One
day I was in my office trying to figure everything out when God prompted me to
go to Arizona. This wasn’t a Jonah
situation where Arizona was Nineveh or anything. My wife’s family lives in Arizona. My wife and I went to college in Arizona
(Southwestern Bible). My grandfather
lives in Arizona. There was quite a draw
anyway. When we headed out west we
thought we would be planting a church in Surprise with God’s blessing.
After moving to Surprise in 2006 it
was clear that Surprise didn’t need another church. Every school in the town had a church renting
its facilities for jumpstart churches of every denomination. I wasn’t sure what was going on. God had clearly prompted me to leave Illinois
and go to Arizona, so why wasn’t there a ministry for me to do? Turns out He had only pointed at Arizona and
not at church planting. I had filled in
a blank that He wanted to fill.
After a few weeks I realized that to
feed my family of four I need a job. A
job that pays you money while you try to plant a church on the side. So I looked online for just about anything
and I found a job opening at Northwest Christian High School. They needed a Bible teacher for 8th
grade. Perfect.
I applied and then went to Colorado to
speak at a youth camp and the whole time I was there I became fully convicted
in my spirit that Northwest was God’s plan.
When I returned the position had been filled. I couldn’t believe it. I checked online again and saw this same
school needed a high school art teacher.
(I had a big time art background so I thought, well that’s
something.) So I went to this Northwest
Christian High School and met with their then principle Ernie Molina.
I said to him, “I want to be your art
teacher.” He asked proper questions
like, do you have a teaching degree, and art degree, the ability to even draw? Of course I didn’t have the degrees so I took
a few days to prove that I could not only draw but many other types of art and
that I could teach it with a biblical worldview. (I had seen they were big on that on their
website.)
By God’s mercy he hired me. I had a job!
A part-time job that allowed me to try to plant a church; that would
never start. Turns out my good friend from
college Chris Gardner had gotten the 8th grade Bible teacher job
instead of me. In hindsight that was God
protecting me too. He is the perfect guy
for that age, not me. Never me.
The school took note of my biblical
worldview integration in my art classes and gave me some study halls the second
semester to make me full time. Then
during the second semester the high school Bible Department interviewed me for
the 11th grade Bible position.
I got it. Over the next seven
years God revealed why He pointed at Arizona and just wanted me to trust Him. Wow,
that was hard and I don’t think I was very good at it, I know I complained a
lot and got discouraged but I’m here.
Wait, what about the mistake of the
Jesus checkpoints and accidental legalism I created in Illinois? In 2008 the Bible guys were approached by Mr.
Molina for new ideas on Bible elective courses.
I offered my Jesus study as an idea and they loved it, I loved it, and
the office named it Live Like Jesus class.
(Doesn’t that sound intimidating and like a command? We didn’t notice!) 16 students were in it in year one. It was exciting times! To be continued…
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