they do the kind of work I do. We spend our entire lives with people and cultures unlike ourselves. I was unsure whether to be mildly insulted by the assumption or amused, so when in doubt, assume the best and I opted to find it funny. Keeping things in perspective, they lived in the same place their whole lives, which makes it very easy to form opinions about places one only seems on TV. I assured them we do not live in alone in a cave and we know people from every possible walk of life. I find no conflict between loving and enjoying people who do not believe as I do, and yet maintaining my beliefs without compromise. I dare say I believe the same things now, that I have for decades but on a much deeper level. I have shed some of my former certainties, but none regarding doctrine.

Another couple, once very demonstrative charismatics, decided that it was best to toss that out the window and moved to a colony to adopt a lifestyle that is reminiscent of two centuries ago. It was a challenge as the husband had difficulty growing a beard, but the wife donned attire befitting their new faith community and I am sure they have exceptionally low power bills.

Why do we make such radical swings in our theology and behavior?

Disappointment is one the key reasons people make wild over-corrections. They prayed for a miracle that did not occur, so they conclude the days of miracles are past. Perhaps they prayed for many miracles and did not receive that for which they prayed. Miracles are miracles because they are the exception to the ordinary, not the ordinary, and if read scripture with perspective, we realize that the apostles experienced times of unprecedented miracles, along with times of non-miracles that resulted in almost all of them suffering martyrdom. Thankfully, they did not cease to pray for the supernatural.

Delusion is yet another reason people walk out the door of churches, leave ministries, and abandon all to which we are called to hold dear. As surely as the sun rises, if you live more than a decade, you are bound to run into some quacks. I realize that might not be the theologically correct term but suffice to say there are people are “over the top” in some area or another, there are people who are mentally unstable, and there are even tares among the wheat. If you only bump into two or three of these kind of folks in your lifetime, consider yourself blessed. There’s a lot of unwell people outside the church, but there we have more normal expectations of humanity. That we meet the unwell in church, should not be a shock. Yes, there’s a time to shake the dust off your feet and move to a healthier place, but just as you have that odd uncle or slightly batty cousin, we don’t throw the baby out with the bath water because people are not well. I have heard people tell me they left church because “everyone is a hypocrite.” That makes no sense because all of humanity is hypocritical, at least according to the Book of Romans, so don’t let is be an excuse. If you’re reading this you might be a hypocrite I like very much and perhaps I’m a hypocrite that you enjoy. To be human is to be a hypocrite to some degree.

Family is another area that tosses people for a loop in later life. Disagreeing with your parents is totally acceptable. When your children take an extra-biblical position, it is staggering how many people, under the guise of being good listeners and not wanting to be at odds with their adult children, suddenly start making peace with things they would once have recognized as unscriptural. We do not need to agree with everyone we love, nor they with us. We do need to stay faithful to the Bible, because the Bible is not wrong, and the teachings of Jesus are not like a buffet where we pick and choose.We do not draw our children to faith by bending it to accommodate our loved ones. One can love well without violating truth.

So how do we avoid over-correction?

The answer is simple, but the application much less easy to work out. We are saved by grace, not by works, yet grace is evidenced by our works. We now live by the law of love. That “love” is not human love, but a godly love that recognizes that what is evil, is truly evil, and what is harmful is truly harmful. We recognize that we are all hurtful and do evil, and yet are so greatly loved, that God Himself is the only one who can rightly judge us. He alone is so good He can the pay the terrible penalty that is deserved. Jesus called out sin, named it in places that never crossed our minds, and then paid the most horrific penalty to show us just how bad sin really is. He then rose from the dead, to not only show us that death is not permanent but to remind us Who He Is in the first place, less we fall into any nonsense thinking He was mere prophet or man.

We cannot be people of grace, unless we also are people of truth and holiness, just as God has shown Himself to be when He chose to manifest Himself in the Person of Jesus. We cannot get through life by having a long list of what is and is not acceptable. We can navigate the rushing waters by imitating Jesus. It’s far simpler to remember our goal is to follow the “Word Made Flesh.”

