In Preparation...
As I prepare for the Trial Sermon at Lima on May 1, it came to me that we are always in a constant state of preparation by God. One thing that we take part in during our lives prepares us for the next moment God moves us again. We are constantly in a state of preparation for the next mission.
I can literally go through my life and pinpoint the events that moved me to where I am today. When I was 12, my dad had cancer. As devestating as it was, it was during this time when I felt the calling to ministry. I began asking questions that would one day take me down a different road. I had always loved music, and it began to take me to the point of where I thought God was calling me to be a Music Teacher. When I was 18, I had asked enough questions of my Catholic upbringing to bring me to the point where I felt I needed to make a change. I went to my grandparents Methodist church where I got involved in all aspects of music ministry and explored my faith. It was here my youth minister helped me develop my relationship with Christ.
After my parents divorce, my brother's entrance into the military, and some very poor decisions on my part, I ended up down a path where I thought I was walking away from God. Little did I know that it was building up inside me the desire to get closer to him. I was married, divorced and in Culinary school before I finally started opening back up. It wasn't on my own decision, but my then girlfriend, now wife, started influencing me to come back to God fully. She had no idea that God was still beckoning me to become a minister. After a couple years a child and a great career later, I was on the brink of divorce again, succeeding at my career, failing at my life. I was prompted by my wife to go back to church. I submitted. We did and got involved in church. We quickly were nailed by God to our calling, thus developing skills we needed for the future. I had quickly became a Deacon and Elder, and Sherri was a deaconess and the leader of that group. We were finding our calling.
Sherri went back to school at LCU (then LCCS) where I followed two weeks later. We moved north to be closer to school and mentor with the ministers at her home church. I subsequently began searching for ministries which lead me to Raritan, IL where I interviewed with the selection committee and the Regional Minister. That Regional Minister introduced me to the Regional minister in Springfield, who in turn a year later called me to fill the pulpit at what became my first ministry. OSBC was an interim pastorate where I filled for almost a year. Now having that experience, I have applied for permanent ministries leading to the next phase of my life.
Our lives are a constant preparation for the next step. Can you go through your life to see where God has lead you? Even during the "bad times", it is still easy to see where God was with me. I pray that you can look back on your life and determine where God has been taking you. No matter where it is, it is always bringing you straight toward Jesus Christ. Amen. May God Bless you.
I can literally go through my life and pinpoint the events that moved me to where I am today. When I was 12, my dad had cancer. As devestating as it was, it was during this time when I felt the calling to ministry. I began asking questions that would one day take me down a different road. I had always loved music, and it began to take me to the point of where I thought God was calling me to be a Music Teacher. When I was 18, I had asked enough questions of my Catholic upbringing to bring me to the point where I felt I needed to make a change. I went to my grandparents Methodist church where I got involved in all aspects of music ministry and explored my faith. It was here my youth minister helped me develop my relationship with Christ.
After my parents divorce, my brother's entrance into the military, and some very poor decisions on my part, I ended up down a path where I thought I was walking away from God. Little did I know that it was building up inside me the desire to get closer to him. I was married, divorced and in Culinary school before I finally started opening back up. It wasn't on my own decision, but my then girlfriend, now wife, started influencing me to come back to God fully. She had no idea that God was still beckoning me to become a minister. After a couple years a child and a great career later, I was on the brink of divorce again, succeeding at my career, failing at my life. I was prompted by my wife to go back to church. I submitted. We did and got involved in church. We quickly were nailed by God to our calling, thus developing skills we needed for the future. I had quickly became a Deacon and Elder, and Sherri was a deaconess and the leader of that group. We were finding our calling.
Sherri went back to school at LCU (then LCCS) where I followed two weeks later. We moved north to be closer to school and mentor with the ministers at her home church. I subsequently began searching for ministries which lead me to Raritan, IL where I interviewed with the selection committee and the Regional Minister. That Regional Minister introduced me to the Regional minister in Springfield, who in turn a year later called me to fill the pulpit at what became my first ministry. OSBC was an interim pastorate where I filled for almost a year. Now having that experience, I have applied for permanent ministries leading to the next phase of my life.
Our lives are a constant preparation for the next step. Can you go through your life to see where God has lead you? Even during the "bad times", it is still easy to see where God was with me. I pray that you can look back on your life and determine where God has been taking you. No matter where it is, it is always bringing you straight toward Jesus Christ. Amen. May God Bless you.
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