Is God Calling You to Full Time Christian Service?

Honestly, I never felt called or led by God to be a pastor's wife.  Both of my sisters married pastors, and before I went to college my parents sweetly told me never to feel pressured to follow their path - the most important thing was to follow God's leading for my life.






Most of the time when I was growing up I believed God was leading me to be a missionary overseas.  I would pepper visiting missionaries with questions.  I even got to the point where I practically told God, "I AM going to be a missionary, no matter what You think" (yikes).  Finally, He got me to a point where I said, "YOUR will be done" (whew).






Zooming ahead ... my husband and I both graduated from Bible college.  Yet, we are not in full-time Christian service. 

• Did we waste money and time on our Bible college education? 


• Was it all for nothing? 


• Are we disobeying God?


• Do we please God less because we are "electrical engineer" and "stay-at-home-homeschooling-mom" instead of "Rev." and "Mrs. Pastor"?   

It couldn't be further from the truth!  God in His wisdom led us to Bible college, and then He led us to be Full-Time Christians.  In our church and in our community God opens up opportunities all the time to share His good gifts with others.  We are far from perfect about following up on all of His opportunities, but with His strength He is using us and we are constantly in awe of His provision!





God doesn't call each of His children into the same field.  Where would we be if all believers were pastors and pastors wives?  Where would the body of Christ - the foot, the eyes, the knees be, to fulfill the callings of the local church in our communities (I Corinthians 12)?  He wisely places us in the position He knows will benefit from the talents He's given us most effectively. 

"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." Ephesians 4:11-13 NKJV

When Tim was attending Bible college, seeking God's will for his life, his pastor took him aside privately and told him that he was confident that God wasn't leading him to be a pastor.  Was Tim willing and open to be one?  Yes!  But, God used his pastor, who knew his personality and heart well, to give him loving, specific counsel.  Following Bible college, Tim pursued his (God given) interests in math, radio systems and computers, attending community college and then a state university.  The education he learned there, especially learning how to work through the tests of faith and how to face the bombardment against God's Word, has been priceless.  I can't tell you how many times God has opened doors for Tim (who pushed on the door of missions by taking a college Missionary Apprentice Program to France) in his engineering field to answer difficult questions about life, death, God, creation, family, etc.  Tim's Greek and doctrinal training from Bible college days helps in his teaching/music ministry at church, as well as on a daily basis enriching his personal Bible study and walk with God.  God didn't call him to be a pastor, but God is using him every day!





Before we were married, I taught for three years in a Christian school.  Many of my students were from Ukraine, as well and Pakistan and India.  One of my Indian students and her brother came to know Christ in our Christian school.  A few years later their mom trusted Christ and has shared the gospel with family and friends around the world - many who are coming to know Christ personally!  Praise the Lord!

A couple years ago we hosted a Muslim exchange student from the Philippines, and a Christian young lady from Ghana.  Talk about a mission field!  We are part of a church that is blessed with many students from all over the world attending a state university.  God has brought the world to us.  We are missionaries in our mid-western city - God's place for us.





Our backgrounds come together to greatly help us in our most important mission field of all: our sons.
Most every day the boys and I pray for Daddy as he goes to his mission field at work, and for God to help us be a light for Jesus in our mission field: our neighborhood, and people we come into contact with at doctors offices, grocery stores, restaurants, parks, etc.  Just today my oldest son wanted to give a gospel tract to some friends of ours who were visiting.  Our mission field is very real!





Pastors and their wives, missionaries, missionary wives ... these dear men and women have a sacred calling from God that is different from all else.  As shepherds leading us, as they follow the Good Shepherd, they have unique responsibilities, challenges, sacrifices, and rewards.  We must be committed to loving them (in word and deed!), praying for them, and supporting them.  But, if God didn't call us to those ministries, we would be sinning against Him by disobeying His lead in our lives.  God's will is the best place to be.