Notice, however, I said it is simpler, not easier. It is, however, the only safe way to stay true to Truth, Love and Hope, as embodied in the Lord. Our lives might be messy and difficult, but they need not be overly complex. Stay the course and keep your eyes fixed.

Correct, Don’t “Over-Correct”

I could make a list of many of the wise sayings friends have shared over the years, but this one stuck with me as it captures that which I have oft observed but never been able to express so well as my friend, Dana. We were talking about life and how it seems that many people who began extremely conservatively in their Christian walk, became wildly liberal in their later years and we’d observed those who were incredibly liberal become exceptionally conservative to the point of legalism. I often said people dislike balance because it is so hard to maintain. Extremes are easily defined. It’s staying even keel that is the real trick.

To this Dana replied, “People don’t correct. They tend to over-correct.”

That’s it precisely. I recall a couple with whom I attended university who married a year or two after we did. The wife’s vows were so “submissive” I thought it staggering that the minister approved them, if indeed he saw them beforehand. She was marrying a flawed human being, not the Lord, yet she vowed total submission to this man’s will, to have him be her priest and the priest of her family, and the entire vow sounded like this man was to her as Jesus is to us all.

Five decades later, of course, life changed. They remain a lovely couple who apparently became progressively liberal over the years and one time, rather humorously, suggested I might want to “get out and get to know someone in the LGBTQ+ community.” I think the reasoning was if I believe in the Bible, which I do, then clearly I am in some fortress far removed from the rest of the world and have never met anyone unlike myself. I was unsure whether to be mildly insulted by the assumption of amused, so when in doubt, assume the best and so I assured them I did not live in alone in a cave and I know people from every possible walk of life, so I found no conflict between loving and enjoying people who do not believe as I do, and yet maintaining my beliefs. I dare say I believe the same things now, that I have for decades but on a much deeper level. I have shed some of my former certainties, but none regarding doctrine.

Another couple, very demonstrative charismatics, decided that it was best to toss that out the window and moved to a colony to adopt a lifestyle that is reminiscent of two centuries ago. It was a challenge as the husband had difficulty growing a beard, but the wife donned attire befitting their new faith community and I am sure they have exceptionally low power bills.

Why do we make such radical swings in our theology and behavior?

Disappointment is one the key reasons people make wild over-corrections. They prayed for a miracle that did not occur, so they conclude the days of miracles are past. Perhaps they prayed for many miracles and did not receive that for which they prayed. Miracles are miracles because they are the exception to the ordinary, not the ordinary, and if read scripture with perspective, we realize that the apostles experienced times of unprecedented miracles, along with times of equally faithful non-miraculous periods that resulted in almost all of them suffering martyrdom. Thankfully, they did not cease to pray for the supernatural.

Delusion is yet another reason people walk out the door of churches, leave ministries, and abandon all to which we are called to hold dear. As surely as the sun rises, if you live more than a decade, you are bound to run into some quacks. I realize that might not be the theologically correct term but suffice to say there are people are “over the top” in some area or another, there are people who are mentally unstable, and there are tares among the wheat. If you only bump into two or three of these kind of folks in your lifetime, consider yourself blessed. There’s a lot of unwell people outside the church, but there we have more normal expectations of humanity. That we meet the unwell in church, should not be a shock. Yes, there’s a time to shake the dust off your feet and move to a healthier place, the important thing is that you actually don’t quit fellowship altogether because “everyone is a hypocrite.” All of humanity is hypocritical, at least according to the Book of Romans, so don’t let is be an excuse.

Family is another area that tosses people for a loop in later life. Disagreeing with your parents is totally acceptable. When your children take an extra-biblical position, it is staggering how many people, under the guise of being good listeners and not wanting to be at odds with their adult children, suddenly start making peace with things they would once have recognized as unscriptural. We do not need to agree with everyone we love, nor they with us. We do need to stay faithful to the Bible, because the Bible is not wrong, and the teachings of Jesus are not like a buffet where we pick and choose.

