I'll never forget that day as long as I live. It was a Wednesday, March 26, 2008 to be exact. It was a bright and sunny day as I was driving down the road on my way to drop off Kelley and I's mortgage papers for our new house! Oddly enough I wasn't very happy. No, I wasn't stressed about buying our house...it went much deeper than that.
But something happened on that Wednesday that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt the Lord allowed to happen. You see...as I was on my way to drop off our mortgage papers I was really down. I was in the car literally in tears and prayed this prayer out loud, "Lord, something has GOT to give. Something has got to give..." It was my weak attempt of crying out to God for help. You see, for quite some time I had been unhappy. From the surface, one might question why I was unhappy...I'd been married 7 months now and still very much in love with my beautiful wife, Kelley. We were in the process of buying our first home and I had a good paying job with a great company whom I loved. But...the problem was that I didn't enjoy my job. I loved and still do love the people that I worked with I just didn't enjoy my specific job. Well, to be honest...I was miserable! I'd wake up every morning dreading going into work.
Meanwhile...poor Kelley was fully aware of my struggles and had listened to me for months talk about how I just felt like God was calling us to something different but I had NO IDEA what that was. Kelley would often talk about how cool it would be for the both of us to work in ministry together somehow someway. She had visions of us starting a college ministry at Westover Church where we attend. I'll admit...the idea of working with college students very much intrigued me...but I just didn't have a peace about starting a ministry like that. And if I'm being honest...it also scared me to death!
But...I've had a desire to go into full time ministry for a long, long time now. I remember very specifically the first time that thought popped into my head. It was at Kidd Brewer Stadium up in Boone, NC and I was at the Franklin Graham Crusade. Franklin had just finished giving a message that I really don't remember much about or don't remember it being a particularly impacting sermon to me. But what I DO remember was that he gave people the opportunity to hear the gospel and then he gave them an opportunity to come forward and commit their life to Jesus Christ! And they came down out of the stands in droves! I just sat there in tears and said to myself..."Lord, I want to do something like this someday." So that's the first time I remember specifically thinking that I wanted to go into full time ministry and that "thought" and "desire" has been with me ever since.
Now...let's fast forward again to 8 years later. I've been out in the working world since I graduated college in 2004. I've worked a couple of different jobs and made a really good income for just getting out of college. But for some reason it just hasn't been satisfying to me. I've tried to fill those voids with all kinds of "things" for the past couple of years but still....that desire to "do something more" and that void that the money just wasn't filling was still there. Soooo....on that FAITHFUL DAY on March 26th of this year I got back to my office from dropping off our mortgage papers and went back to work. I hadn't been back for more than an hour when my boss called me into his office. After a long talk we came to a realization that it was in our best interest for us to part ways. (Remember....only a couple hours before I had prayed to God that something had to give.) The business was really taking a beating because of unforeseen circumstances that happened in our industry. So I was going to have to go on an aggressive commission only salary which would not have been a good thing. I knew quickly that the Lord, in a much different way than I expected, had answered my prayer!
So...if you have been wondering why this post is entitled "One FAITHFUL Day" it's because I believe and trust in a God that loves us and has a wonderful plan for Kelley and I's lives. I believe the day I lost my job was a blessing and an answer to prayer from the Lord. That's not to say at all that I wasn't scared to death and wondering...what are we going to do etc, etc. Here is a brief run down of what has happened since I lost my job. After initially having no problems qualifying for a home loan and locking in a great rate and we had set a closing date for May 15th. However, after the job situation, we were unable to qualify for financing on our home we had just written a contract on. So we ended up losing the house. Which again...was a HUGE BLESSING! I believe with ALL MY HEART that we serve a God that is sovereign! "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plan for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope!" (Jeremiah 29:11) It's a verse we all know...and I've heard many a time...but I still LOVE that verse. You see...if we had bought that house we would not have had the same amount of freedom we have now to pursue full time ministry.
So Kelley and I now are looking into full time ministry. We are very excited about where the Lord is going to lead us and ask for your prayers as we go down that path. I'll let you know more in my next post about where the Lord is leading us.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
Isaiah 55:8-9
