We are on week two living in the hotel, as they work on our house. We are thankful, but are ready to be back in our home soon. This past weekend, Henry had a bad asthma attack and we had to take him to the ER. He ended up staying the night in the hospital. So we have been stretched pretty thin.
I have often joked about how when things hit in the Creath household, they hit all at once. In December of 2020 we had a round of it with Covid, my parents getting sick, etc. Seems like we are in another round of it. I've learned that I like routine. When I get out of routine, my head spins. This happens to me even on vacation. I have joked that I have to actually leave the country to have a true vacation, and even then it takes me a few days to unwind. However, there are great benefits to us being pushed out of our routine. Most of us are prone to getting into ruts, believing they are the best place to be. We find comfort in things not changing, because we someone think change is bad. Change can sometimes though bring perspective that we did not see before. Change allows us to examine ourselves, our hearts, and where our comfort truly lies. I won't lie-I'm ready to get back to my house. However, during this short season where my head is spinning, I'm trying to see what and how God is trying to grow me closer to Him. If we can train ourselves to understand that God is actually in control during seasons like this, great worship will be squeezed out of us. The Lord is in control, and we have more than we deserve. We are thankful. Ok, the title of this post sounds very dramatic, and needs some explanation. Back in January, fresh off of the Christmas break, we had a toilet begin leaking unknown to us on our second floor. By the time we found the problem, the entire kitchen ceiling had collapsed underneath, the kitchen was ruined, and all of our hardwood floors as well. What a mess!
After months of back and forth with insurance, contractors, etc, the work began on our house last week. We are getting a brand new kitchen, floors, upstairs bathroom. Not exactly the place to have a 4 and 1 year old. Insurance approved us staying in a hotel for a few weeks while the major work is done. So here we are. It sound glamorous. It's not. But, I've been reminded lately that I should be grateful. I am. I have a safe place to hang out with my two kiddos and Leslie. I have parents who are gracious to help us out with the kids some. We have warm meals. We have truly been blessed more than we ever deserve. When things happen outside of the timeline we put in place, it throws us for a journey. It sure does me. It's in these moments the Lord refines me the most. As I talked with a dear church member on the phone yesterday, God never changes, and He is uses everything in our lives to push us closer to Him. Guess I better practice what I preach, huh? :) In a few weeks, we'll be back in our home. I am thankful for God's provision in my life, none of which I deserve. The Lord is good. It has certainly been a busy month in the Creath household! On Wednesday, December 7th, we went to court and finalized the adoption of our second child, Grace. She is the most amazing little girl. Candidly, I was scared to death of the thoughts of raising a daughter. I did not know what I was going to do with her. However, these first 8 months have been incredible. She is definitely her daddy's girl, and I like it. Henry is a proud big brother, and even got to hit the gavel during the court hearing. It was such a special day. Two days later, on December 9th, I graduated with my second master's degree, a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from Northwest Missouri State University. I started this during the pandemic online, and am very proud of this accomplishment. I posted previously in August about why I chose to attain this. It was a great time of celebration. As I have told many people, I think i'm done attaining degrees, and I just want to watch my babies grow. The Lord has certainly been faithful to our family this year. We are grateful. The longer I live and the longer I serve in ministry, that more I realize how pathetic our efforts are without deep, intentional prayer. We often times in church have encouraged individuals to have "personal quiet times that include prayer". Certainly, we should continue to do this. Our prayer closets may be the most powerful place we can be. However, I have lately become convinced that there is extreme power in regular corporate prayer. When we pray together, we bring glory to God. When we pray together, we encourage each other. Hearing a brother or sister in Christ cry out to God brings confidence that I can keep going. Hearing a brother or sister pray teaches me how to rely on God more. Hearing a brother or sister pray shows me that others stumble over their words. Hearing a brother or sister pray unifies me to someone that is completely different than me. When young, middle aged and old gather together, in prayer, it is a force that God can use more than any program, any strategy, and any slick willy ministry idea we dream up in our carnal minds. In the past six months, the Lord brought this to me and we have begun gathering monthly for prayer gatherings as a church body. No-this isn't a gossip session or a list of everybody's sick relatives. This is intentionally directed prayer. We pray for the lost. We pray for our community. We pray for missionaries. We pray BEYOND OURSELVES. I am so encouraged to see a prayer movement happening at Parkway Baptist. We now have groups gathering to pray nearly every day of the week offsite. They are praying for our church and our pastor search. They are praying for our community, which is growing more diverse by the day. They are praying that we might glorify our God and keep us unified. I can't tell you how excited I am. When you see the Spirit of God moving in hearts, and you don't have to convince people to gather to pray but get to sit back, guide, and let God do the work, ministry comes alive again. God is at work amongst a group of imperfect people at Parkway Baptist Church. There are more seats at the table. Join us as we see what God is going to do.
