this year was my 2nd year to attend the New Life Ministries/New Life Mens Home Christmas Party with Ricardo Vega. I always enjoy being around Ricardo, he is on fire for the Lord and does big things in this city for Christ. If you ever have a project around the house or are moving to a new home I totally recommend you call these guys to help you out. the $ you pay will pale in comparison to a moving company and it goes towards a good cause, freeing men from the chains of drug addiction.

I was perusing the “ministry” web site of one of contemporary televangelism’s rising stars. Her web home page alone has 10 (count ’em!) pictures of her plastered all over it. And in the back-end of the web site, there must be dozens of pictures of her (I didn’t have the time to count ’em all.) You come away with the distinct impression that the web site and ministry is all about the televangelist - not Jesus. That’s a real problem with so many of today’s public ministries - the temptation and allure of fame. Even the URL of a ministry can be telling, with many consisting of the literal name of the pastor/evangelist/teacher.

I think the relationship with God is more pure and authentic when I do my spiritual discipline out of a desire to know Him better and build a closer relationship with Him. I have found myself over the years being trapped by doing spiritual disciplines because of responsibility to perform or teach or “minister” or lead. My prayers become “Lord, I need something for the performance” rather that “Lord, I just want to know you more and fall in love with you in a deeper way”. When this happens, The spiritual life seems dry. It is the wrong approach… It is the wrong motivation. It is like I turn my HOLY father into so cosmic bubble gum machine and all I have to do is deposit my token prayer, twist the handle and get a treat.

http://www.theresurgence.com/md_blog_2007-06-13_death_by_ministry_part_1

Watch the video!!! Read the Blog!!!

I have been pushing it for ten years since Mars Hill Church opened up, and the end of last year was a particularly rough patch. I was looking forward to a few weeks off after Christmas to catch up on sleep. Sadly, what happened was that I would be very tired and go to bed at a decent hour only to wake up a few hours later, unable to return to sleep. I was not stressed out or thinking, but it seemed something was physically wrong. Even sleeping pills were of little to no help and by the end of the holidays I was exhausted, having slept an average of perhaps three hours a night. A naturopath said I had overextended myself and worn out my adrenal glands (which regulate my sympathetic nervous system). The result of basically a decade of perpetual stress and a final taxing season was that I was exhausted all day—I literally had blurred vision and would fall asleep quickly only to wake up a few hours later, unable to sleep again. So, I spent a few months conserving energy for my family and church, but some Sundays were brutal. At times, I actually found myself nodding off on the side of the stage before one of the four services I preach live.

Here is part of an interview called “Sin in High Places: An interview with Carl Trueman”. The whole interview can be found on http://against-heresies.blogspot.com/search/label/Interviews

This was question really made me stop and examine myself since I am in the process of applying to Seminary.

See below…

What signs of potential doctrinal drift and danger do you need to keep an eye out for in ministerial students?