By Nathan
I have been listening my entire life. In classes, to other people, in Sunday school and church, I have always been a listener. I have received numerous blessings from this skill and have learned many things. Without listening I wouldn't be who I am today, but for really the first time in my life, I want to do more than listen.
Listening to the speakers that have come into our class, all of them are making changes in their communities and slowly changing the way church has been practiced for decades, for the better. I see these people that are filled with the Holy Spirit both listening to the Lord and living out the way God intended us to. These pastors are living their faith and have shown the way of Jesus through their words AND their actions.
I have been thinking and praying about what God wants me to do vocationally with my life to honor him. One would think that I already have this planned out since I am going to college and getting my degree, and at one point I thought I knew what to do, but either I didn’t think I was listening to what God had in store for me to do or I wasn’t ready to do what he wanted me to do.
In class we got the opportunity to hear from Bryan Dormaier, a church planter in Portland. During the conversation we talked about the struggles of situations in which we communicate our faith and someone mentioned that they have grown the most in their faith through putting themselves in uncomfortable situations, such as talking with people that you might never talk with – something I would never do. That’s something I aim to change by LISTENING to God and ACTING on it.
What you are talking about should convict us all. Believing and hearing is not enough. It goes beyond writing books, or going to class, or reading every bit of literature about how to follow God. If we aren’t out there meeting new people, loving sinners, and losing sleep, money, time, and energy, what is the point of having all the knowledge? Today in class, Rob mentioned the word “messy”. That is exactly what it is like to get involved for real. But, there is something exciting about being called into battle for the sake of Christ. I hope God leads you to a place you can make your dream a reality.
I think that’s awesome, and something I am striving for as well. It’s so easy to learn so much and be inspired by people really putting their faith into action. I get really excited thinking about what God has in store in the future for me to do in His kingdom after I graduate. But I am challenged to think about what I can do here and now, in my own neighborhood and with the people around me. If I always see ministry as something ahead of me in the future, it will always be just thought and not action. I want to be on full time mission NOW.