For some reason, I guess because I am graduating again from school, I have been thinking about my days at Sam Houston State lately. I was involved during my time there with Campus Crusade for Christ, the Baptist Student Union and Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. A group of us tended to go to either one or the other. The BSU's Wednesday lunches were popular because they were only $1 and usually a good meal and Intervarsity was popular for a time and even had a Bible study that met in our dorm for a while.
The best part, in my opinion, was the trips to different convention sites that we took. One year in particular our BSU took a trip to Waco. It was during that trip that I felt impressed that God was encouraging me to go on summer mission trip. I interviewed at the BSU, but that year I couldn't go because of my grades. So, after getting my grades up, the next year I decided to try again. I interviewed at the BSU and was officially "sent" by what was called the Home Missionary Union, which means it was a domestic, not foreign mission board.
In 1988, we went to Reno, Nevada to go to orientation. It was approximately 9 weeks of traveling to different church 8 of those weeks. We spent about 2 days in Reno and then went out into the field. My site was with a guy from Mississippi named Kevin, who I could barely understand. Kevin and I did about 5 VBS's and several backyard bible clubs and I preached about 5 times that summer. Although there was some points of it that I enjoyed, I was horribly home sick most of the time and hated being out west. Kevin and I didn't get along well to the point that one other missionary said to me that he fully expected that we would come to blows at some point in the trip.
I really didn't pray about it after that first year of finding out I couldn't go because of my grades. The logic being, that I didn't think God had changed his mind. To me, it wasn't a question of if it was God's will, but rather a question of timing. I don't doubt that line of reasoning now either. I think that sometimes God can close doors through natural means such as the opportunity not being what it should be to move us in another direction. God, being sovereign, can use all sorts of methods to move us where he wants us to be.
Nor was it that great of an experience for the most part that summer. While I think the people's intentions were clear, I love for things to be organized. If you do something, I want it to be done well. I don't respond well to doing something at the last minute and want for things to be organized. I hate it when someone is wasting my time. Well, often things were not organized. A whole week of backyard bible club was planned each night before the club met the next day. Nobody in the church had planned anything and just expected me to know what to do. In another case, the pastor asked me Sunday morning if I wanted to preach, never having preached before.
So, you either suck it up and go with it or you miss the opportunity. Life's opportunities often don't come wrapped in a bow ready made for our enjoyment. You stand up and give it your best shot and hope and pray that is enough. My first sermon was a painful experience for me and for the congregation. I remember the pastor saying that I said "uh" about 50 times and kept looking out the window. Fortunately, I was in Yerrington, Nevada at the time, so possibly expectations were low. But, still, God worked and used me because he uses the tools that make themselves available to him.
Some people think that they must know this or that or be this kind of person or that before God will use them. The fact is, that God made each of us unique. He gives us each unique tasks in his body. He knows what he made and to say that your not good enough or able is kinda insulting to God. Your saying that God isn't able to use you? Of course he is. In fact, there are things in the body of Christ he has uniquely gifted you to do that he hasn't given me or anyone else the ability, desire or hope of doing. He uses our abilities, our weaknesses, our mistakes, our joys and victories to bear fruit for him. The question is not if God is able. The question is whether or not your willing for him to use you?
The best part, in my opinion, was the trips to different convention sites that we took. One year in particular our BSU took a trip to Waco. It was during that trip that I felt impressed that God was encouraging me to go on summer mission trip. I interviewed at the BSU, but that year I couldn't go because of my grades. So, after getting my grades up, the next year I decided to try again. I interviewed at the BSU and was officially "sent" by what was called the Home Missionary Union, which means it was a domestic, not foreign mission board.
In 1988, we went to Reno, Nevada to go to orientation. It was approximately 9 weeks of traveling to different church 8 of those weeks. We spent about 2 days in Reno and then went out into the field. My site was with a guy from Mississippi named Kevin, who I could barely understand. Kevin and I did about 5 VBS's and several backyard bible clubs and I preached about 5 times that summer. Although there was some points of it that I enjoyed, I was horribly home sick most of the time and hated being out west. Kevin and I didn't get along well to the point that one other missionary said to me that he fully expected that we would come to blows at some point in the trip.
I really didn't pray about it after that first year of finding out I couldn't go because of my grades. The logic being, that I didn't think God had changed his mind. To me, it wasn't a question of if it was God's will, but rather a question of timing. I don't doubt that line of reasoning now either. I think that sometimes God can close doors through natural means such as the opportunity not being what it should be to move us in another direction. God, being sovereign, can use all sorts of methods to move us where he wants us to be.
Nor was it that great of an experience for the most part that summer. While I think the people's intentions were clear, I love for things to be organized. If you do something, I want it to be done well. I don't respond well to doing something at the last minute and want for things to be organized. I hate it when someone is wasting my time. Well, often things were not organized. A whole week of backyard bible club was planned each night before the club met the next day. Nobody in the church had planned anything and just expected me to know what to do. In another case, the pastor asked me Sunday morning if I wanted to preach, never having preached before.
So, you either suck it up and go with it or you miss the opportunity. Life's opportunities often don't come wrapped in a bow ready made for our enjoyment. You stand up and give it your best shot and hope and pray that is enough. My first sermon was a painful experience for me and for the congregation. I remember the pastor saying that I said "uh" about 50 times and kept looking out the window. Fortunately, I was in Yerrington, Nevada at the time, so possibly expectations were low. But, still, God worked and used me because he uses the tools that make themselves available to him.
Some people think that they must know this or that or be this kind of person or that before God will use them. The fact is, that God made each of us unique. He gives us each unique tasks in his body. He knows what he made and to say that your not good enough or able is kinda insulting to God. Your saying that God isn't able to use you? Of course he is. In fact, there are things in the body of Christ he has uniquely gifted you to do that he hasn't given me or anyone else the ability, desire or hope of doing. He uses our abilities, our weaknesses, our mistakes, our joys and victories to bear fruit for him. The question is not if God is able. The question is whether or not your willing for him to use you?
