The Pursuit of Ministry

 

I write this for those of you in ministry who are beginning to feel weary and discouraged.

My husband and I were called into ministry long before we met. Kingdom business was one of the key principles instilled in us growing up by our parents and church leadership. Travis and I both inherited a hefty dose of spiritual boldness and endurance. We continued to actively serve our church after we got married and began to have children. God refueled my passion for writing and Travis’ gift of exaltation.  In the Spring of 2006, he called us into evangelism through the performing arts.

With a combination of nervousness and excitement, Travis and I obeyed God by taking our ministry to the next level. We were excited about what God was about to do through our call. Naturally we expected for “others” to be excited as well. Instead, we were met with much skeptism. While “the others” felt we were a blessing to the congregation, they expressed concern about us “setting ourselves up for failure” outside the four walls of the church. One family member said to us “What you are about to do is entertainment, not ministry.” This person forgot about Jesus and how he is known for ministering through parable (illustration). It didn’t take long for God to refill our “busted bubbles” by saying “It is not what they say. It is what I say. Now GO!”  

And now you know where the name GO Ministries came from J

 

The “others” couldn’t ignore the numerous testimonies we began to receive over the years; including that from a young man who was finally able to forgive his estranged father after seeing our stage play “When Momma’s Gone”. They couldn’t ignore the testimony from the woman who served her husband with divorce papers prior to seeing our stage play “No Weapon I” only to reconcile with him right after. They couldn’t ignore the cries of the young girl who was finally able to release the pain from her mom’s passing during the same play. They couldn’t ignore the testimony of the woman and her daughter who came to Christ and joined the church as well as our performing arts team after attending “He’s Been Good”. The testimonies we’ve received over the years are innumerable.

Sometimes people will reject you because of intimidation, fear and concern. Yes, I said concern. Here’s why..

We were in the process of planning our MAD Explosion when my sister suddenly passed away. My family was worried about my mental and physical health. They suggested we cancel the production and take some TLC time after the funeral. But I felt an inner press to keep going. And I thank God that we did. As you can see from the picture, many lives were changed that day.

Sometimes life won’t even give you lemons.. but God….God will give the seeds you need to plant your own. With those lemons, you can make as much lemonade as you want. Never depend on man because he will fail you every time. Depend solely on God and he will put the right people in your path. There will be times when God even allow the wrong people to come into your life just so that you will see firsthand what you should never become. Ministry can be very lonely. God has a way of removing the distractions and stumbling blocks we call friends and business partners so that we won’t get off course.

Travis and I have learned to trust God on a whole new level. For everything he removes, he replaces one hundred fold.

I know a lot of people who have given up on God and the pursuit of Kingdom Business because man said no. Remember, Jesus wasn’t accepted by his own; they saw him only as Joseph’s son. (Luke 4:20-30). Jesus encouraged his disciples to shake the dust off their feet and continue to the next town. (Luke 9:3-5)

I encourage those you who are on the brink of succumbing to your weariness, to HOLD ON!  Ministry is for the tried and true. It’s takes a lot of fasting, prayer, study time and patience. If a door is slammed in your face, straighten that tie or shake the wrinkle out of your dress and move on to the next.