Unplugged

Saturday night and I'm in my usual place, making sure my brain and the powerpoint for tomorrow are both ready. But this time last week, Bunny and I were in New Orleans and were off the "grid." Normally, I'd have written all week about what we experienced, but for some reason I didn't feel that I could adequately do that without some time to look back and reflect on just what we saw and did.

New Orleans got to me.

The picture above was of the Cathedral as the sun was going down. Last Saturday night we happened to be down there on the square as a wedding party came out of the cathedral. The bells rang in joy and the whole effect was almost magical. That area was just stunning, and yet it also was a place where the people who seemed to be "lost" in every sense of the word congregated. There were several fortune tellers at any time, people who dressed weirdly and people had their pictures taken with them, musicians (including one guy on a recorder that was awful), and street people.

Despite the location near to the most beautiful church exterior in NOLA, it seemed to me that the "light of the world" was unplugged. We were down there every single night and at no time did we see any hint of Christian influence and only heard one attempt at "Amazing Grace." Hint - it helps to know the words. The darkness especially in the French Quarter really bothered me while we were there and still does. I was frankly stunned by it and woefully unprepared to "do something" about it. I've wondered since that given the churches in the area, the presence of seminaries including New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary just a few miles away, why groups of musicians couldn't come down every night and sing. Why couldn't compassion teams check on the street people - build relationships with the fortune tellers and the like - why couldn't Jesus be seen down there every day.

If you remember, a while back I wrote about how many children are dying from lack of clean water, from treatable illnesses, and I posed this question: Are you okay with that?

Fair enough? Given we can do something about it?

Well, are we okay with giving the devil the French Quarter in New Orleans?

We (the Church - all of us) have to do better. We have to be great at the Great Commission - everywhere.

Pray for New Orleans. Pray that God would raise up a mighty wave of grace and love that would flood the French Quarter and bring glory to Jesus and people to faith in Him.

I Can See It From Here

Yesterday was one of those up and down days that seem to characterize the life of a pastor.

Personally, it was great to celebrate Bunny's birthday and look forward to today's celebration of our 35th anniversary. But we also were wading through the process of (along with the rest of Bunny's family) taking a look at what we can do to improve Bunny's Mom's care and eventually see her return home. That pressed us all day long.

Then there was the sadness as we prayed for Harriet Standifer and her family as they laid to rest her sister and her husband who passed away last week. Added to that was the news that one of our elderly members, Evelyn Brown, who was visiting her daughter in Colorado, fell down a flight of stairs and suffered serious injury.

Later in the day I got a notice that the materials I had submitted for my final review for graduation from Rockbridge Seminary were lacking a few pages of work, and that they were needed immediately. The reviewer was one of my favorite professors at Rockbridge, Dr. Dean Finley, and he and I worked out through a series of emails what was needed and I stayed up last night until I was able to get that done.

For me, one of the greatest revelations I received earlier as a pastor was that I was involved in an avocation that guaranteed my frustration unless I came to grips with the fact that my work was never really ever "finished." People don't stay "fixed." Churches don't continue to be healthy, or continue to grow unless the pastor and the people he loves and cares for continue to do the little things to stay in step with the Holy Spirit.

Until you understand that, you will be on the way to going nuts.

So early on I realized I needed something in my life that had a starting point and an ending - a finish line. When we first moved here, it was easy - we had old cars that continually needed work. Fixing them, at least fixing one thing until another happened - filled my need. But we eventually moved upstream from $150 cars and I entered seminary again. While my work at New Orleans still lacks a few credits due to their on campus requirements, my tenure at Rockbridge is in sight of the finish line. I can see it from where I sit today, and if everything goes right, I'll be finished in February and graduate in June.

It is... right... there.

So what's next?

I'm praying about that. I'd definitely like to knock out the 17 hours I need at NOBTS, but time and tides make it difficult. I could roll the credits from there into another Rockbridge program. It really has been a great experience. Initially I plan to write more and listen to the Holy Spirit for my ultimate direction.

But it is so wonderful to be near the finish line.

The Perfect Storm

It's been three years ago today since Hurricane Katrina began to assail New Orleans. Having been to New Orleans several times for seminary, I had always wondered what bright individual built a city in a bowl below sea level. But when you think about it, did you start out to be where your life has taken you to?

Probably not.

