Jumping The Gun

Have you ever thought you were ready to set off a trip, camping or traveling, only to realize that when you were on the road you left the most important items behind? We get excited to get to destinations, but sometimes we forget what is most important.

I grew up in a tourist and outdoor sport area and we used to chuckle at how many people would forget needed items. I’ve seen people going hunting and fishing at stores buying poles, ammo, and even guns because they forgot them at home. It made some good money for local businesses, but how could we forget what is most important? Well, I think we do this in life more often then we’d like to admit.

Those following me know that my wife and I have been on a bit of a journey the past few months. We went through a church closer, accusations based on misunderstanding, and loss of our home and jobs. God and family have been faithful to supply a place to live and regroup. I found a job teaching in a private school. Becky found an office job, which unfortunately fell through just after we signed the papers on the loan and home we now live in. She found a job within a week, but I’ll be honest finances are tight as we wait for her to start a week and a half for now.

I’m not sharing all of this for you to feel sorry for us, but to give you perspective on how sometimes we can jump the gun and get ahead of God.

Leaving a ministry where we’d spent nearly twenty-years being part of a church and community and developed deep friendships, a place where our jobs in the community created some strong friendships as well was hard. It’s always hard to face change. It’s even worse when you’ve been attacked by misunderstandings, and when you face what you see as failing.

I know both Becky and I went through our own pains and the healing is starting to improve. I ended up getting some needed help to deal with anxiety that set in. Even as we moved in with family and I struggled with feelings of lost purpose I still felt I was to serve God in some way. My anxiety was internally pressing me to stay away from church ministry. I knew the administrative aspects of ministry had burned me out. How was I to start over? How could I begin at this stage of life? Who would even want a minister at my age.

Those of you who have stuck with me know that Becky and I started a podcast and Facebook to offer a weekly Bible study. We focused a lot of our talk on restarting, as it was what we were doing and we were speaking from the heart. It isn’t easy to process a restarting time in your life, and I’m not sure how this truly effected or helped anyone.

Easter and the weeks surrounding Easter. I sat in worship breaking, and realizing I was out of place. Not speaking, not sharing, and not feeling like I belonged. I stopped posting blogs and the online study.

A month went by and I realized I was healing in a new way. Even with the turmoil of trying to purchase a house and Becky losing her job I could see God providing. I also had a couple of major revelations. First, as our pastor shared about Moses calling I was reminded it doesn’t matter what others think, but it matters what God is telling us to do. Second, I’ve been put in a place to do somethings that I couldn’t do so well in the past. These are the things that are now driving and calling me toward this next ministry step.

We had jumped the gun by starting the podcast and online ministry in January, merely to feel we were doing something purposeful. It may have done a little good. However, the passion was missing. God began laying on me the need to share some of the deep questions and even weird things that come up in Scripture and are discussed in the world. These are often areas that many believers want to avoid, but I hear those outside the church questioning all too often. I also have started to seek out how I can truly reach out to those who have grown tired of traditional church, been hurt by church, and are left questioning if God is real or if they have any significance in the world.

A secondary part of this calling is to help other pastors and church leaders who have been hurt or are struggling to refocus and restart for the next phase of their ministry. We pastors face a unique place and I can see how encouraging others is a part of who I am now.

This is leading me to starting the new ministry, Deep Treks. A place where I hope to give some encouragement to people in their own journey to or in Christ. I also will be taking a Deep Dive weekly, along with some guests at times, to look at some of the tough questions, and even some of the bizarre ideas being promoted in the society we live in. I hope we can offer some encouragement to Christian leaders and pastors as well.

Why online and in Podcasting? Well, I also had it laid on my heart of how Paul went to the Forum and preached about the unknown god, so that they might know the true God. Our greatest open Forum today is the internet, so it is an open field ripe for the harvest of souls with questions, concerns, hurts, and seeking purpose. It is also a forum filled with misinformation, misunderstanding, and outright lies about Christ, The Bible, and Faith. I hope to reach those seeking and encourage those serving.

I appreciate your prayers as I start recording and promoting this ministry. Thanks in advance for your support and those needed prayers.

Blessings on the journey,

Dan Shipton