Joining God
By Chris McLaughlin, Lead Student Pastor

I haven’t met many people who are satisfied with a boring life.  After all, who do you know that dreamed of working at a drive-through for the rest of their life?  You don’t meet many 45 year old paper boys, or see lemonade stands run by people over the age of ten.  We all seek to find work that is rewarding.  In fact, the more rewarding the job, the more work we put into it.  We want to spend our time doing something that has meaning, which brings a sense of satisfaction.

I’m often asked if my job as a pastor is rewarding. Is it gratifying? Does it provide satisfaction? I’ve never really known how to answer this question. Sure, sometimes it does. You’d think it would be.  Being a pastor and serving God fulltime should be completely rewarding. At least, that’s what you’d assume. It’s what I assumed.

I guess the question that I want to ask in return is, “Is working at a church that different from being an everyday, run of the mill Christian?” I mean, following Jesus isn’t part time, right? It’s not something for Sundays, every other Wednesday night, and major religious holidays. I don’t have a timecard that I punch everyday, showing my time for God and my time for me. That’s not what it’s supposed to be like. 

Being a Christian is supposed to be a lifestyle, a commitment. It’s supposed to take all of us and our God is supposed to be all we need. So, the bigger question to ask would be, “Is being a Christian rewarding?”

There have been many moments in my life when I wonder if I’m doing this Christian thing right. Have you ever been there? Have you ever felt like there must be “more” out there? You might even feel as if other people seem to get it and you’re just dense? It’s like everyone else has figured out something that has simply eluded you?

It was thoughts and questions like these that were pounding to the surface of my heart and mind several months ago when I began to have a series of significant encounters with God. These questions provided a stage for God to stand on and speak into my life. I began learning (and am still) what God had for me. I began to piece together what “more” really looks like and how I can find it.  What I discovered was far simpler than I expected.

There’s a particular account of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark that has caught my attention lately. Jesus teaches in a synagogue in chapter 1 and the people are amazed at the authority with which he speaks. Specifically, that he speaks with authority and the teachers of the law do not. That word authority stood out to me. Jesus rose above the crowd of other babblers because of the authority he spoke with.

And it dawned on me… does Jesus speak with authority in my life?
    Do I let him?
      Do I listen?
        and maybe most significantly—
           Do I act?

The way Jesus taught, He called people to the exact thing they were looking for – more.  Jesus did not call people to a part-time religion, lemonade stands or paper routes. He called people, and He calls us, to a fulltime life with him, not just believing in Him, but actively following Him. 
The greatest part of this is that if we lose our life for Him, we find life. We find what we were looking for. 

This vision is what Jesus has called me to. This is what he has called you to. And through this process I came to realize that this is what he has called Southeast Student Ministries to.   So often student ministries are about summer trips to camp and great super bowl parties, but we believe that there should be more.  I know teenagers are called to and want to live this full-time life, and it is our responsibility to show them what a life fully given to God looks like.

There are three elements I have picked up on that define this calling: character, service, and sharing our faith.

• Character provides the building blocks for growing nearer to God. Loosely, I define character as hearing God and responding. When God calls us to action, we act.
• Service is what we’re called to do. Love in action. Service doesn’t happen because other people need to be served, but because we need to serve other people. Service is essential in walking with Jesus. 
• Sharing our faith is the overall purpose God has given. It’s our direction. There are people desperately searching and longing to know the love of our God. I often think of the depth of God’s love for those people. It is an honor for us to accept the responsibility of sharing His love.

This is the heartbeat of what Student Ministries seeks to become. This year, we look to empower the students and volunteer staff at Southeast to embody this. We want to help them grow in character, choose to serve, and share their faith. We believe this is the path our students will take to develop an authentic relationship with their God.