Sep
17
2009
the called
as i sit and look at the picture above of our fellow New Staff Training attendees, my eyes are welling up with tears. these people are heroes to me.
only 14 others in the picture above will eventually be joining deborah and i on the staff of FamilyLife in Little Rock, AR. the others are all joining other ministries of Campus Crusade for Christ. some are going to join Campus Ministry, reaching young adults at various colleges around the country. some are headed to Student Venture, to reach High School students with God’s love and hope. still other are bound for Athletes in Action, specifically targeting athletes in college. there’s a few with a heart for Here’s Life Inner City, reaching the poor with the gospel of Jesus Christ. and a couple of them are called to Military Ministry. and still others are being sent to work with The JESUS Film Project®, Keynote, or other International assignments.
you see happy, smiling, young faces.*
i know the men and women who have been called by God to set apart their lives for a greater work of full time ministry. they come from all walks of life. there are students right out of college, former military, pastors, video production engineers, IRS agents, teachers, people from office jobs or manual labor. some have been married for years and have grown children, others have young children, and there are even two couples here that just got married 19 days ago!
these men and women have chosen to leave their friends and loved ones, pack up their families sometimes to a place unknown, and trust fully on God for their lives. these heroes have accepted the task of raising their support not because it’s fun, attractive, or easy to do so. no, they’re here at New Staff Training because each one of them has felt a call from God to do what He’s called them to do (and oh, if you could hear all of the stories i’ve heard). they have a passion for their particular area of ministry. and they have a sense of urgency to their work. the time is short, and we must begin doing the work He’s called us to do while there’s still time.
they are my heroes…my co-laborers…and my friends.
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* picture intentionally blurred and darkened for various reasons. email me or call me if you’d like to know why.