I've received several emails from the seminary telling me what their plans are for Hurricane Gustav. From what I can tell, they've learned an awful lot since Katrina. They've evacuated, locked down, and have put their online course delivery system into place, so no one will even miss a class.

They learned from what happened last time. That's what you are supposed to do from mistakes, from failures - learn how not to fall into them again.

Dr Kelley and the administration at NOBTS should be commended on their prompt and decisive efforts.

Wow!

My love-hate relationship with NOBTS has gone on for many years now. I've loved the classroom instruction but had a running gun battle with the administration. It's been tough. So when I can find an opportunity to praise the work of NOBTS, I want to take it. Take a minute and read this report from the seminary's extension in the Mississippi State Prisons. NOBTS has had a pioneering effort in the Louisiana prisons and it appears Mississippi is going great too.

Our God is at work around us and if we just open our eyes, we will see Him and once again learn to stand in awe of Him and exclaim, "Wow."

Both are words we have experienced here at the NOBTS extension at Parchman. Since August of 2004 God has been changing lives in much the same way He chose to do at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. I will try to catch you up-to-date with all that has been happening during this year.

Let me share the WOW with you first. God is simply amazing. We now have an extension within our extension. The super-max facility known as unit 32, where four men lost their lives last summer and several others have been stabbed or brutally beaten, houses most of the lockdown inmates at Parchman. These inmates are "C" custody and are not allowed any contact with inmates of "B" or "A" custody. The students we have at our main campus located at unit 30 are all "B" or "A" custody. In October, we petitioned the state to allow us begin offering accredited courses at unit 32. The Department of Corrections agreed and we began with 15 students in January. Now that is worth a WOW and a Praise God, is it not?

Would you like another WOW? One of our 15 inmates at unit 32 was witnessing to an inmate on his tier. After a Monday night class, he was excited about what we had been discussing and decided to try to witness to this inmate again. Instead of listening to him, the inmate pulled a shank and attacked our student, cutting him 9 times: twice in the chest, four cuts on his head and three on his arms. Our student not only survived the attack but is back in class and has forgiven the other inmate for the attack. Our student's prison moniker is "Killer," and another inmate, a non-Christian, exclaimed, "Killer, Jesus really has changed you hasn't he!" He is a walking witness to God's ability to completely change an inmate from a killer to a martyr. Can you say WOW?

How about one more WOW? Since the first of this academic year in August 2007 our inmate-students have led over 1458 prayer meetings, 235 worship services and 3, 440 Bible studies with an average of 5 non inmate-students at each Bible study. Can you say Amen, Praise the Lord and WOW?

Can you stand one more little WOW? In the past academic year, our men have personally led 82 men to the saving knowledge of Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Friends, personally there is no greater reason for me to shout "Wow" and "Hallelujah" for what our great God is doing in this place.

With all of these "wows," there are still a few "uh-oh's" we have let slip from our lips this last year. There are some academic failures and inmates going on probation due to poor grades. We have lost a few students for disciplinary actions taken by the Department of Corrections. One inmate was lost to us because he was transferred to the Governor's Mansion. We have lost two who have been taken back to their counties of crime on court orders. These "uh-oh's" in no way diminish the things God is doing. I received a letter from an inmate at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Pearl who had been led to Christ by one of the inmates who had been taken from our program on court order. God turned an "uh-oh" into a "Wow." God is so awesome!

We want to thank each of you who have stood with us these last 4 years. The eternal consequences of your support and encouragement will never be fully realized in this life. So the best we can do now is just sit back, watch God at work and humbly, but excitedly shout, "WOW!"

Dr. Johnny Bley, Director

The New Seminary

Last night, I was leading our adults through the beginning of Chapter 5 in Paul's massive theological treatise - the Book of Romans. Back in the days of dot matrix printers and floppy disks, I first taught through the book. In those days I printed out my notes and took them with me. Not sure why I decided to go back to that method for this time through (my fourth), but I have. When I flipped through the blue notebook, I found that my notes began in September 1994. Almost 14 years ago. I'd like to think I know more now than I did then.

A friend and I were talking about seminary education earlier in the week, and I asked him about where he was in the process. He and I had attended New Orleans Theological Seminary together for a while at the beginning of his ministry career. He left a very successful career and a position as a vice president of our most prominent local bank to follow God's call. Good guy.

