Thursday, February 02, 2006

God's faithfulness to my family.

Testimony to God's faithfulness, written on 01-19-2006:

So I got this baby on the way and all that jazz, so naturally, my money will not stretch as far as it used to. But it's all good, I know things will work out. So we have been praying for God's provision in our lives, and for a healthy financial situaiton in the future. It turns out that the maternity rider on my health insurance covers about 1/4 of what I thoguth it would, HELLO!! Having a baby costs about 15,000 bucks. My insurance covers a max of 4000, so lets just say things got real interesting real quick. But I had saved 3000 in prep for getting pregnant, and Marlena's parents gave us a straight grand for Christmas for the baby fund, sweet! So we were pretty excited for how things were going, and we were gonna be able to put our income tax return in the bank too. This leaves a real void still, but God has provided that much, and we are confident for the rest to work according to his plan. That brings us to last week when we found out that Marlena's boss wants to cut her hours down to part time. This means we have about 800 less per month to work with, which is the cost of our mortgage payment. Yikes! Beyond that, after we have the baby, she will not have a job anymore, double yikes!

This whole time we have tried to be responsible with our spending habits, not squandering the blessings that God has provided, and I have been trying hard at work to do well and make the company better. Because of this, I have been viewing this situation as one where God will look out for us (as I believe that I have a certain role to play, and God has another: God is not gonna do what he expects me too, and I cannot do what only he can). I came to a realization also, that this whole financial arena is the only place that I really need God right now. And God seems to like his followers in a place where we recognize our need for him and rely on him. When God prunes away the dead parts of our vine, it may be painful, but it will produce good fruit. I am ready to be pruned a bit, and I am excited for where God takes us! So again, we pray and trust God to fill our voids.

Now this brings us to yesterday afternoon. My wife got off of work and at the front door was a package for us. She opened the box, and here was a starbucks coffee mug (her favorite) from her brother and sister in law. It has a nice note in it about how they have been praying for us and how they hoped this package would bless us. Well, Marlena was a bit confused why this mug would be such a blessing. So she takes the lid off of it to get ready to wash it, and there is a wad of cash in it, a thousand bucks! Wow! Naturally she calls me to tell me of the good news, but just as she calls me, my boss informs me that I will be getting a raise! I call her back and she tells me good news, and I throw some right back at her! I am very thankful to the Lord who is my provider, my hope! So friends, accept this testimony: The Lord is great, he loves us and he is good on ALL his promises. He takes care of the birds of the air, and he loves us more than them, so how much more will he take care of us!? So make your lives devoted to him, and he will fill in the gaps. Ask the Lord to take care of you, and he will do it!

Cliff notes: I asked God to provide financial resources for us, he has more than answered!

Next phase in ministry

Not too long after accepting Christ, I found myself with a desire to give back what had been given to me. After hearing about Jesus at a youth group, I really loved that style of ministry. So I naturally got involved in youth ministry as an adult. For five years straight I served in a youth group at Grace Church. It became my identity in many ways. When Marlena and I joined Paradox, I really examined myself because everything that I knew about service in the body of Christ was not directly applicable to this new church. No doubt, I wanted to get involved in a ministry again, because I feel God has called me to do so, but which ministry that would be was a large mystery.

I began praying for an understanding, taking a spiritual gifts survey, taking a personality test, asking others what they thought, etc. I had no idea what to do. The answer came over a two day period. Day one was a Saturday night at an all-nighter for the youth group at Grace, which I had agreed to help out at. I was in a discussion with the new intern there named Dan. Dan was in a similar spot in ministry, trying to understand what God would call him to do. Dan and I just had met a few minutes prior, but we connected immediately, and talked at length that night about life and ministry. When I was telling Dan why I enjoyed serving at the youth group so much, I came to a new understanding. I realized during that conversation that one of my favorite aspects to youth ministry is discipleship. Having life on life impact with another person is very soul-satisfying for me. It's not that I never understood this love for discipleship previously, it is just that I grew a deeper understanding of it in that gymnasium during that event. Perhaps the reason why I understood it deeper is because I was able to talk to a friend who I used to informally disciple a few years ago, his name is Mike. This guy had come full circle, to where he was duplicating our experience together with a younger guy. So the reward of discipling was fresh on my mind.

Day two was the next day, Sunday, at church. I napped all day after being up all night, so to me, it felt like the same day. After the church service ended, I was approached by the pastor (Craig) and I sat down in a meeting with him and Dennis (another guy who attends the church). Craig asked Dennis and I if we would be interested in co-leading the men's ministry at Paradox. Craig shared a bit about what he invisioned the group to look like, and the three of us dialouged about some of the dynamics that would be present. Keep in mind that I was completely undecided about where to serve at Paradox. Basically, the men's ministry would key in on these main elements: discipleship, fellowship, and spiritual growth. As the three of us discussed this, I felt convinced that God was now calling me to serve the men at Paradox. There was absolutely nothing about it that did not feel right. I was so lost for an answer, and the Lord clearly communicated his path for me. I kept thinking about how God made me, what I am good at, where my gifts are, where my frustrations are, etc. Everything fit perfectly with this idea of a men's ministry. Beyond all that, Craig and Dennis both felt that I would be well suited for such a position. So as if it was not a perfect fit already, now my brother's in Christ provide some outside input. So by the end of our quick ten minute meeting, I informed them that I was in. It all happened instantly, it was sweet.

Cliff notes: God revealed to me a path of future ministry.