So how do we avoid over-correction?

The answer is simple, but the application much less easy to work out. We are saved by grace, not by works, yet grace is evidenced by our works. We now live by the law of love. That “love” is not human love, but a godly love that recognizes that what is evil, is truly evil, and what is harmful is truly harmful, and yet every person is so greatly loved, that God Himself is the only one who can rightly judge us, and then the pay the terrible penalty that is deserved. Jesus called out sin, named it in places that never crossed our minds, and then paid the most horrific penalty to show us just how bad sin really is.

We cannot be people of grace, unless we also are people of truth and holiness, just as God has shown Himself to be when He chose to manifest Himself in the Person of Jesus. We cannot get through life by having a long list of what is and is not acceptable. We can navigate the rushing waters by imitating Jesus. It’s far simpler to remember our goal is to follow the “Word Made Flesh.”

Notice, however, I said it is simpler, not easier. It is, however, the only safe way to stay true to Truth, Love and Hope, as embodied in the Lord. Our lives might be messy and difficult, but they need not be overly complex. Stay the course and keep your eyes fixed.

Live with Urgency: People’s Lives Depend On It

In recent months, I have written little. Two very dear friends have passed unexpectedly. In one case, the friend was at his father-in-law’s home and just passed. The other friend has suffered numerous health issues for her entire life. She had so many, she simply did not tell me every time she had a surgery. The years go on and the losses pile up. They can be paralyzing.

Other things can be paralyzing too.

In recent years I have been plagued with a lot of unnecessary drama created by someone I hardly know, have not seen, and who needs either a medical of relational issue over which to create drama. It is a coping mechanism to keep from having to deal with the underlying problems that should have treated with loving kindness but were overlooked in the stir that was created. This would not be ironic were the “stirrer” not someone who often repeated the pattern. As a highly functioning person with a complex injury, I do not belittle the realities of physical issues. I do question why we so often treat the symptoms and lovingly overlook the disease. That’s not really loving, it’s just easier.

If you are on the receiving end of loss, or drama, or simply very noisy streets and a lot of bureaucracy, you are still facing the great enemy: distraction from the urgent. What is urgent? Souls. The lives of the people around us are of urgent need of our thoughtful attentive efforts to reach them. One friend, mentioned above, knew her days were numbered. The other had no idea he would climb the stairs for the last time that day when he woke up that morning. The same can be said of any of us. The same can be said of our neighbors.

Personally, I confess to giving into distraction. It has worn me down. I feel like someone playing basketball in the para-Olympics and someone 6′ 8″ is jumping up and down in front of me blocking my shot. The frustrating part is they are wearing the same team jersey I am. I cannot take the shot and I will not foul them. But the time that is wasted is precious. I never get those days, those moments, or those heartbeats back. I could have been sharing Jesus, but I allowed myself to be distracted by what, in all honesty, was a very, very distracting ruse.

I saw a statistic the other day that says I have about 10 years and 3 months to live. I want to use that time with urgency. I want to be urgent about the lady at the small neighborhood store with high blood pressure. I want to be urgent with the couple in the building behind me who I first met when the wife wandered into our building, overwhelmed by grief, looking for my neighbor who passed unexpectedly. I want to invest what I have, and not try to invest what I cannot, into doing things that will share a hope that will not fade.

The times are urgent. The times are always urgent. Every generation is the last and we never know how long that time will be. Let’s live accordingly.

Dying to Yourself in a Safe Place

The world has a lot of new words and phrases. “Politically Correct”. “Emotionally Safe”. “Unconscious Bias” and even “Boundaries” can be misused when they become an excuse for prioritizing yourself above others. Like many things, I hope much of this will pass with time. I am apolitical. Some days I feel more emotional than others. Unless someone is threatening my life, I do not feel “unsafe” and “emotional safety” is a great term coined by the world to make another self-centered experience truth. “Unconscious bias” is a bit Orwellian. I got a letter one time saying I had “thoughts that do violence to other people”. This apparently is because I go to church and read the Bible. I am not guessing that is the reason, they specifically named church going as a form of “thought violence”. I can say with certainty the person who made the comment knows zippo about my thoughts and I am not a mind reader of others in the congregation but I am sure they are not violent. If they are like me, they spend a good deal of time thinking about where they left their eyeglasses. The world is self-centered so we accept that is how the world thinks, which should not be confused with, “Act like the culture”.