"I'm having trouble finding a seminary that will accept my credits. Most of them won't accept any credits that are over five years old," he said.

I expect he's learned a lot since then too, having gone on to interim at his home church, and pastor two other churches. God has used him in each place he's served. I guess God's not as high on formal theological education.

In my case, it has been time and money that caused me to not finish my New Orleans degree yet. All I need are a few on campus courses. Apparently the organization who accredits the seminary requires a certain number of courses to be taught on campus. Unless it doesn't. You see some classes have always given on campus credit even if you weren't on campus. In years past, NOBTS held workshops in N GA which you could receive that credit for. And if you were a NO student but traveled elsewhere to pick up a class, you'd get on campus credit. Thinking back, I can remember that when I started in 1991 you received on campus credit for the languages. Well, I'm stuck until I reapply and pick up those few remaining courses. Taking a week or two out of my life at one chunk, dropping a $1000 each week - just wasn't going to happen.

So I began the pursuit of a Masters in Ministry Leadership with Rockbridge Seminary. RS was begun for people like me who wanted a quality education but who couldn't move to seminary or afford to "commute". The list of the leadership looked like a who's who of online theological education, was very SBC heavy, and idea of competency based education was appealing. I'll finish that degree at the end of the October term. RS has been a blessing and I'd recommend it to anyone.

But I want to humbly suggest that the "New Seminary" goes on with and without places like New Orleans and Rockbridge. The pastors I talk to are constantly reading, constantly asking questions and taking what they learn and applying it to ministry and to life. I'll read over 150 books every year, thousands of articles in print and online, listen to podcasts, watch online videos, and discuss via email everything from funeral sermons to postmodernism.

The "New Seminary" classrooms are as close as the laptop in front of me. The professors aren't stuck in a classroom but on the front lines of ministry. Many have been failures multiple times, and kept pressing on using what they learned and become successful pastors. They share their knowledge with the rest of us as we do with them. Does a particular evangelism program have merit? In days past we would ask our Director of Mission or Lifeway rep. Now through the networks we can hear the straight scoop from another pastor.

Or we can email the author.

I have been able to ask questions of authors such as Reggie McNeal (The Present Future), Dan Kimball (They Like Jesus, But Not the Church), Mark Taylor of Tyndale House (The New Living Translation) and others. When I email them, they are so kind and generous that I am often amazed. I had quoted a Ray Prichard sermon as an example of what I had hoped one I had written would be, and he wrote me an email of encouragement and counsel. Not name dropping here by any means, just trying to help you who read this understand that we are most exceedingly blessed today with access far beyond what previous generations of seminarians could have dreamed.

So I'm sitting here with 123 hours of post graduate work in the can, yet possessing no single Masters degree recognizing them, and having learned more from those outside the seminary gates than within. Yes the seminary degree from a denomination's institution is still the good housekeeping seal of approval. But that too is going to change as churches see how God is using and will use those who got their education through other means.

In the future, my hope is that education will be pushed outside seminaries and back into the churches where it should always have been. That using a combination of online courses, internships, and mentoring - pastors will be better educated and more effective immediately than ever before.

Shameless Plug

You guys know by now that I'm not prone to toss out praise when it's not warranted. I hope my reluctance to do so isn't seen as cynicism, but a sincere desire to look for the best rather than honor the okay.

Just for background, I have a total now of 87 post graduate hours, spread over three institutions. Mercer University in Macon,(my alma Mater for undergrad) where I began an M.Ed. (and was forced by family emergency to stop), New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and now Rockbridge Seminary. I have loved them all in their own way.

Mercer had some amazing professors and an awesome campus. New Orleans, especially at the extension centers (where I did the vast majority of my work so far) draws from a great pool of local teachers who really helped me learn what being a pastor/theologian is all about. But the online fledgling, Rockbridge, may prove to be the best of them all for me.

I have taken several online courses at NOBTS, but none had the interaction and vitality that the Rockbridge environment has. My Hermeneutics class this session uses the same text as NOBTS does, and I think is doing the work at least at a NOBTS level, but adds to that a professor that's really engaged in helping us online, and students who come into the class expecting to interact in a challenging way.

If you are like me, a small church pastor with time and money issues, but know you need a good theological education and (this is important) want one that will deliver to you not only the academic acuteness but the practical as well, I heartily recommend Rockbridge.