Perhaps, some time in the future, Tim and I might become missionaries.  We've talked about the possibility that after his retirement from his engineering mission field, God may call us to serve in areas of Bible translation (he's continued using his Greek and enjoys learning Hebrew in his spare time), teaching, technical help, music, etc. on foreign and domestic mission fields.  Until then, we will walk with God daily on the mission field of His calling.  He knows best, and we are confident He will lead us every step of the way!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV

Summary:  We each need to seek God's individual leading, through His Word and the guidance of godly counselors.  He will, in time, impress us through His Spirit in the way we must go.  No fear of missing the boat!  Walk with Him today, every day, and He will faithfully guide to the next step.  Churches need godly pastors and their wives, as well as godly laymen and laywomen. 





What about you?  Are you a Full Time Christian, where God has called you to be?  God will provide all the strength and resources we need to fulfill His calling.  Best of all, He promises to be with us every step of the way!

"I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." Ephesians 4:1-5 NKJV

In Her Shoes - Advocating for the Beauty of Life

"He will tend his flock like a shepherd, He will gather the lambs in his arms;
He will carry them in his bosom,and gently lead those that are with young."

Isaiah 40:11 ESV

It is my privilege to introduce you to my dear college friend Melinda, who has been strategically placed by God on the front line as an advocate for the gift of life.  I have learned much from her and know you will greatly benefit by reading her testimony.

I must say, I've had more trouble with arranging this article than I have with any other "In Her Shoes" thus far ... no surprise that Satan would do anything he can to stop God's mission of life. Thank you to those who have prayed this through!  Nothing will make the spacing below behave, but I am not going to allow imperfection to keep this from going out!

Will you pray with me about how God might want to use us in greater ways to advocate for life in our homes, our churches, and our communities?  Thank you, Melinda!

Of all the things I thought I was preparing for during
my college years, my current job isn’t one of them. In fact, I’m pretty sure I
would have told you fifteen years ago that I didn’t have any expectation of
working outside our home, let alone being the director of anything.

Yet that is what God had in store. Just over five years ago,
only two years after we’d moved to Colorado where my husband had been called to
pastor a small church, someone I knew slightly asked if I would be interested
in joining the board of our local pregnancy resource center. PRCs (as the
abbreviation goes) are a Christian outreach to abortion-vulnerable women,
seeking to equip them with hope and truth that will encourage them to choose
life. Often, PRCs also provide post-abortion counseling, parenting classes, and
material resources for parents.

A board member? I’d never done that and, with four young
children at home, didn’t believe I’d have the time. We only knew a little about
the local pregnancy center and weren’t encouraged by what we knew. The ministry
was struggling, and most churches in our town weren’t involved in its support
or staffing. A few weeks later, the same person told me that the board had
decided to hire a new director and asked if I’d be interested in that position.
If I didn’t have time to commit two hours per month as a board member, I
certainly wouldn’t be able to be the director of the entire ministry. But we
knew the pregnancy center was struggling, and we prayed that God would glorify
Himself by turning it around.

A month later, another local pastor who served on the board
approached my husband. The other pastor’s request surprised him (and me, when
he told me). Our friend said, “We’ve been looking and praying for a new
director for several weeks, but every time we’ve asked for a referral or
recommendation, your wife’s name is the only name that comes up. We know she
doesn’t want a full-time job, but we don’t know what else to do other than ask
you to pray about it.”

By the time my husband arrived home, he encouraged me to
take the job. We both believed that the glory of God was at stake, not only because
of the abortion issue in our community, but also in the reputation of this
ministry in our town. We believed that the ministry should be one that Bible-believing
churches and faithful believers could support with eagerness because of what
God was doing.

"Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause." Isaiah 1:17 ESV

 

So began a roller coaster that I could not have imagined
when I was hired. If I had known the work God was calling me to do, I would
have affirmed that I was in fact NOT qualified to do it and would certainly
have turned down the position. Instead, God has equipped and provided while we
went through:

1. 
   A medical conversion (we now have an ultrasound machine and a
   nurse on staff)
   
   
   
   






2. 
   Purchased an office
   
   
   
   






3. 
   Hired four other staff members
   
   
   
   






4. 
   Provided
   counseling and support to six clients who made adoption plans
   
   
   
   






5. 
   Faced a budget
   that’s more than 10 times what it was when I was hired
   
   
   
   






6. 
   Completed a rebranding
   process to launch a new name, new logo and new website
   
   
   
   






7. 
   Started teaching
   classes on sexual integrity at the public middle school
   
   
   
   






8. 
   Launched a
   post-abortion support group and Bible study
   
   
   
   






9. 
   Dealt with a myriad of other
   experiences that have been life-changing
   
   

Here is a professional photo of a baby with his mom (our client).

