already & not yet

At an early age, God placed a dream in my heart.

As a young boy growing up in the College Street Church of Christ in Lebanon, Tennessee, I listened as Brother Larry Locke spoke to us each week from God’s Word. I studied him as he stood before the congregation every Sunday morning, delivering his messages, always concluding with an invitation to come to Jesus. I can’t remember the exact moment, but somewhere back there I decided that telling people about Jesus was just about the best thing a person could do with his life. People would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up and I would answer them quickly: a preacher.

I remember other kids — in Sunday school, of all places — making fun of me when I told them this. Melissa Vaughn scoffed and said, “Preachers are boring.” But I didn’t care. I didn’t think preachers were boring at all. Preachers got to tell all kinds of exciting stories, like the one about Moses and the plagues or the one where David killed Goliath. And preachers got to tell funny jokes and everybody had to listen to them and when they got to the funny part, everybody in the whole church would laugh out loud. As far as I was concerned, Melissa Vaughn was crazy.

About the time I was 10, I decided I really wanted to be a baseball player. This was a much cooler job and I figured I stood to make a lot more money as a ball player. But I felt guilty just abandoning the dream of being a preacher. So I came up with a solution: I’d play for the Cardinals Monday thru Saturday and then I’d preach on Sunday mornings. I could even play ball on Sunday afternoons and still be ready to preach again on Sunday night. Eventually I realized that I couldn’t hit a curve ball, so I gave up on being a baseball player. But I never could shake this whole preacher thing. Despite times when I’ve tried to deny or ignore this calling on my life, I’ve always returned to this notion of ministry, specifically preaching. I always come back to the fact that God created me to tell other people about Jesus.

For the past 10 years, youth ministry has been the fulfillment of this dream. I’ve been blessed to serve in a variety of contexts in youth ministry — as in intern, a teacher, a coach, a campus minister and a youth minister. God has given me some tremendous opportunities to minister to students over the years. My heart swells as I think of the teens in my youth group in Kingsport, the students in my classes at Madison Academy, and now the members of the Mayfair Youth Group. These young people have encouraged and challenged me; they’ve taught me of discipleship and passion and joy and abundant faith. I reflect over these 10 years and names and faces flood my mind and my heart. I’ve truly been blessed.

But in the past few months, I’ve heard the gentle voice of my God, whispering, calling me to a new season of ministry. I’ve heard it said that God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called. Such would be the case here. I continue to feel Him guiding me toward a ministry of proclamation and pastoral care. But God is choosing to qualify this calling in a rather unexpected way…

Our shepherds announced on Sunday that I will be transitioning out of youth ministry to assume the position of an associate minister at our congregation. I will work very closely with our pulpit minister, Gary Bradley, who will serve as a mentor for me. I’ll have a unique opportunity to observe him in action, learning from his vast experience (nearly 50 years) in ministry. Obviously, the wisdom I’ll glean from Gary will be invaluable to me as I move into a pulpit somewhere someday. I’m excited about this opportunity to develop in some new ways as a minister.

I’m thankful to serve alongside men of vision like our shepherds. I’m thankful for Gary and his willingness to assume this role in my life. I’m also thankful for a congregation like Mayfair that is willing to make an investment in a young minister like me. And ultimately, I’m thankful for the ways in which God continues to bless me. I’m the undeserving recipient of so much. May You find praise, Lord, in this new season You’ve led me to. God bless.