A friend recently said that familiar phrase to me, “Bigger level, bigger Devil”.  I understand that he was saying, when we live loud for God it catches Hell’s attention.

However, God whispered to my heart just as that friend said that, and He said, “Also Bigger Disciples”.  I smiled so BIG, because I don’t just want to end knowing that I have to face a bigger Devil.  I also get to see BIGGER disciples.  I get to see people who start living more fearlessly for God.  I get to see more people begin to choose to live for Jesus.  AND ONCE AGAIN JESUS WINS!

BIGGER LEVEL, BIGGER DEVIL, BIGGER DISCIPLES!!!!

I really thought I would hate this book.

As a pastor, I thought that someone’s attempts to cure the joy problem with brain health and mood balancing were heretical and unnecessary.  For most of us, we need to just pray and things will get better.  Right?!?

There are 4 things that I learned from Dr. Earl Henslin that really helped me:

1.  He explained the different parts of the brain (giving them cool nicknames) in easy to understand terms.  He showed what emotions these different parts of the brain influence.  This was SOOOO helpful and really worth the price of the book for someone like me who knew nothing about the brain.

2.  He went into depth about each part of the brain, but then showing solutions in case your brain gets stuck in that section sometimes.  He gives different foods, vitamins, music, books, and movies that may help.  But he also has Scriptures that will help a person struggling with that.

3.  He says that he tries to shy away from medication much of the time.  I like this, because just from my simple perspective it seems we’re overmedicated in America and I’ve met plenty of kids and teens that probably don’t need the medication they’re on.  I’m not against medication, just against the overuse of it.

4.  He ends by breaking down the book of Philippians and how the Apostle Paul gained joy in some of the toughest situations.  It was very practical and helpful.

Do I agree with everything Dr. Henslin says in this book?  No.  However, I feel like just learning some of these ways to deal with your “temper lofts” or depression have helped me since I read this book.
Buy this book – it may just really help you with something you’ve been struggling in your brain with for a while.  I’m grateful for the impact it made on me.

I was hesitant to write this letter, because I myself am a young pastor. I don’t have it all together, I struggle with my calling, and have wanted to quit at times.

However, recently I find that friends who at one point were called to the ministry have either dropped out, disqualified themselves, or just quit. I have felt a HUGE burden inside of me to write these words out.

This is my open letter to young ministers.

Hey,

I heard today that you wanted to quit ministry. It kills me on the inside when I hear that, because I know that God has called you to be a pastor. I know it’s easy to forget that moment when God whispered your name, because of mean people in ministry, student loan debt or any number of reasons that cross your mind. There are always a million reasons to quit, but one reason you should stay: “He who began a good work in you will carry it onto completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).

I’m reminded of Mother Teresa’s paradoxical commandments, which describe the life of a minister so well. In one of them she says, “People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.” Dealing with jerks, huh? Welcome to the club, which has a population of every single person on the face of the earth. Seriously, we all deal with jerks in every aspect of life. Somewhere along the line we start to believe that because we are Christ’s ministers, we will somehow be treated better. We too often have fragile emotions, like a house of cards just waiting to be toppled. We let tough circumstances and the normal hurts of life wear our hearts down to a thin layer of pithy love. But we forget the promise of Psalm 73:26 that says, “God is the strength of my heart forever.” We choose to whine to God, rather than cast our cares on the God who can strengthen our heart out of hurts and tough times.

If your decision to not follow this calling wholeheartedly is because of money, I want to warn you with what the apostle Paul said, “Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:10). I know debt can be intimidating, because I am paying school debt, credit card debt, and other bills every month. However, when we start to worry about these things more than honoring God’s call we become empty, worldly, shells of what God truly created us to do. No matter how much we convince ourselves that we are doing fine, we will be walking away from the narrow path that God designed especially for us. Yeah, I’m living month to month. Yeah, I want to pay off my debts. But He knows all this, and why do I worry like pagans worry when He has promised to take care of me (Matthew 6:32).

Finally, I want to challenge you to fear God. If God has called you to ministry in the past and you are walking away, at least fear God enough to get back in the race. Paul himself said in 1 Corinthians 9:16, “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!” When did we lose the fear that we would be disobeying God by walking away? When did we choose that our feelings were more important than doing what God has commanded us to do? The problem with disobeying God in this is that it affects the whole trajectory of our life. We become planes looking for a place to land, but ultimately running out of fuel in the air. That usually turns into a crash landing.

What am I asking you to do? What Jesus says in Revelation 2:2-5, 7 – “2I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 7He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”

Hate me, love me, whatever you want to feel about me. Just please consider what God has called you to do. I love you, and want to see God’s calling be lived out in your life.

A concerned friend,
TJ Reid

I stepped out of the internet world for the last week and a half, only checking email daily.  I NEEDED IT!  I got so caught up in studying articles, twitters, blogs, and other things.  I just NEEDED more of God in my life.  I needed more time with Him.

This last week was our week for prayer and fasting that happens monthly at the church.  God has been sharing His love for me and the people that surround my life.  He has been speaking to me some fresh new ministry ideas.  He just has had more time to be God in my life when I disconnected and let Him be the “information” I craved.

I want to be like Moses when it says in Psalm 103:7 – “He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel.” I want to know God’s character and not just His deeds.  I want to know His heart.

Sometimes, I desire to know what’s on other people’s hearts more than what’s on God’s heart.  When that’s true, it’s time to disconnect from that and connect to Him.  Because He said that apart from Him we can do nothing.