The problem is when this language and mindset crept into the Church. People need to feel “safe”. God manifested Himself in the person of Jesus not for your safety but your salvation. He came to save you from your sins and then send you, in gratitude, to a world of people like yourself who need saving from their own sins and lack of understanding of the love of God.

I have had real safety issues. They required a room in which I could lock our family and wait out an impending attack. Safety did not mean I could not share a coffee with someone who was unlike me. It certainly did not mean I took advantage of someone’s good nature as long as it benefited me and when I no longer needed them I withdraw on the pretense of “I’m OK, that person is not. I will retreat to my safe place feigning responsibility while actually dumping my immaturity on them”. That does nothing more than allow people to create their own personal version of truth which is actually deceitful and destructive to both the speaker and possibly to the hearer. I would phrase that more gently but I have concluded it is unkind to not to speak the truth here. People err. You are a person. If you are the standard of perfection, then I assure you, you will find an infinitely small number of people with whom you feel safe. As you are not perfect, you should be really comfortable being with other non-perfect people and comforting to other non-perfect people as well. That’s your choice. The alternative is a very lonely future.

The world is lost. Lost. People are desperately in need not of being their true selves. Your true self is either a self-promoting delusion or a truthful disappointment. People need to see themselves as desperately inadequate, and in need of a Savior who loves them without condition. No one is going to figure this out while hiding in self-protection.

As Christians, we are called to die to ourselves daily. You cannot do that in a “safe place” where you feel OK “safe” dying to yourself. Dying is not comfortable. It does it prioritize your needs. The Christian concept of dying to self, prioritizes others and their need to know Jesus.

Sacrifice your ego, your anger, your sense of rights, your idea of what is healthy for you personally (which might be very unhealthy for someone else, which you are biblically required to consider) and live for Jesus.

It is written, “We are dead and our lives are hid with Christ in God”. If you believe that, cut up your safety net, get out of your space and let go of your indignation. Live like someone who knows their ties to this present world and all the ideology that goes with it, is past.

Ultimately, you age and when you do, you do not want to regret years spent wasted in self-protection. We are “always, only, all for Him”.

The Terrible Twenties

“IT WAS the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way- in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.” (Charles Dickens, the opening line of his classic: Tale of Two Cities)

If I did not know the two cities of which Dickens wrote were London and Paris, and if I did not know he was speaking of that period of time surrounding the French Revolution, I might well have thought he was describing what it is like to be in your 20’s.  He was right in say, “The period was so far like the present period” because since the time when Dickens wrote to the present day, the struggles of life are very much the same. Dickens words describe the era of those who are twenty-something as well as any.

The twenties boil down to the issue of choice.  What you choose in your twenties will be the foundation for the rest of your life. You live with the consequences of those choices. You choose Light or darkness, hope or despair, belief or unbelief.

The choices are clearly defined. Choose wisely.

How to Deal with Debt – Part 2

You’ve left college and now are facing a mountain of debt. This can be terrifying now. The good news is, as a Bible College graduate, your debts are less than those of your counterparts. I first started this blog for one Bible College in particular which costs  30% less than the state’s public university. So imagine you had 30% more debt for four years. Your theological education is looking a lot more affordable. Now, with a good attitude, there are many things you can do to help yourself become free of debt more quickly.

First Things First

First and foremost, as I said before, “Tithe. Give to missions. Be responsible”. God rewards faithfulness. My husband and I know this firsthand. For 37 years the Lord has cared for us and He will prove faithful to you too. Start giving. Do it now.

