Thursday, May 18, 2006

I'm Certifiably Insane

And a Certified Candidate for the ordained ministry (elder track) in the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. Try saying that five times fast. Thank you all, for your prayers. Especially to Rev. Ed, for sacrificing a virgin over a burning volcano for my sake. Having lived in his part of Ohio, I know that such things are rare.

12 comments:

TN Rambler said...

Congratulations. I've always thought you were certifiable.

Anonymous said...

What's rare in that part of Ohio? Volcanoes or virgins?

Beth Quick said...

Congrats John! How was the experience? Did they ask you a lot of questions or did they more just 'get to know' you? I'm interested in how process compares area to area.

Ken Carter said...

congrats!!!! we need you

David said...

Well done, good and faithful servant.

John said...

It took about ten minutes. Some of the questions were hard. I wouldn't describe it as tortuous.

My mentor says that my time in the committee was relatively brief, by the standards of most certification meetings.

I had to justify how I could be an effective minister if I wasn't a Christian while I was a teenager. Which struck me as odd.

One guy really liked that I quoted Richard Baxter in my autobio.

Keith H. McIlwain said...

Congratulations! God is good!

Kim said...

Call me strange, but I would think that not being a Christian as a teenage could be a tool that God could use to reach youth -- especially youth who are struggling to become Christians.

Congratulations! May God continue to walk with you on this journey.

Andy B. said...

Congratulations, John. Ditto on Kim's response to your teenage years. I wonder what the commitee was implying with that line of questions?

John said...

The problem resulted from a poorly-phrased section in the application for candidacy in the front of the blue Guidebook. The only place where one is asked about one's leadership in the church is in the context of youth. The committee member may have misunderstood. Anyway, since so many candidates are now older, it's time to update that application.

Sally said...

Deffinetly insane... welcome to the ranks of the nearly but not quite yet ordained...

Kristen said...

Congratulations... I'm very happy for you!