Who is He calling you to be?

As you know I have not been blogging for a while. Over the past month or so I have been going through a lot and I am only wanting to be the person God calls me to be and nothing else. Through my years in ministry I have sadly fallen into the cool factor of ministry. I can sit back now and see times in my life when I wanted to be cool and fit in with other pastors. Now as I look at some of those pastors all I see is pastors who are not called just cool and fitting in. I have gone through my twitter and Facebook and not following those anymore.

All I want to do and be is only what God has called me to be and nothing less. I think that I have been more on the less part of life and ministry. So I just thought that I would let you know. From here on I am no longer going to be mister cool pastor but rather a shepherd of His people, a man always and only wanting to be used by Him for His kingdom and for His glory.

So here it is.

As you know I am a guy who does and will speak my mind. I am not afraid to let you know what I think about some pastors. One thing that God has been doing in me for the past few months is helping me how more grace because with out that grace I would not be saved.

So why am I saying this? What am I about to say?

I am sorry if at anytime I have made you upset by something I have said. I feel as if I have become known not so much for my love for the gospel and for Jesus Christ but more for being angry about things. As a Christian I want to be known as a man who is saved by God's amazing and unbelievable grace.

I just wanted to let you all know what God has been doing.

Thirsty People

As I preach I pray that people to become fans of me but I pray ,as I hope you do fellow pastor/elder,that the church will become fans and thirsty for the living water from God. Do not entertain your church with funny jokes but instead give them passion, the passion for more of God.

We all need to become like a deer, thirsty for more of the stream.

Short and sweet

So the other day I was looking at my twitter and saw a post from a youth pastor that said "didn't have time to finish my sermon tonight for youth so going to let the kids cut my hear instead". WOW really dude.

When I read this I got pretty upset. When I look at some of the old dead pastors that I read and some of the pastors today that I look up to they all put a high standard on preaching. They put writing there sermons up there before anything. Paul himself tells us to let the deacons worry about the other things so that you can put your time into teaching the truth rightly.

This is one of the things that I feel is wrong with youth ministry today. So many youth leaders just get by by playing games and feeding students pizza and not teaching God's word. I feel that if you do not have time to study God's word so that you can teach it then it is not effecting your own life so why should it effect others.

Well my rant is over now. You can go back to doing whatever you are doing.

WOW.

So this morning I was writing and I started to think about the year I have had. Talk about a roller coaster.

I was at a church for only three months when the pastor told me about a few families that wanted him out. My first church meeting in January I saw how ugly people and sin can really be. After the meeting that lasted about four hours they kicked the pastor out. I was only the youth pastor now without a senior pastor. In just 6 months I saw and heard things from people in a church that would make some people wanna throw up. It was sick but yet God kept helping me to fall in love with The Church , His bride. During everything that was going on with people cursing other people out right before and during the service God was growing the youth ministry. I can remember times that we did not have enough room because of the kids that showed up. Students where getting saved and being baptized and it was sweet. In October Kim and I left there and are now at a church named Mosaic in Highland ILL. God is doing so many things in and around our ministry it is really cool.

Kim and I over the past year have grown so much and I am so thankful that God has done the things in my life and marriage that he has done. This year I have learned a little more of what it means to be a pastor after being a husband. God has also blessed Kim and I with a child that will be born in June 2011.

As you can see God has been up to a lot just in my life and it is so cool. I am really looking forward to seeing what God does in 2011. I pray that I will stay close to him and never stray from hearing His voice. May God bless you in 2011.

The Well. A New Church coming to Lebanon

Some may already know this but I wanted to let you all know what is going on.

In October of 2006 God laid on my heart a church called The Well. After much prayer and seeking Him and listening to Him He has called Kim and I to plant a church called The Well in Lebanon IL.

The Well is a church where people are restored by the cross and serve there city.

We will be starting this March meeting in Lebanon and I can not wait. God is doing so much right now that I do not have time to write it all out and tell you. If you would like to know more information please feel free to shoot me an email mhampel82@gmail.com.

There will be much more information on this coming very soon. Right now this is what I am going to ask you. PRAY for us. Please pray that God's will will be done in this new church. Also please pray about maybe seeing if God would have you be a part of this new church. Starting in January we will be sending out invites to people for some informational meeting and calling people to join us on this journey.

What a Day.

So today was such a cool day. Kim and I went to the doctors and heard baby Hampel's heart beat. WOW you wanna talk about being amazing by God just do that. I am really looking forward to the day that I get to hold my child in my arms. June 16th 2011 that should happen but until then all I can do is pray for my child and keep kissing it through Kim's belly. :) I like that part just don't tell her LOL.

There is one more thing that I am doing and wow it is so cool. This past February I went to the desiring God pastors retreat and they gave us a book with a bunch of blank pages in it and it says romans down the side. We are suppose to write out the book of romans for us to study but I am writing the whole book of Romans and one day give it to our first born. On days that I write and something happens, like today, I write at the top of the page the date and what happened. So I am really looking forward to leading my son or daughter to know the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Weight we carry .

Over the past two years I have been able to feel the full weight of what a pastor carries on a regular basis. We are called to carry this weight but we are called to rely on Christ on a daily basis. Praise God that he is our strength.

The Past

So today I was watching the news and I heard a clip from President Bush from his upcoming interview with Oprah. The clip really spoke to me. Oprah kept asking him to talk about Sarah Palin or Obama and he said that he is not going to wade in the swamp water. He is going to stay out of it.

As some pastors and/or church members leave a church it can be easy to bash there past church. But I really think that we need to not wade into the swamp water. We are called to pray for those people and that God's will will be done and by us bashing the church it helps no one. So next time you are tempted as you will be to just put a toe in the water stop and think about what you are about to do.

What's important?

As some of you may know I just got back from my vacation with my wife and we had a great time. As soon as we got back I felt God telling me that things are going to be changing and they are changing very fast. As thing are changing I can feel that I am getting out of control. I am becoming a very busy person but my focus is not right. Even though my focus is on God and then my wife both of them need more focus from me.

This starts to make me think. Pastors we can get to busy at times and say we are focused on things but we say it so much that it feels like we are but we really are not. Paul tells timothy to watch your life and I am sorry to say that I have not been watching like I should have been. I think that if you are real with your self you will most likely say the same thing. Stop the habits in your life that take you away from what really matters. I just thought that I would share this with you and may it bless you and your walk with Him.

Monday Thoughts.

This is my Monday video. I have been going through a lot this week but learning and growing and seeing more and more everyday that God is such an amazing God.