We married the week after graduation. We drew a line around our lifestyle and did not expand it no matter how much we earned. Don’t love the world or the things of it, because the love of the Father isn’t in them. Not only will you find that freeing, but you will get out of debt a lot faster. Frugality is an adventure you can enjoy. Learn to love Freecycle and Savers.

It is unlikely you will get your dream job just out of school and unhealthy if you did. We had our first paid position when we went to the mission field at age 31. While you are working to pay off your debts, whether you are in a paid church position or not you should be serving Jesus faithfully in ministry in a local church.

You might be thinking, “That’s not financial advice”. Yes, it is. It is biblical and sound financial advice. Now the nuts and bolts.

To Parents Who Are Reading This

A number of parents have asked me how they can help their children. If you own a home and your interest rate is lower than the rate of your children’s loans, you can pay off their loans and take a line of credit against your mortgage. Many students have unsubsidized loans at 6.8% and if you have a mortgage at 3.6% you will save your adult child thousands of dollars by helping them this way. This is not code for, “Stick mom and dad with the bill”. If you can do this and your adult offspring is responsible, then by all means do so. How you handle their repayment to you is a family matter but many people simply have their child pay the difference between the original mortgage payment and the increased amount.

For Everyone Else

Most of you will have parents like our son’s. His parents don’t own furniture made in this millennia. This means you must find other ways to pay down your debts. The first thing to know is to never default on your debt. It will ruin your credit for seven years and it is not ethical. As a Christian you have an obligation to repay the money you borrowed.

Pay off your highest bearing interest loans first. If you have any extra money at all, even if it were $5 over and above your regular payment, send it a separate check with a note that says, “This goes against the principal”. If you send in extra money the loan company will apply the extra to your next payment rather than the principle. Your goal is to pay down the principal as quickly as possible. Also be aware that your interest rate is usually discounted if you make automated payments.

Talk to your loan provider over any issue of concern. Your loan provider does not want you to default. They will work with you for income based repayment plans. Earlier this year I worked with a pastor who was paying almost 70% of his income to school loans. He is now paying closer to 20% of his take home and his interest rate has been reduced. Although he had asked for assistance in the past and been declined, he prayed and persisted. The loan company will not call you and say, “Hey, pay less, because we would so love that”. They need to be sure you are not shirking your responsibility. When they are confident of that, they will want to work with you to ensure you are able to make payments. It is in everyone’s interest for you to faithfully pay back all you borrowed.

If you must refinance or choose to consolidate, shop around for the best deals. Another useful link with good information can be found here. Be sure to deduct the interest you are paying on your taxes. This will save you money which you can apply against another loan payment.

This link discusses a number of options. One creative option is doing work from home where they company directly pays your loan provider. You can chip away at those loans even when you are looking for work by working online to have them paid directly. If you are not great a budgeting, this might be a wise choice for you.

Lastly, it takes a life of faith to live a life of faith. Every generation has challenges and yours is no exception. A friend of mine says, “If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much room”. Work. Sacrifice. Go the extra mile. All those Biblical things you have studied. “Give and it will be given to you, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.” (Luke 6:38) There is no greater waste than if you live life worried about your finances, dissatisfied with your blessings and disengaged from serving the cause of Jesus Christ. God made you for better things.

How to Deal with College Debt – Part 1

The best scenario for those facing college debt is to start dealing with it the moment you take your first loan. If you have graduated and are now trying to decide if it is possible to pay off your loans, while continuing to eat and live indoors, do not panic. There is a way forward. But we’ll start with those who still are in school and can make choices to reduce debt load now.

First and foremost: tithe. Give your tithe and offerings. Tithe off your gross, not your net. Yes, that sounds painful and will feel that way when you start but you will be amazed how God is faithful to bless you. One of the ways to tie up this generation is to be sure they are so self-focused on their personal debt they do not give sacrificially. God honors His Word and He actually will do miraculous things to ensure you meet your obligations if you are responsible. Responsibility means tithing, giving to missions, paying your college and even chipping in for gas when you borrow a car or ask for a ride to work.