During Covid, things got a little crazy. All of our lives changed, and with it, our rhythms changed. While we were all stuck at home in the early days of Covid, I made a decision that some thought was crazy. I decided to start a second master's degree. To many folks surprise, it was not another theology degree, but a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.). Why is the world would a minister of the Gospel want or need this, right? I'll explain that below. I applied and was accepted to the online program at Northwest Missouri State University. I began in the Fall of 2020, and have been taking one class at a time. As the Lord allows, I will finish in December. So the real question: WHY? I had always thought at some point about doing a Doctor of Ministry Degree. For those who do not know, this is not a "philosophy" degree, like a PHD, but more of a practical degree for ministry. Looking at programs at a few seminaries I was interested in, I was intrigued, but not excited. You see, I have two other ministry degrees (both Bachelor's and Master's). I felt while it would certainly would be worth the time, I wanted what could be my last degree (I really just want to watch my babies grow up at this point and enjoy every second) to help compliment me to serve the local church in the very best way I can, using my gifting. After prayer and feedback from others, it was without a doubt that I should pursue my M.B.A. But how can an M.B.A. help you serve the local church? Churches in many cases are not known for excelling at good administration. Let's be honest: It's not the most exciting thing in the world. This can especially be true for the normal sized local body of believers. With limited budgets, and desiring to have the best ministers in every area, the area of administration can sometimes suffer. Many times, this is left to volunteers who are not trained in Human Resources, Finance or Property Management. Where I currently serve, I can tell you this is not the case, however. I have some of the greatest group of lay leaders in these areas I have ever met! When a congregation lacks the experience and skill in these areas, however, it can result in less than stellar organization, and can also lead the church into issues both financially and legally. When this happens, the church becomes distracted from her true calling of sharing the Gospel and reaching her community for Christ. A church can have great personalities, but if the organization is in chaos interally, it will eventually rise to the surface, and the name of Jesus suffers. As I came on at Parkway Baptist Church, I was thrilled to start serving in my role of Administration (and Education). I love my job. I love inspiring through organizing and helping communicate and facilitate vision. I love to take young leaders and see them grow into men and women who will serve and be missionaries locally and around the world. I love the nuts and bolts, helping put out fires before they start, so the Gospel may be proclaimed strongly. Oh, and I love spreadsheets. I love Excel. It's true. In my opinion-this is Administration. Providing structure and organization so that the church can do what's its called to do-not serve on endless committees (they have their place for sure, and I get to work with some of the best!)-but to be missionaries. If I can help the local church in big and small ways fulfill its role to serve and reach its community by providing leadership through organization and structure, then I get to be a part of something pretty amazing. I count my blessings every day I get to help my current church, Parkway Baptist Church, in this way. An M.B.A. helps me everyday as I develop leaders one hour, organize and prepare budgets the next, and help assist our other ministers to serve well. An M.B.A., complemented with a theology degree, brings the spiritual training needed to minister but the practical training to help keep the organization moving. Listen: Every single thing I have learned in my M.B.A. is not one for one applicable to the church. It is necessary to take the leadership