God has a way of working life out in ways that you cannot possibly see. You just have to trust and let go. And don’t forget to GO, and by that I mean move! Trust God and go with Him on the road where He leads you. When you commit to God, don’t look back. Stay with Him talking to him in prayer and listening to Him in quiet time alone. Then respond. Be obedient to do what God says and be ready to go where He leads you.
My husband and I are going through this faith walk together. Just over a year ago he was sent to a church to serve as their pastor. We met some amazing people there and enjoyed our time there. We knew that this wonderful little church was a temporary assignment. But we weren’t aware of all that God would do for and through us while there. Don’t get me wrong, it was not an easy year by far, but it was priceless in the gifts and treasures that year taught us. It was also invaluable experience as Corey (and our family) moved along in his calling and on to start a new non-denominational church.
For some background, Corey went to seminary at the Baptist seminary in New Orleans. But the desire to minister to people started as a young child in New Iberia when he was attending Catholic Mass. Early morning Corey would wake up and run to mass excited to serve and worship God. As an adult Corey served as a minister and spent the majority of his adult learning with the Full Gospel Baptist Church in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge. It was at that time that he went to seminary. Corey has also been a minister serving in the Southern Baptist Church and most recently he served as a pastor in the A.M.E. church. He also served and worked with pastors of Episcopal, Methodist, Lutheran, non-denominational, etc. So his experience within the Christian community is pretty full.
As for myself, I grew up in a family with deep roots in the Lutheran Church. My maternal grandmother’s children were all raised in that little old church. I sometimes say I grew up “half” catholic because my father, and all of his side of the family, was Catholic and I went to Catholic schools most of my life – even for college. It’s New Orleans! What can I say? I was also baptized both catholic and Lutheran to acknowledge both my parents faith. But I grew up with a very Lutheran perspective.
My serious faith came as a teenager when, desiring more, I decided to read through the Bible and study the word. That’s when God spoke to me through his word and I experienced Him for myself and not as a “religious” or church experience. I have to be careful when I speak about religion or the church. My husband and I have had many conversations about this topic. I am not particularly of the mind that any church can solve the problems of our people but I have come to believe that a church family offers the fellowship that we need as believers. As a general rule, we are not meant to be alone. It is absolutely good to have some alone time, in fact a must, but we are meant to live in community, family. Believe me, I’ve tried it the other way and you cannot grow in relationship with Christ or in faith, nor can you be used by God in the way that he wants to lead you if you aren’t in fellowship with other likeminded believers. Sure there are issues in every church, they are run by human beings who are fallible! We must careful and watchful to avoid those pitfalls and keep our eyes on the prize – which is connecting with God being and in communion with Him.
That’s the goal. To be in communion (relationship) with God the Father, Son and Spirit so that you can live the life He’s designed for you based on your unique calling. We all have a calling. Where is the Holy Spirit nudging you to move today? How is He moving you toward your calling?
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