With the gathering of our own church family, friends from nearby and our immediate family from across the state, Center Hill Community Church was a packed house on January 23rd.  We had come together not simply to ordain the Pastor unto the ministry but to glorify God.

My greatest fear for the day was that it would become about the person being ordained, me, and not about the God who had called and enabled me.  Center Hill didn’t confuse the issues.  Even though kind things were said about me (kinder than I deserved) and the examination of my call completed, the over arching message was that God was center and it was His ministry that was to be furthered.  From the board and congregation’s examination, the preparation of the meal, the planning and presentation of music, the preaching of the Word by Rocky Hammond and Jeff Burkett, and the moderation of the services by Jim Titler, the people of Center Hill came to a deeper understanding of “Soli Deo Gloria”, God’s glory only.

If I used this space to thank each and everyone who had a part in the success of the day, I would surely leave someone out and worse yet deflect the glory of the day from our Lord.

In recent months as I had prepared for the ordination, I came across a recurring theme in the Word of God, humility.  I can’t remember who said, ‘if a man claims to be humble in the slightest, it is a sure sign he is not’ but it has stayed with me.  I am not claiming to be humble but instead say that I was humbled by the day.  Micah 6:8 has been more and more impressed upon my heart that what is required of me is ‘to walk humbly with my God’.  I am humbled to think that God being so sovereignly in control of the very dust motes floating in the air of my  study and each snow flake falling outside the window has at the same time called me to His ministry.  I trust I never lose the weightiness of that thought.

Thank you Center Hill for honoring our Lord and allowing the moment to reflect His glory.

soli deo gloria