But five years ago, I didn't have a handsome little man named Caleb whose arrival sent my plans whirling away. And five years ago, I had never served on a church staff as a Children's Ministry director and had the chance to share the love and light of Christ with the youngest in the kingdom and serve with a phenomenal staff of children's workers. Five years ago I had never attended a Children's Ministry conference where a fire was lit in my very soul to see the discipleship and mentorship of youth and kids play out in the home and church in a way that would create grounded "sticky" followers of Christ. Five years ago I had never had friends, family, church members, colleagues and yes even strangers say to me, "You know, this work you do... THIS is your calling." And, most importantly, five years ago I had not heard God say, "This is the way, walk in it. It's time."
But today? Today all of those things have happened and I am humbled to share with all of you that I have applied to Wesley Seminary (an affiliate of Indiana Wesleyan University) to begin a Master's of Arts in Ministry program with a Children, Youth and Family focus. This is a two-year master's degree that will start in August of this year. I will be able to complete most of the coursework online and by taking classes here at Asbury Theological Seminary. In fact, I hope to take my first class this semester (Spring 2014) at Asbury studying Family Development: Discipleship in the Home.
While I am beyond excited to begin taking these steps towards what I believe God has given me the heart and vision to do with my life, I am also nervous (this girl hasn't been in school in 14 years!) and scared (and school is NOT cheap and we don't have "real" jobs). But consistently in my prayers as well as Luke's we feel God saying, "It's time. Trust me for the details." And God has been faithful to provide for our needs every step of the way, so we are taking the leap and following His lead. The overwhelming support and encouragement of the community we currently find ourselves in give us confidence in God's leading and provision. (Side note: Asbury friends, thank you for your advice, encouragement, help with babysitting, prayers and hugs over the past few weeks and into the future as I've moved in this direction!)
As I read over the courses I will be taking during my time with Wesley Seminary, my heart wells up with anticipation and a sense of confidence that I am in God's will. The biggest reason I chose Wesley Seminary is because the core of their curriculum for Family Ministry is discipleship and that is my deepest desire for our kids today. Sunday school is good, VBS is fun, and missions trips are meaningful but relationships, mentorship and discipleship are absolutely foundational in raising kids that are stuck on God and growing in their faith. And frankly with this ever-changing society that is becoming more and more the antithesis of what the Word of God teaches us, the church and family need to join forces and work together to provide that atmosphere for future generations.That is my heart. To see children and youth excited and grounded in their faith, to see families growing together, parents discipling children and older parents mentoring younger parents. It is my hope and prayer that this step in my life will open doors to allow me to play a role in creating those interactions in the future.
So, here we go! The girls think it's great that we will all be in school at the same time. I believe the statement was made that we could all do homework together. (oh.. yippee!!) I will probably read this five years from now and smile at my overt enthusiasm and "let's do this thing" attitude but that's okay. Five years ago, I wouldn't have even believed it was real.
Awesome!!!! So happy for you :)
ReplyDelete