The Call to Ministry
For years, I have been praying for this ministry. For years, I have been actively asking God to prepare me, to guide me, to direct me. For years, I have been asking him what this ministry will be called. Just over a week ago, he answered - clear as day. 34:18.
First, let me back up and explain this vision that has been growing and evolving for over a decade. When I was twelve years old, I made a to pursue ministry to young women. I was at the Dallas edition of The Revolve Tour, a conference for teenage girls to learn about and experience God. It was 2006 and I was listening to Jenna Lucado Bishop speak. I felt in my heart that God was calling me. In an excerpt of writing from March 28, 2012, I wrote, “Sitting in the audience, taking in the words of the speakers, the songs of the singers, and the skits of the actors, I realized that I was called to be up on that stage, too.”
That call, that tug on my heart, that whisper from the Holy Spirit, has been guiding me ever since. Every choice I have made since then has been guided by the decision to pursue the ministry I was called to as a twelve year old girl. To gain more stage experience, I pursued theatre in middle school and high school. To sharpen my speaking skills, I joined the high school speech team. To learn how to minister, I volunteered in my youth ministry, became a youth intern, and served on the staff of 3 other churches. I purposed in my heart to study communication and ministry so I could be further equipped to live out my calling. So at Dallas Baptist University, I earned a B.A. in Communication Theory and I minored in Christian ministry. I served as the captain of the DBU Drama Team that traveled all over North Texas to minister to and perform for youth ministries. I was hired to be a Resident Assistant in the dorms and mentored more than 60 young women over my three years there at DBU. Then, I went on to graduate school and earned an M.A. in Counseling. I became a Certified Christian Life Coach through the American Association of Christian Counselors and have been working to build my this ministry of writing for, speaking to, and coaching young women since then.
It’s been almost thirteen years since I first made the choice to pursue ministry. I have gone through seasons where I have begged God to let me start and instead He lead me into a time of preparation. I have gone through seasons when I asked, "Are you sure?" and he has affirmed my calling and built my confidence. I gave gone through seasons when I have wandered a bit to find the perimeters of my calling, testing the borders, and God has shown me how wonderfully non-conventional a life of ministry can look like. And here I am now, a 20something, coaching young women, subbing in the school system, consulting speech and debate teams, and sharing the gospel everywhere I am. He's shown me that it's all ministry.
I am thrilled to be in such a place - an ever-changing, ever-growing, everything-but-cookie-cutter life of ministry. And I am overjoyed to have such a tremendous amount of love and support on this journey to reach the world. And I am humbled that God has finally given it a name - 34:18.