I cannot emphasize enough how true the title of this blog is for me. So much has happened in my life in the last four months, that I can hardly keep up with what God is doing. Really this all started a few years ago, and if you know my story then you can skip down to the next paragraph or so, if not this will be a short version. In 2006 I went on a mission trip to Louisiana to help with hurricane Katrina recovery. There I saw a great need and felt God calling me into ministry. I thought at first that I was being called into youth ministry, but when I returned the following year I was leaning more toward missions. In 2008 I was accepted to go on a trip to Paraguay through my conference, while preparing for this trip I spoke with my pastor and some friends about overseas missions, and eventually pastoral ministry (which is a whole other story). On the trip with the help of 4 great pastors from my conference I realized my calling was pastoral ministry as an elder in the Methodist church. I came back to the states and shortly after applied for seminary at Asbury Theological Seminary, was accepted that following January and now have finished my first year.
So now that you know the short version of where I've come from, on to how God continues to amaze me in my life here at seminary. I knew when God had called me to pastoral ministry that ATS was the place for me, I had heard great things about the community and the school, (my current and former pastors are both ATS grads) I was also warned about the slow drivers in Wilmore, but never warned about the heat, oh well, I'm surviving. ;) My first semester of seminary was a bit rough, going back to school after being out for 4 years isn't easy. But I managed to survive and have now conquered my first full year of seminary! :)
It has been in the last four months or so though that I have needed to rely on God the most and trust His leading, and oh boy the things He has taught me! As you probably know my grandmother fell about 4 months ago and was eventually put into a nursing home and later hospice where she went home on my grandfather's birthday, May 17, 2010. This was a very difficult time for me being 8 hours away and only seeing gram a few times while she was in the home, over Holy Week. But with the help of friends, great supportive professors (she died the Monday of finals week) and the comfort of the Holy Spirit I was able to finish off my semester and first year of seminary strong.
Since the end of the semester I have felt God putting on my heart a need for more outreach at the church I currently attend here in Nicholasville. The people of this church and our pastor Mike, have been a great support to me this semester and this year. And now that I have been attending the church for 9 months or so (has it really been that long?) I see that there are great ministries happening at NUMC, like Manna meals, which during the summer I have been helping with almost every Saturday. But I see so much potential for growth with this church too. NUMC is about twice the size of my church back home, both in space and in people and I know that God want's to do amazing things through the people of Nicholasville UMC. I wasn't sure if this feeling was from God or just my mission-oriented self, that is until I started seeing confirmation after confirmation. First I got confirmation from Michelle, a friend from back home who encouraged me to see this through, then I heard a great speaker from Southland (a mega-church here in KY) at Ichthus, who spoke about the ministries that their church does, and how churches of any size can do some of the same "projects," for lack of a better word. Last Sunday, the day after Ichthus was over, Sandy a woman from NUMC and I spoke after church about the UMW taking a fifth Sunday and dedicating it to Social Justice, which again is in line with what I have felt God calling me to, and finally today Matt Johnson, our soon-to-be-former youth minister and associate pastor (he's moving to north central KY to plant a church beginning tomorrow) preached on always being ready to move when God calls, and to take radical risks for Christ, even if that means failing in the process. Can you say WOW!!
The only other thing I have been so sure of before this is my calling, which itself got another boost in the past few weeks. On June 16th I had a meeting with the DCOM and was unanimously voted to become a certified candidate for ministry. That's now 3 unanimous votes in a row (Staff-Parish, Church/Charge Conference, and DCOM). Now tell me that God is not a good and awesome God. I cannot wait now to talk with Pastor Mike about starting some new ministries at NUMC and seeing God work through and with his people to (as our mission statement says) reach up, out, and over to those around them. Praise God for his amazing faithfulness!
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