WOW...I haven't done this in a LONG time. It's been over a year since I last blogged, to say a lot has happened would be an understatement. So I will try to give a semi-brief synopsis of the past 13 months of my life, as I'm sure you all care SO much about my life :)
So last time I updated was November of 2010. At that time I was the privileged to be the worship leader at New Hope Church. Liz and I continued to serve at the church and growing closer to God and people. In January I started back to school. This time I had vision and a calling of God on my life rather than picking a degree simply just because I was relatively good at. At one point I had a desire to be a music teacher cause I was relatively good at music, then God graciously closed the door on that opportunity. Years later I had a great desire to open up a coffee house. But God had a calling for me. I now had freedom in Christ. God had been softening/opening my heart some six to twelve months and had been calling me into full-time vocational ministry. I enrolled at Liberty University with a degree in Religion and a Minor in Christian Counseling. God rocked my world! Turns out all of the "knowledge" I thought I had was like a drop of water in the ocean. God graciously opened my mind and gave me an aptitude and desire to learn. Get this...I started to read...and actually liked it, YUCK! God turned me into a reader and I thank Him for that. As Mark Driscoll says "Readers are leaders, and leaders are readers."
God saw my plans of wanting to open a coffee shop and redirected them and said "I have something better than your plans...how about My calling?"
Scripture tells us that "God will give us the desires of our hearts" Ps. 37:4
As God has showed me that this doesn't mean that if we desire a new car that we will get a new car. Rather what it means is: that the closer we grow in relationship to Christ the less we start to look to the desires of our flesh and the more we look to the desires of God. So when we desire the same things that God does the more He enjoys granting us the desires of our hearts.
As I said I knew that God had called me to full-time vocational ministry, but I didn't believe that that calling was to be a worship leader for the rest of my life. I thoroughly enjoyed leading worship and I was honored to do so. As I grew closer to God I had a new desire...one not of the flesh but of God. I desired to share the gospel. And God granted that desire. He gave me countless opportunity to share my relationship with others at work. And that excitement evolved to teaching people about Scripture and God. I was hooked! I loved it.
My good friend K-lub had been attending the church for about 6 months and K-lub was/is really good at music. My best friend, Wes from back in Ohio, who is also insanely good at music, moved down to Florida and moved in with Liz and I. Later on Wes and K-lub would become Liz and I's housemates. But that is another story. I digress. Needless to say I sensed my time as worship leader was winding down. I desired to teach, but I had no avenue to do so and let's face it...I wasn't really qualified. But God had a calling...
Late June Derrick approached me and asked me to step into the role of Student Director at the church, while still having a hand in the worship area. In the meantime Liz and I and our dear friends Jeremy and Diane started up a small group of young adults (20's-early 30's) and I was to be the leader of the group and primary teacher.
In a matter of weeks I had stepped into the role of Student Director, our first activity was Student Life in Daytona Beach, Florida. God graciously allowed 19 of us to go! 15 Students and 4 of my best friends! Every student made a commitment to God that week! Praise God!
Fast-forward 3 months. Liz and I were on a walk in early October on a absolutely gorgeous day. Things were great...and I received a phone call, in which I was informed that in two weeks I would be leaving for training to deploying to Afghanistan for six months. All a kid who was supposed to go on the deployment got a DUI while back from training, and would not be able to deploy, and I was the only one who was eligible to go in our entire deployment.
TWO WEEKS!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? This can't be not with the youth group! Not with small group! Not with school! Not with Liz! Not with the church! God this isn't in the plans! God this isn't right!
...but God had a calling...
Here I sit in Afghanistan a little over a month into my deployment. And WOW!
I met a new friend since I've been here, Jacob. People back home were praying that I would meet another Christian friend while I am here so I will be strengthen and encourage. I met the Paul to my Silas or the Silas to my Paul however you want to put it. Within a day or two of us meeting we started a Bible study. So far we have had 7 separate people come. And countless conversations with people at work.
Most notably is the story of our friend Nathan. We asked him a few times to come to Bible study and he couldn't answer "no" fast enough. Until one day Jacob was posted with Nathan. And the entire shift he and Nathan discussed God and the Bible and he came to Bible study that night. After two solid hours of he and another non-believer relentlessly asking us questions trying to, as he put it "throw a wrench into our beliefs" I gave them the opportunity to invite Christ into their lives. Nathan accepted! We had the opportunity to pray with him and for him and we rejoiced with all of heaven that day!
Another notable account was yesterday I was working with a member from the Afghannie Boarder Police. Through a touch language barrier I introduced Jesus Christ to him. I don't know if he quite understood the importance of what it was I was conveying to him...but I asked him if I were to get him a Bible in his native language (Pashto) if he would read it. He agreed. This came at great risk to both of us, but moreso to him. It is illegal for me try to convert anyone to Christianity. The message I delivered to him could sentence him to death. He Islamic, and it is punishable by death for him to have Christian material in his possession let alone to call on the name of Jesus. For the sake of his safety I will not disclose his name.
As I have heard it said "I get the joy, God gets the glory!"
So I'm glad that God works all things together for our good. Who knows what would've happened if my plans would've taken place rather than God's calling. And for that I am thankful!