courses and view them through the lenses of the Gospel. But let me tell you something: I have learned more than you might think that has been better applied than some leadership courses I took in Seminary. M.B.A.'s. are so important that from time to time our seminaries offer dual Master of Divinity/Master of Business Administration double degrees. Check out this one that is currently offered by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary https://www.sebts.edu/academics/masters/MDiv/mdiv-mba.aspx I encourage every young man who is called to the Gospel Ministry to consider this degree. It may sound contrary to your calling, but I can attest to you that it may actually help you fulfill your calling a lot more than you think. It has mine. Better yet, get an undergrad in a similar field, such as business, and connect with a local pastor and ask him to mentor/disciple you in your calling. Then, go to Seminary, get your theological training, and be fully prepared not just to preach, but to fully lead and serve the local church effectively. I am thrilled to serve my church, Parkway Baptist Church, and it was my honor to have sacrificed the time and money to grow my training, so that she may flourish in Gospel advancement. For the glory of God. Last year at this time, we were just beginning our journey of adoption. It was journey Leslie and I have been on before with our first child, and all the processes it takes to adopt was a tad daunting. We began to raise money, as the adoption would again cost more than a good car costs these days. We again were overwhelmed by the generosity of those around us. Adoption is something no one can really do on their own. And they shouldn't. Adoption takes a village to happen, and I think this may be one of the greatest blessings of it. Individuals that the Lord places around you assist and encourage in ways big and small, financial and otherwise. It is a journey of sacrifice, faith, and courage. So many times in this process and our first, we lacked these things. The Lord, however, is faithful never the less.
About 5 weeks ago, we got a call from our agency that a little girl has been born, the parents has picked us out, and we were to go to the hospital the next morning to meet her and them. WOW. We were not ready. We had a nursery sort of put together, nothing for a little girl, but we were going to meet her. On the way to the hospital I looked at Leslie and said, "wait-we have to have a name!". The name we picked out felt appropriate. We met the birth parents, they were kind and our conversation was sweet. Then, the next day, some 40 hours after having known this little girl existed-we brought her home. Talk about a whirlwind. Sometimes the blessings that God gives us in life are not those we can plan for. Sure, we had been trying to adopt. Sure, the Lord has provided for us financially in ways again, we cannot understand. But it to happen so quickly-it reminds us of the grace and mercy he bestows freely on us when we come to him. It's not held back. It's not with hesitation. It's not with strings attached. It's freely given. I'm thankful for those who choose adoption. Not because I benefit from it. But because this little girl, who now God has entrusted to us, is a picture of the grace and mercy he shows us. Her story will be forever connected to his. And ours. That's incredible. My last blog post on this site was August of 2019. So much has changed in our world since then. Covid had not entered our world and changed nearly everything. Leslie and I had an infant at home, and now we have what feels like a little man running around our home. We are pursuing another child through adoption. We were on the brink a year ago at this time of nearly losing both of my parents to to Covid, while I was at the same time very sick with it myself. I have now served three years at Parkway Baptist Church as the Minister of Administration/Education, but in many respects I feel like I just started. I've tried to catch my breath from it all, but I think i'm still trying. In some respects, I think we all are.
