I am who I was made to be, and that is who I am called to be. Many times, we endlessly search for meaning and purpose when the whole time, our calling is looking at us in the mirror. I am called to be passionate, one who encourages, friendly, and to share Jesus and the Kingdom views that He has opened up to me.
In the mid-90’s, I returned to church after spending my teenage years chasing my ambitions. Within three months, I was recruited for a Sunday school class and began praying for God to reveal my purpose. After several months of prayer and home Bible studies, I felt God speak into my spirit that I was in His will. The longing for something more and greater remained.
Late that year, I was married. As a new couple, we were installed as children’s church leaders. This would be a temporary position due to my military obligations. The call to teach was fulfilled in these services, and I was still teaching Sunday school.
In the late 90’s, we moved to the east coast. This move consisted of a new job, a new church, and a new baby girl, but we were still involved in children’s ministry. The following year, I had the opportunity to become the lay leader for the Pentecostal service onboard the ship to which I was assigned. I estimate this was a tragic decision, and I did not put in the time and effort required to take on such a responsibility. The service was eventually dropped from the schedule without any complaints from me.
My wife and I separated from the service and returned to her hometown. Again, I was immediately placed in the Sunday school department. This time, they put me in with the teenagers, and my will was tested. After quitting for several weeks in a row, God talked with me, and the class I taught became one of the two classes that none of the students wanted to leave. I do not say this to boast, but I accepted this calling and did the extra things to become good at it.
This assignment calls to list areas of consecration, and you may have noticed that there is not much of that listed here. At this point, after nearly 20 years, we made a change as a family; we decided to switch churches. This move rocked us to the core. The emotions and the physical stress were incredible. I consciously tried to seek God’s will and wanted to be closer to Him. I needed Him. My family, in the future, needed Him. Much prayer and study preceded this move. God change my wife’s preconceived notions, we overcame our insecurities and launched into unknown territory (for us).
At our new home church, we truly learned the value of daily devotion. What a difference having an actual relationship with God makes! I learned what it means to be kind. Every service was a joy; we felt closer to God than ever. Making friends or finding a place in such a large congregation is difficult, but we came for something else. After a couple of months, near the end of that year, we had lunch with the pastor and his wife. They asked where we would like to get involved, to which I answered, “I am kind of enjoying doing nothing.” Wow! I am a doer and have always stayed busy in Kingdom work. When I returned home, I felt bad for telling the pastor that.
Two years later, I joined Purpose Institute after listening to a recruiting plea. It was here that I developed a love for writing. I do not have a novel coming out any time soon, but I enjoy putting my thoughts down on paper (or a word processor). I publicly publish these “papers.” Maybe this will be beneficial to someone; maybe it already has.
After this meeting and a global pandemic, we once again gravitated toward children’s ministry. We were helping in kid’s church and were asked to create a preteen Sunday school class. The preparation required for this task was probably less than I put into it, but if it is going to be done, I wanted it to be done right.
Today, I continue to lead the preteen class with my bride. We also remain active in kid’s church: teaching, praying with kids, and doing our best to maintain some order. The “Rule of 5” is important to me, and I share the concept with those around me. As a part of my devotion, I make a conscious effort to immediately pray with those who have a need. God has blessed these acts of faith, and I have seen many miracles over the last several years.
We have seen many doors open and even a couple shut in our faces. Going forward, I strive to become the best version of myself that I can be. I intend to finish out Purpose Institute and use these credits toward my bachelor’s degree and possibly a Master’s. My future plans include retiring and dedicating myself full-time to the church’s needs. I have no intentions of slowing down; the closer we come to the return of the King, the more momentum I want to build up. My priorities are concentrating on my daily walk with Christ and ministering to those He places along the journey.