#honorculture

[amythepleasureprincipal]

#dearjoe #honorculture #honorsociety #hierarchy #worth #value #virtue #power #latino #hillbilly #dignity #integrity #veritas #bookstagram #bookquotes #book #balance #harmony (at Leschi, Seattle)

[julyandavis]

Study, Girl with axe Oil on panel #nescient #honorculture #appalachia #ballads #expressionism

[thatmediapastor]

Hello,

My name is Andy Stevens and I am in transition. 

tran·si·tion   [tran-zish-uhn]

(noun) - movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, etc.,

to another;

The first thing you should ever know about me is that if I am ever lost, you will find me IN CHRIST. That is where I was created to be. Whether you know it or not, you were too. 

So this is where you'll find me now. Moving, passing, changing from one position to another.

For the past 7 years I have been the Youth Pastor at Christian Fellowship / The Bridge of Faith in Nitro, West Virginia. At this time it would be near impossible to express in short form all that has happened during this wonderful season of my life (Getting saved not too long before on a mission trip, getting the call to pastor, getting engaged, buying a house, getting married, having 2 wonderful children, youth camps, fusion services, rebuilding, moving, and numerous graduations / send off's of some incredible young world changers) all of which I am thankful for and all for which God deserves the glory!

Toward the end of this journey one thing has become clear to me. We are people of honor. Whether or not you see it, I do, I see the fruit of much labor and grace from Jesus Christ our Lord, I see a culture of honor.

One honest thing about honor:

"Honor Begins Where You End."

This is true. It will always be true. Honor, just like God never changes. It is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Though how much or little we choose to show may change, it does not. Seasons may change, titles may change, addresses may change, positions may change, but honor never does. People may join you, people may leave you, they may mock you, celebrate and adore you, but honor never changes.

So here is where I stand as a:

Disciple.

Father.

Pastor.

Designer.

Enthusiast of Awesome.

& Lover of Socks.

I am transitioning.

Back in early October of 2013 God awoke me from my sleep and as I was still sitting in my bed He told me this simple statement: "Your media will shape nations." Immediately I came to grips with the gravity of this statement and just began to weep and thank my Father in heaven for His clear direction though I had no idea what it entailed. 

About 2 hours later on the same day I got a call from a local retialer here in my hometown wanting to redesign their logo and film a commercial to put on cable television for close to 300,000 people to see. I remember being overwhelmed by even this immediate blessing from God, however I had / still have no idea what He had planned for me.

About 2 weeks later I got a call from Pastor Bobby Lemley, the Youth Pastor at Maranatha Fellowship Church and after talking with Him I got the opportunity to travel to Haiti and use my media talents to 'capture a nation' and share it with the world through missionaries John and Joyce Hanson with International Missions Outreach based in Delmas, Haiti.

This trip didn't happen until late January of 2014. At the beginning of 2014 I could no longer ignore the fact that God was tugging on the core of my very being, constantly reminding me of those words "Your media will shape nations." 

All I knew to do was fast and pray.

So for the first 21 days of the year that's what I did. I sought the Lord with all my heart. I had goals and directions in mind during those 21 days, actually 5 clear goals

1.)Purity 2.)Clarity 3.)Direction 4.)Focus and 5.)Readiness

After week 2 of this fast is when things started to get crazy.. All within a matter of 4 days, my youngest son Luke Rylan (2) (seen here, never being able to give me a 'real smile' on the right)

..got sick, really sick. Like ER in the hospital for 4 nights sick. During that time I also got sick, not ER sick thankfully, but not well myself. Then 2 days after Luke is released from the hospital my boss walks into my office on a Wednesday morning and shuts the door behind him (never a good sign, in my years as working as an architect, I've only had that happen to me 3 times. All 3 times I didn't have a job 15-20 minutes later) So I knew the drill. 

Needless to say frustrated, but oddly excited..

I found it of zero coincidence that this came right toward the end of a fast for clarity and direction in my life and right before the onset of a trip to Haiti to go and make disciples of all nations. I hear You loud and clear Lord.

SO shortly after I head south. 2 days before departure I get a heavy feeling about the reality of what I'm coming home to..

"I have a job for you."

[insert transition here]

God was opening a door that no man could shut for me, not even myself (as much as I tried to run, tried to ignore, tried to reason, tried to excuse) I could not ignore where God was placing me..

A couple weeks after returning from Haiti I was officially offered the Media Pastor position at Maranatha Fellowship Church in Saint Albans, West Virginia.

A literal God-given vision come true "Andy, your media will shape nations." 

So I did all i knew to do.. Glorify God to the best of my ability. So I obeyed the "yes" in my spirit and accepted the position.

[insert honor culture here]

Now we see what's inside because of what's required of us.

"You'll never know how fast you can run until a bear is chasing you, you'll never know how much you can lift until your child is trapped under a car. In this same manner you'll never know how much is inside of you until it's required of you."

In this time of transition I am met with equal parts joy and sadness. Joy for walking in the will of God and living out my God-given dream taking the gospel to the ends of the earth and back by using every talent and ability He has given me to do so, but also sadness because I am leaving all I've ever known as a human in church. 

The people at the Bridge of Faith, ALL OF THEM, are, and always will be my family. They are all the church family I've ever known. Nitro is the only city that has ever had my full ministry attention. Jesus Church is the only youth ministry I've ever known. I've seen many kids come and go, grow up and graduate, stay and leave, but through it all I have seen Jesus, and at the end of the day that is all that matters. I could fill endless pages and pages of blogs with all that this experience as a Youth Pastor has given me and my family, but the word that immediately comes to mind:

HONOR.

This is what I strive for, this is what I leave behind, this is what I stretch to achieve to be a Man of Honor. To be a man that when people look at me, they see Jesus. No matter the title, no matter the position or location, that people will see my good works and glorify my Father in heaven. (Matt. 5:16) That people when they spend time with my boys, will feel like they spent time with Jesus. That they and any person we ever meet will encounter honor thus encountering Jesus.

Thankful.

Thank you. I am thankful for you reading this, because I am sure in some way shape or form you have impacted me within these last 7 years in ways that maybe only eternity will see. But during this transition time I would simply ask for your prayers for me and my family. Always remember; in the good, the bad, and the indifferent i know this fact "all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose." -Romans 8:28

For His Glory,

ThatMediaPastor