Next, fill out the FAFSA using your best “guesstimate” from the previous year and do that at the start of January. When you fill out your taxes go back in and use the “Data Retrieval Tool” which is a box you will check that downloads your filed return into FAFSA. It is to your advantage to fill out the FAFSA early. Just be certain you update and finalize it when your taxes are complete.

Do your “loan homework”. There are resources from little known scholarships, to crowd-source donation websites that can help reduce what you borrow. I will not recommend any particular site but you can find them with a search engine. Do some “smart shopping” to avoid high interest rates. When you do take loans, take the least amount you need at the lowest rate possible. Do not borrow extra money for living expenses beyond room and board. “Board” means meals. Though few Bible colleges are known for extraordinary meals, you paid for those meals so better to eat them then go to Chipotle. Never borrow more than you absolutely must. Trust God and get job to pay for extras or go without. It is good practice for life after school.

Remember that 1098 Form Brother Ed sends you every year? Keep it. It is vital to your financial well-being. Use that to be sure you or your parents take the American Opportunity Tax Credit. Unless you are a higher wage earner, that credit, which ends in December 2017, will be the most advantageous tax credit going to cut down on debt and pay your bills. It is possible to receive up to $2500 per year per student. If you or your family have not taken this credit when you were eligible you can get the money back retroactively by filing an amendment.  The credit can only be taken for four years and is worth $1000 even if you have no taxable income. Would four to ten grand make your life easier? If the answer is yes, ask about this credit.

Take some classes online. Your college probably offers online courses, or you may be able to transfer in credits from a community college. These courses are less expensive and decrease your indebtedness.   Look at ways to shave a semester off your time in school. A bit here and there saves the cost of room and board which is a significant expense. If you want to help your school by spending more time there, consider saving the money and donating it to the school instead.  If you are attending Bible college a large portion of your tuition is covered by donations raised by the school president who is constantly traveling about the country and raising funds so you can get an education.  If you are going to remember someone special at Christmas, drop him a  card.  In fact, thank the entire staff. They are earning less than you think so you can prepare for ministry.  In doing so they are helping to pay for your education.

If you are a senior or have graduated, be of good cheer. Having walked through this with other graduates there is indeed hope. I will post on debt reduction strategies for the graduate tomorrow.

Remember this regarding that mountain of debt: faith and faithfulness will ensure it does not stand in your way.

 

What To Do When You Graduate

OK, the philosophical stuff is fine but what do we really do when we graduate?

First, all college graduates have the same problems transitioning to the work world. For everyone who said, “I have a useless degree from Bible College” please be reminded you are actually trained for a vocation. My first degree was in sociology and I was trained for nothing. You can actually apply for a job with your degree and it is remarkable how few look at the job postings on their own school’s website.  The postings are there.  Everyone has a time of transition and secular students do not get a free pass.

Our nephew attended a prestigious business school and graduated the year the economy crashed. He ended up as an elite firefighter and the joke on the fire line was, “What was your major?” Responses ranged from Engineering to Law.  A bachelor’s degree is always an asset and you do not need a second one to gain additional skills to tide you over while you transition. I went back to a community college and took some courses in accounting to improve our income situation and I landed a great job at a big company, while never wavering from our call to missions.  So be thankful for your degree.

You didn’t go to Bible College to get rich in the short term but because you are a longer-range investor. You have vision. You won’t settle for things that moth, dust and rust can ruin.  Since you have vision, use it. To transition, you will have to do some crazy wild things that are totally off the charts. You’ll actually have to do them for the rest of your life so start practicing.

Radical Step One: “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up”. Take a ministry position, even if it is not full time, or not paid, in addition to whatever else you need to do to meet your adult financial obligations. You have to start someplace and that place is usually lower than you hoped.

