In November of 2008, I was setting in the Tulsa Convention Center attending the National Missionary Convention. Doug Priest was the President of the Convention that year and the scripture for the convention was Luke 4:17-20.
The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him.
Every time I heard this scripture read, I would also hear 2 Timothy 4:1-2:
“ In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. “
Every time someone (no matter who it was, a speaker or someone in a breakout session) would read Luke 4, I would hear 2 Timothy 4. During the convention I had a chance to talk with Robyn Priest, and I mentioned to her what I was hearing/feeling when Luke 4 was read and I asked her what she thought it meant.
Robyn looked me straight in the eyes and said I knew exactly what it meant and then asked me what I was going to do about it. the back burner for awhile.
Then last November, again at a NMC, this time in Lexington, I saw a booth for Hope University. I went over and talked to a representative and had them send me some information.
Through several prayers I felt God calling me to go back to school. When Dan Asche asked me 5 years ago to be the Ministry Leader for WOM , I never thought I would go back to school or that I would want to go back to school. I never thought I would be the WOM Ministry leader for five years, or that I would want to do this the rest of my life.
But that just shows how God can work and how He has a plan set out for each of us. So, on June 6, I started my first on-line class at Hope University. My Masters Degree will be in Intercultural Studies with an emphasis on Missions.
I have no idea where God is leading me, is it a position at a sending agency like CMF – to help make people aware of missions and to equip them to go? Or perhaps it is a Outreach Ministry position at OCC or somewhere else. Or perhaps it is just to be a better Ministry Leader at OCC, or an equipper at OCC. Or perhaps it a combination of all of the above or perhaps God has something else in store for me.
To be honest, I am not real sure at this time where God is leading me. But this I do know, ANYWHERE He leads me I will follow, ANYWHERE He leads me I will go.
