Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Internship

I have started a new internship at the Southern Hills Church of Christ in Abilene, TX. It has been two full years since I have been in the middle of full-time ministry. During my summers in undergrad, I spent every one of them doing preaching internships. It was through those internships that I received my call to the ministry of preaching. I love school so much, but there is something about getting my hands dirty in day-in-day-out ministry that revives my spirit.

Two out of the past three weeks I have been in classes and I still have papers to write for those classes, but this internship will allow me to leave the academy in order to let God remind me what all of my schooling is really about.

The next three weeks I will preaching. The first two I will preach at Southern Hills and the third I will preach at my home congregation, Highland Oaks. I am more than excited about these opportunities. I will be preaching on Simon of Cyrene and Peter's healing of Dorcas. I can't wait to meet God in the text in the powerful ways he always meets me when I spend time in study and sermon preparation. It has been over a year since I last wrote a sermon so I am a bit anxious to see if the gift is still there, but God is faithful and he will show up if I open myself to his word.

For three weeks, I get to do exactly what God has gifted me to do. What more can a person ask than to delight in what God has gifted him or her to do. This is what life is all about and I am excited to depart on the journey. This morning I enter the text. Who knows how it will shape me in the coming weeks? God, I'm ready for the journey. Guide me as I help others enter the text in ways they might have never considered it before.

3 comments:

Chris Field said...

Hey bud-

Huge blessings on the weeks to come. Wish I could be there to hear you as I know you will bless many. I love your passion and fervor for preaching and meeting the Lord in the text. I have no doubt that you have been called to preach and teach and I think it's awesome to see you use that gift.

TKP said...

Collin,
I'm a bit jealous of your preaching summer. Blessings as you prepare and deliver a message from the Lord.

Remember when we were in undergrad and in Exegesis? That seems like such a long time ago now...

Unknown said...

Hey, my name is Dean and I preach in Nashville, TN and I'm beginning an internship here. I saw this post and I was wondering if you have any information on the internship program you're doing that I could learn from? Any descriptions, documents, etc. that explain the structure and process of your internship work would be very helpful. My email is deanbarham@gmail.com. Thanks.