We never quite know what the next day, week, month or year will bring. I think most of us have learned that quite well over the past few years. God has shed so much grace on my family in the last 3 years, however, that I cannot complain. He spared my parents and kept them alive, for which we are grateful. We spared me even through an incredibly tough year of kidney stones and 3 surgeries. Many saw the stay at home orders early on in the pandemic as a negative, but it allowed Leslie and I to get to know our son in ways we never would have had life just went on as "normal". During the most precious time 18 months-2 years old, we were with him every single day. I would not trade that for the world. Many saw the shutdowns as injustice. I saw them as an opportunity to slow down, change pace, and focus. So many of our lives and families are incredibly busy. TOO busy. We equate this as just normal. I was glad for the change. Now mind you, the shutdowns affected many people negatively through the loss of jobs, etc. My heart hurt during this time for so many that were struggling in this way, and still does, so I mean no disrespect whatsoever to those who have and are suffering. I pray for those daily who have struggled physically, economically, socially, and spiritually. Make no mistake about it-when the pandemic hit I was working around the clock helping our church continue to push forward. From virtual services to caring for people, from serving our community to engaging our people-the ministry and life didn't stop just because a pandemic was happening. And it was taxing, and left me exhausted. But God, in His grace, sustained me, as well as our church, through it all. It wasn't easy. It was the closest I have ever come to leading blindly that I have ever been in. We all like to think we have all the right ideas and answers in leadership, until we actually have to do it. COVID presented opportunities in leadership they never teach in seminary or Bible college. However-at the end of the day, the scriptures and faithfulness of God were all we needed to sustain us. Leading blindly means having to completely trust that God is going to sustain you and those you are leading. t's hard sometimes to trust, isn't it?! But what I have learned the last two years is that as much as I want to be in control, i'm not. And neither are you. As much as I think every idea I have is the right one, it's not. And neither are yours. However, God calls us to lead, and he calls us to do it with courage. Courageous leadership is challenging, because again, you don't always see the goal line. As a Christian, you know who is waiting there at the end, however. So if you have felt rattled as I have at times the last few years as we've walked through the craziness of our world, know that our Savior is waiting at the goal line, even if it feels foggy and it's hard to see the goal. And also remember-there is purpose behind the fog. Never forget-there is purpose behind the fog, and the Lord is always waiting for you. In fact, he never left you, and is walking with you the entire time through it. It is hard to believe that nine years have went by since we were married. On July 31st, we were married in Kansas City. Our anniversary was pretty low key this year, but we were thrilled to celebrate it with our new little one. We have been through many joy and trials in those nine years, and God has been faithful every step of the way. The theme of our lives have always rang true to one of my favorite songs, "He's always been faithful to me". No matter the circumstance, the Lord has always been faithful to us, and for that we give him praise. We are thankful to get to serve Him, as He uses us for his glory! The past 6 months have flown by. Leslie and I have been busy with our little guy, and we are having the time of our lives. Ministry is busy, and we are getting adjusted and settled at Parkway Baptist Church.
Tomorrow, Leslie and I will celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary. It is truly unbelievable to us. In some respects, it feels just like yesterday we were dating. In other respects, it feels like a lifetime ago, as we have followed the Lord on several ministry opportunities that have grown and stretched us, for His glory. Life is that way, isn't it? I find it fascinating that things feel like they are go quickly and slow at the same time. Why is that? Does it feel fast because we get busy with life? Does it feel slow because of the day to day? In my 36th year of life i'm learning many things.
The greatest thing I'm learning that I need Jesus. Not in a "pray of prayer/make a decision" way. I'm speaking of real life, nitty gritty, everyday life. I need Jesus. I'm learning that I cannot understand how people who do not have Jesus survive in this life. Jesus motivate and inspires me to tell more people about his majesty, and not get as much of a hurry. He inspires me to rest in His grace, and to show that grace to others. The reality is that we are all just ragtag people, in desperate need each day, each hour, each minute, of a Savior. I'm so grateful for Jesus. I hope He is real in your life, as He is in mine. As of last Wednesday, we are officially homeowners again. The joys of home ownership are now upon us once again. We are thrilled to be living near where we worship and serve. We are excited to have our neighbors over, hold Bible studies and fellowships, and raise our son there. The next week or so some renovations are taking place before we move in the last week in February. Pray for us as we make it through this very busy time. We are so excited about all the new, and we will be excited to get settled in our new home. We are very grateful for all that God has and is doing with us.
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