Adventures in Tentmaking

The Apostle Paul was an evangelist, a theologian, a missionary, a church planter, and apologist. I personally think that if he were alive today, Paul would be a blogger. With all these things Paul was doing, he also needed to make a living and did so making tents. If someone like Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament worked another job to pay the bills, certainly a schmuck like me working at a church plant in Queens should appreciate the need to make a few tents myself.

Since the end of the Fellows program, while looking for stable full-time work, I've been bouncing around some short-term gigs to make ends meet in the interim. If you read my blog regularly, you know I do a little stand-up comedy on alternative Tuesday nights at the New York Comedy Club. I didn't mention the short-term research project I did on the New York City subway system for a developing tourist website. I sold discount comedy tickets to the Improv to people on the streets of Times Square. This week, I started driving a bicycle taxi cab (click on the picture to get a better sense of what that means). It's up and down work. Some days I'll get a few rides and make some good money. Other days... not so much. It is a lot of fun though and it gives me a bit more exercise than I've had in a while.

I must remind you, however, that I still work for Ascension Presbyterian Church part-time. I might be the only person I know who's part-time job is more important than his full-time eforts.

An outside observer would think my situation was most bizarre. I gave up a good paying job to go to graduate school (I remember the speech during orientation at RTS about seminary being "graduate professional education," on par with medical school or law school). I've graduated with a Master's degree and now I'm driving a bicycle taxi cab. I suppose it would look pretty strange were it not for the fact than my heart is in advancing Jesus' Kingdom in central Queens. Call me crazy.

Please continue to pray for my job and financial situation, my continued fundraising efforts, and my work at the church. Follow the adventure next Thursday when I update all of you again right here as always, God-willing.