A quote from her that I love was what she said in an e-mail to us after he was born:

"I never knew how much I was going to love being a mom,

and I never would have known if you hadn't been there." - Melinda



In the meantime, here are some of the things that God has taught
me about this aspect of our society and our Christian lives that we often call
the “pro-life” movement:

• 
  Women who are considering or have chosen
  abortions come from every walk of life, every age group, every spiritual
  background, and are both married and single. Statistically, one in four
  American women has had an abortion, and those statistics are as true in our
  churches as they are in our towns.
  
  
  
  
  








• 
  Abortion decisions are fueled by a paralyzing
  fear and incomprehensible pressures, pressures that are very real to the men
  and women facing the unintended pregnancy. The illustration that best describes
  their realities is that of an animal caught in a trap that would rather chew
  off its own foot than stay in the trap. I fear that in our Christian circles, we
  often trivialize the situation that so many of our neighbors are in, condemning
  their choices as an “easy way out” or a “selfish decision” without taking the
  time to walk in their shoes and to grieve for the fears that speak so loudly in
  their ears that they can’t hear anything else.
  
  
  
  
  








• 
  We need to speak with compassion about abortion
  in our churches. Many women in evangelical churches will never seek healing
  from a past abortion decision because the least safe, most dangerous place to
  acknowledge an abortion is in their churches. It is the one secret that MUST be
  hidden at all costs, even if keeping it hidden means shutting themselves off
  from the healing, restoration and forgiveness they need so desperately.
  
  
  
  
  








• 
  Our teenagers need parents, mentors, and
  relatives to have honest, gracious conversations with them about sex. I’ve had
  many teen clients in my office who grew up going to church with their families.
  But when their sexual choices resulted in the possibility of an unintended
  pregnancy, their first thought was for her to get an abortion because above
  all, they could not possibly let their parents know what had happened.
  
  
  
  
  








• 
  Our teenagers also need to know that we
  (parents, mentors, teachers) love them unconditionally. That we believe God can
  and will give them grace to make wise, healthy decisions to honor God in their
  relationships but that if they yield to temptation and end up in a position
  they didn’t expect to be in, our hearts, ears and arms are always open to them.
  That there is nothing they can do that will disappoint us so badly that we will
  abandon them or reject them or publicly shame and humiliate them.
  
  
  
  
  








• 
  Followers of Jesus everywhere need to be
  involved in advocating publicly for the beauty of life, both the life of the
  unborn and the lives of their parents. Encouraging pregnant women to choose
  life is an empty rhetoric if we’re not prepared to back up our words with
  compassion toward single moms, church cultures that are safe for pregnant
  teenagers and single parents, financial support and tangible resources for
  those who choose life, and spiritual discipleship for those whose struggles are
  evident. Our ministry at Selah is what I call a “holistic” ministry. Yes, our
  mission is “to provide tangible resources in a compassionate environment
  through the love of Jesus, making abortion unnecessary.” But we are not only
  interested in the life of the unborn. We are committed to investing in every
  part of the parents’ lives as well—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.
  At every opportunity, we share the Gospel. The needs are deep and exceed the
  point of decision about whether or not to have an abortion. Yes, we must come
  alongside the men and women facing pregnancy decisions to advocate for life,
  but then we have to keep walking with them as their choices unfold.
  
  
  
  
  








• 
  Prayer is powerful. Nothing I do has a greater impact
  on our clients, our community, our budget, and our staff. I have seen
  miraculous answers to prayer in these last five years, exceeding anything I’ve
  seen God do before.
  
  
  
  
  








• 
  Spiritual warfare is real. I have never in my
  life encountered the kind of spiritual battles that I’ve encountered as
  director of a pregnancy resource center. I believe the devil is active in every
  abortion decision; the decision to choose death is uniquely fueled by the
  devil’s influence, and to stand on the front lines between life and death is to
  stand in opposition to his lies and his power. I have felt spiritual oppression
  in ways I have never experienced before. We have learned to begin every day in
  prayer, asking for God’s protection. Nothing you can do will bless a local
  pregnancy resource center more than to pray faithfully for its staff,
  volunteers, and board members.
  
