Service

There are a lot of things on my "description" to the left of this post. I do ministry at a church. I helped start a non-profit. I even have a couple of degrees under my belt... one in music and the other in religion.

Those things are there because they are what I love to do the most. But they're all things that I do on the side.

So what do I do full time? What's my 40-hour-a-week job?

I'm a Computer Lab Supervisor at Liberty.

I don't know anything about computers.

I don't really talk about it because it's not part of my "big picture." It doesn't have much to do with anything that I want to do in the future. But this summer, our department has worked hard to improve our customer service outlook. Many brilliant minds came together to drastically improve the way we serve our students.

I slowly began to catch on, and I decided that my attitude was going to change. While computers have nothing to do with my 5-year-plan, serving others should and always will be my focus.

So I talked to co-workers about this and told them how I planned to change my focus. My attitude became more positive and my interactions with customers improved. A friend from work said "I love your servant attitude this semester. What's changed?"

I thought about it, and I said: "Marriage."

Since I got married three months ago, I had hardly noticed the change that was starting to happen. Marriage was making me a less selfish and more serving person.

I have a long way to go. I still act selfishly and say selfish things. But I am beginning to see the true act of service to others. It isn't always easy, and it's hardly ever my natural instinct. It takes self-sacrifice to be a true servant, but more than that, it takes the Holy Spirit. Without Him, I have no chance... I am doomed to a life of selfish misery. I must seek Him, and strive to be more like Jesus.

There is no lightness in the command to husbands to love their wives as Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5:25). That is a command to be like Jesus Himself. He wouldn't command it unless, by the Holy Spirit, it was possible to attain. But our humanity will always fight against that command. Our human urges will prevent us from being who we are called to be. But the life of a husband is the life of a servant.

If we strive towards this though His strength, our wives will love us for it, and this attitude of service will pour into the rest of our lives.

Maybe I should change my description. Kevin Jones: Christ follower. Husband. Servant.

Teaching

I have starting reading "Seven Laws of the Learner" by Bruce Wilkinson with my pastor as we work on our teaching styles and skills together. In the opening chapter, Wilkinson explains how one of his favorite seminary professors viewed teaching: "He saw teaching not as what he did, but what his students did." Teaching, it seems, all depends on what the students learn. It is not about covering material... it is not about teaching a topic... it is about creating an environment where students actually learn.

So I thought about it. Is that what I do? Is it what I want to do? I have never considered myself a great teacher, but I do want to learn how to teach effectively.

But I do believe I'm on the right track.

I remembered an instance of teaching at my church, and it encouraged me. To explain, I need to provide a little background.

When I was in middle school, I read a story. Or heard it from a preacher. Or something. I don't really remember where I heard it, but I remember the lesson. It went something like this:

"A very poor woman had two sons, and every day she made them one meal of soup. Each of her sons had one bowl that they ate soup from every day. The woman worked hard to make this soup her very best. One day, one of her sons came up with a dirty bowl, still left uncleaned from the previous day's meal. The woman told her son 'I worked hard on this soup, it is my very best, and you have brought me a dirty bowl to put it in. I won't put my soup in a dirty bowl. Clean it out first and then you can eat.'"

The point of this story was that God won't put His Son into a dirty bowl... we need to clean out our lives so that our hearts are ready to receive Him.

It's a cute story, it illustrates a point, and it is completely and totally 100% wrong.

But in middle school, I ate that story up. I loved it... I thought about it for days. Because no one ever told me otherwise.

So I decided to try something. I started to tell that story to my youth group kids one night. And before I even finished, one of them said "Wait, I get the point of this story. Doesn't Jesus want to come into our lives just as we are and fix our dirty stuff?"

Someone had taught him something. Someone had taught that student to spot faulty theology and recognize the truth of God no matter what. Was that someone me? I don't know.

The point was that this student had learned something. Somewhere along the way, he learned something that really mattered.

I don't want any of the students under my care to ever go into the world and risk being led astray. I want them to know what salvation is, and mostly importantly, who Jesus truly is.

My mission is not to cover material, but to ensure that students are learning. This is the goal.

Planning has begun!

I've started my planning board in my office at work!

For the last two years, this board has been covered in notes left by friends who came by to visit. However, it was time for a more practical purpose. However, I left some notes from my wife and my sister for inspiration... I know I'll need it!

The importance of their support, especially my wife's, is incredibly important. Laura has encouraged all the positive things God has given me to do, and helped me steer away from the rest. I am so blessed to know her and be married to her!



More work to do this week. The goal is to have a proposal ready to send to 12 publishers by September 1st!

New Book!

I neglected this blog for almost a year.

However, it's time to restart.

I'm using this opportunity to announce a book I'm writing! About every two weeks or so, I will be giving excerpts from my research, thoughts, and views on the topic of this book.

For today, this is just an announcement. I have several friends who have helped me formulate ideas, and many who will be on a team that will help me make sense of what I'm saying, as well as wrap my head around some difficult concepts.

So what will it be about? In a simple word... trust.

Trust... because the most important lessons I've learned in the last three years have to do with it.

Trust... because that's what I know to write about.

But, it won't be exactly the same. My discussion will focus on our misplaced trust... in the world, in the government, and even in ourselves.

My goal is not to take sides on difficult issues... although I will formulate clearer views from this study. My goal, instead, will be to unite people despite our differing views.

So, follow this blog if you would like to follow my journey!