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Shane's Second Letter to the Church at Antioch

By daniel | January 24, 2006

Received from Shane, Jan 23, 2006: 

"Through wisdom is a house built, and by understanding it is established. And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all pleasant and precious riches."
Proverbs 24:3-4
"He blesseth the habitation of the just."
Proverbs 3:33
 
 
Shane, a disciple of Jesus Christ by the will of God, unto the saints at the church at Antioch, grace and peace be lavished upon you abundantly by God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, who has redeemed us from sin once for all by presenting His own blood to atone for our sin in the heavenly tabernacle of the living God. I have longed to write to you for a while now, but procrastination has prevented me. I have been active in the affairs of the Kingdom here and am anxious to tell you about what is taking place.
 
In the past few months God has revealed to me a new position of office and service within his body, namely, that of worship pastor. This, beyond a shadow of a doubt, is the greatest evidence ever revealed to mankind that God uses the contemptible and useless things of this world to shame the wise, learned, and talented. As you all well know, they say of me, "His letters are weighty, but his appearance is unimpressive and his singing contemptible." Nevertheless, it has pleased God to place me in service of His body as a Levite ministering with music day and night in the courts of the LORD. After laboring to build a budding new church for two years in Hartford, my wife and I were led to a local body in Sioux Falls called the Crossing, where I met a beloved brother in the LORD named Jon, their worship pastor. Thinking I would never be needed for musical service in their wonderful music ministry, I eventually was offered several opportunities to lead worship in the corporate service, and the LORD blessed my work. In the last six months, I have interviewed for four worship pastor positions at various churches and accepted one, at Mercy Church here in Sioux Falls, where I am on staff part-time. It has been excellent experience for me as I learn to stir up the gift of God that is within me (2 Timothy 1:6). I also lead a traveling worship band through the Crossing that ministers in the local area to churches, colleges, retreats, and other ministries.
 
I am about to student teach this semester and am one semester away from getting my Master's degree in English Education. Emily will graduate with her nursing degree this May as well. After we graduate, we want to stay in Sioux Falls for the time being, with me either teaching or possibly finding a full-time worship pastor position. The Crossing, which is growing steadily at the moment, is looking to multiply and plant a new church at the beginning of next year, and they have set me aside as the likely worship pastor/leader of that new plant. I will pursue and look into that opportunity as the LORD wills. Emily has baby fever. She wants babies. Lots of them. I am OK with that.
 
It took a long time for me to feel at home here in Sioux Falls, but now Emily and I feel like it would be very hard to leave. We feel like we are living the "good life" described by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (sorry Virgil, the Discourse on the Hill) as well as the blessed life described in Proverbs 3. We feel the favor and protection of Psalm 91 over our home and our life. We would like to avoid the curses of Leviticus 26.
 
We love you all very much and desire to come to Nashville soon. Summer will be our next opportunity. Money has been tight during these college years, as is expected, but we have hope that soon we will have "real jobs" and more free time to travel.
 
I would like to take this opportunity to give special thanks to Virgil and Richard for their investment in me as a young and erratic believer. Your teaching (which I realize is not yours, but Christ's) has borne fruit abundantly not only in me but in my wife and in the believers here in South Dakota. Hardly a day or a meeting goes by when I do not pass on your wisdom to the brothers here, or use it to live peaceably and powerfully in Christ in my daily life. Without your teaching, I would be a completely different person. The same goes for the other brothers and sisters who learned and taught alongside me. We all were and are a part of something very special that will define who we are not only the rest of our life but for all eternity. As it says in Psalm 73, "He will guide me with his counsel, and then afterward receive me to glory." When Jesus talked about the word landing in good soil and multiplying a hundredfold, He was right on. If anything, he was understating. Heavenly riches can't be quantified into earthly measurements. Thank you, Virgil, and Richard, and everyone.
 
In the Power of the Resurrected Christ,
 
Shane

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