Your first job, unless daddy and mommy can arrange it for you, will be less than your dream job. (And if daddy and mommy can give you a great job right off the bat and do, they have zero judgement) No one in any field starts at the top. It’s counter-culture to our kingdom mentality where we imitate the Great Servant. As for your friends going off as missionary associates fairly soon after graduation, think twice before you get jealous. Firs they fund raise, which is a real job. Then they face that obstacle called “language learning” . Having recently started on Arabic I am sure that many unreached people are still unreached because learning their languages is like rocket science. You do not get to learn a language by inoculation. You actually have to work at it.

So, all you Jesus-loving servants out there: it’s OK to work in a church part time doing youth work, children’s work, or serving in some capacity that is not your full time dream job. You might not find little kids or youth are your passion but if you serve the Lord, He promised to raise you up. Take a job even if it is not “your thing”. It’s “His thing” and you claim you are all about Jesus so act like it. You might not think the soul of the 5, or 15 year old is quite the same as if you were speaking to the teeming masses but if you save someone from a nightmare life or an eternity of hopeless, it’s really OK if you had to dress up in that inane VBS costume. Worse things can happen. Ask a Christian in Iraq.

Radical Step Two: Trust God. The most terrifying issues for graduates are their loves lives and dealing with your debts. Most people are in debt when they graduate. I applaud every parent who has jumped hoops to enable their children to more quickly get to work by sacrificing so they are not in a ball and chain relationship with the government. However, debt is a reality for most people. Last week I met with a couple in ministry where something like 70% of his take home pay was set to go to loans. We spent a day working together and when all was said and done he got an adjustment where he now pays 1/3 of what he did before. Your payments are negotiable.

Your love life is not as negotiable but keep in mind: marriage is something you cannot “walk back”. We women are “made to complete” someone so we tend to get more anxious about this. Guys are normally still figuring out if their future wife is the right one long after the girl has feels sure. This means you are like 99.9% of other people on the planet. Guys often have to figure out their work then their love life. You can certainly think of exceptions but as a general rule of thumb, just get moving and trust God for the right person but don’t hang out waiting for things in the wrong order.

Radical Step Three: Keep your vision. Remember when your heart broke for victims of human trafficking? Or when you thought of people in places so isolated no one in this day and age had the guts, or gumption to walk into where they are and try to live among them? The vision might tarry but at the appointed time, it will come to pass. Don’t let debt, doubt, or circumstance cloud your vision. Don’t let your broken heart for the hurting be dulled by a wide screen TV at home. Nothing great happens overnight but it is during that waiting period when your endurance and vision is truly tested. Sadly a great many people compromise their way out of their destiny because they lack the patience to wait and keep their eye on the ball. Don’t invest in the world or the things of the world. The Love of the Father is not in them.

Lastly: Don’t forget who you are. No one is to look down on you for being young. You are a royal nation and a holy priesthood and every day you get up there are good works prepared beforehand in Christ Jesus for you to walk in them. Go find yours today and every day and you will soon discover that you did not get a useless degree. You were blessed with a foundation for the work to which God has called you. And for practical advice: develop a good sense of humor. There’s a lot of enjoyment on the journey.

How You Differ From Your Generational Peers

The first thing you need to get a clear grasp on is that you must be different from your peers.

This world requires “instant everything”. You have the vision to work and wait.

This world is easily discouraged by what is seen. You have longer range vision and live for the unseen.

This world lives for today. You live for “forever”.

The world is about “me”. You are about “Him” and “them”.

The world sees obstacles and problems. You see possibilities and opportunities.

The world schemes for how to live as safely as possible between birth and death as though good planning will make the inevitable fall into the box less painful. You are free from those worries because you are already dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. You are not afraid to take chances.

The world says, “Take what you can now because the door might not be open tomorrow”. You choose to “Give all I can now because the door might not be open tomorrow”.

The world lives by what it sees. You live by the Word of God, the Power of the Spirit and vision grounded in that which absolutely, positively will come to pass.

You were bought with a price, you are not your own. (I Cor. 6:24)  You are of all your generational peers, most free.  Don’t waste it.