  
  
  
  








• 
  God cares about the unborn. I believe this
  ministry is close to his heart and has a unique place in his purposes. He also
  cares about the parents of the unborn, and we have a unique, beautiful
  opportunity to be the hands, feet and heart of Jesus to men and women who are
  vulnerable, fearful, and prey to an enemy who is circling, seeking for an
  opening to destroy and devour.
  
  
  
  
  

I am amazed that God has given me this ministry, entrusting
this treasure to a broken vessel.  He’s
displayed His power and His glory in ways which have not only transformed this
ministry, but have also transformed lives (we’ve seen several clients come to
faith in Christ, along with the dozens who have chosen life for their babies).  The work He’s done in staff, volunteers, and
donors has been beautiful; I count the opportunity to disciple other believers
as one of the primary responsibilities I have as CEO of Selah.





If you have never been involved in a pregnancy resource center, I encourage you to find out if there's one in your community (see resources below).  Call the director and ask for a tour.  Find out how you can pray and encourage the staff. 





If you've had an abortion in your past, let me say that I'm so deeply, incredibly sorry for the experience you've been through.  I would encourage you to call a local pregnancy center and find out if they offer a post-abortion Bible study. If they don’t, send me an e-mail: Melinda@selahsteamboat.com.






If you're involved in a pregnancy center ministry already, thank you.  What you are doing reflects the heart of God, Who cares about the vulnerable and calls His people to stand up in defense of the oppressed.  To advocate for life is to fulfill His mission.





To find out more about Melinda's ministry: http://selahsteamboat.com/

"Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute." Psalm 82:3 ESV

Helpful Resources:

• 
  Free ebook: Sanctity of Human Life by Focus On the Family
  
  




• 
  Free resources, including a post-abortion Bible study, to help women and families who have been impacted by abortion: Surrendering the Secret
  
  
  




• 
  To find a local pregnancy center in your area: Pregnancy Decision Line (Melinda also recommends looking in your local phone book under "abortion alternatives" or "pregnancy care.")
  
  
  




• 
  Care Net
  
  
  




• 
  Clear Pro-Life Thinking Blog
  
  


• 
  LifeNews.com
  
  


• 
  Testimony of a converted former Planned Parenthood director: Abby Johnson and her blog.
  
  


• 
  National Right to Life
  
  


• 
  Pro-life Answers to Pro-Choice Arguments by Randy Alcorn
  
  


• 
  The Case for Life: Equipping Christians to Engage the Culture by Scott Klusendorf
  
  

Focusing on God Month by Month in '14

 

"He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." I John 4:8

 

"And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31

 

This year I am excited about a plan God gave me to focus on Him month by month through the fruit of His Spirit ...

January - God is Love

February - God is Joy

March - God is Peace

April - God is Longsuffering

May - God is Gentle

June - God is Good

July - God is Faithful

August - God is Meek

September - God is Self-Controlled

October ... God will show us what to do next!



Reminders

Go grab three or four 3x5 cards! I've got mine!  Place one near your sink, in your bathroom, on your bed stand, in your car - and focus the WHOLE month of January on the LOVE of GOD! These cards will remind us daily. Yay for reminders!!  On each card write one of these (or make up one of your own!) ...



          "God loves me!"

 

                    "God = Love"

    

                              "God, please teach me more about You as Love"

                             

                                        "God loves me!"



                                                   "Jesus, Lover of My Soul"



Ask and You Shall Receive

I encourage you to pray with me daily, asking God to reveal more of Himself to us every day this month: how we can love Him more completely, and in turn love others with His love.  This is according to His will, so we know He will answer, "Yes!" 



Record and Share

Keep a pen near your cards so you can jot down things God reveals to you through His word and Spirit about Him as Love. Or you could write them in a journal, or share what you're learning right here!  We can also be looking to tell people around us about God and what He is teaching us about Himself.  We and they will be blessed!



I'm looking forward to growing in God, intentionally focusing on Him and learning more about Him in all His wonderfulness.  Will you join me?


"... that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." Eph. 3:17-19 NKJV