I admit that I rarely allow discouragement to get the better of me. I typically am the type of person that allows most things to roll off my back and then move on. God has allowed me to go through alot of challenges in my life and in ministry but I can’t think of a time where I have been more discouraged. I understand and realize that God is definitely in control of all things and I suppose sometimes that is where discouragement seems to set in. Because in the reality of everything I am in control of nothing. It seems that lately I have been continually reminded of this. God has continued to teach me humility and sometimes that daily prayer that I say “God reveal in me those things that are not of You” just gets harder and harder. There are days I don’t want to say it but I continually am confronted with those thing that are not of God that are in my life.
I am so thankful that God has given me the opportunity to intern at making and I am doing one of the things that I love most which is ministering with students. I have had the opportunity to speak on Wednesdays and Sundays and it has been awesome sometimes to see the teens response the word of God. I have had numerous teens come and counsel with me after a message and tell me what God has spoken to them. In addition I have had adults do the same thing. God has truly blessed. However I know that God has called me to full time Christian Service and I guess that is where the discouragement comes in.
I t is so hard to know that God has called you to something and yet feel like you are not doing what God has called you to do. For the first time in my life I have questioned what God has called me to do. I know God has called me but I suppose it is hard when you sit back and you wait on Gods plan to unfold. So often we want things to happen so fast.
I have given my life to christian service. In the last 14 years I have served in two churches and have seen numerous teens come to know Christ as savior. I have seen numerous teens be baptized, and have seen numerous teens live out there faith. I pray that I have effected lives in ways that I will never know and I pray that God has somehow used me to change peoples lives forever. However I continue to find myself asking God “what about now God” God amI done? God are my days of full time ministry over? Have I done all that you wanted me to accomplish in full time ministry? I feel the answer comes back no that God has more for me. Oh but it is so hard when you cannot see it. This is just how I feel.
As I watched this testimony I could not help feel how powerful this testimony is not only to the grace of God but also the saving work of Jesus Christ.
It has been along time since I have posted primarily because I have been so busy. I know that is hard to believe that I have been busy without a job but I sure I have been. Rather than update about Mike Erre’s book (I will do that later) I thought I would just give some things that have been going on in my life.
I’ll start with the crusade we recently had. I meet with one of our Pastors pretty regularly and I really enjoy the time I get to spend with him. Leading up to the crusade he asked me if I would like to help with train the counselors I of course jumped at the opportunity because this is the very thing I love to do. So I spent a few nights getting things ready and going over the training and then we trained the counselors for two evenings, to be ready for the response we were expecting during the crusade. The Impact Macon Crusade was February 22-25 and I was there every night. We saw God move in a remarkable way during that week we saw over 100 decisions for Christ and over 90 0n one night. I must say I was not ready for over 90 people to respond to the gospel that night but it was wonderful. Hey they were all counseled to.
Secondly I was asked if I could teach a book of the Bible to the youth what book would it be. I replied I would go through the book of James and the response was “why don’t you teach it” of course I jumped at that any time I get a chance to teach some teens I am going to do it. So on Sunday nights I am taking our Student Overflow through James. I pray and hope they are enjoying it. I have already taught through James so I already have the messages done, but if you know me you know I spend a great deal of time with message prep even if I have already done it before and making sure I am saying what the Lord wants me to say.
Thirdly the first week in March I started taking over the Wednesday evening teaching to the Youth. This has been going great once again I love teaching the teens. On Wednesdays I typically play a game with them and then we go over prayer requests and then I teach. I desire to see both these ministries grow tremendously and I have seen God definitely working on the hearts of some of the teens that come.
Fourthly I received a call from the principal here at Atlanta school and was asked if I could come in and teach Science while the current teacher is away on maternity leave. I accepted the position. Which if you are a teacher you know the work that gos into lessons and so forth. So for the next few weeks I am now a Science teacher. I must say that teaching in the public school is a lot different then teaching in Christian School, or teaching at church, however the kids seem to like me as a teacher and some even thanked me for teaching.
Finally all of this has been happening while still sending out resumes (required for state aid) and while going through an interview process with a church that is interested me. So yeah I have been busy but hey I like being busy. Please pray I will be directed to the church God wants me at and that I will know it and so will the church.
