New Beginnings

Beginning next week I take another step on this long Journey I call THE CALL. 30 years ago I felt God's call on my life to enter into full time ministry. Along the way I've allowed obstacles to knock me off the path. In 2005 God awoke me from my sleep with the scripture reference revelation 3:2 on my mind. I had not recently read revelation and this was not a passage of scripture I had studied or put to memory so I knew it was not coming from my sub-conscious but from God. I got up and read it. It read: “Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.” I can’t imagine a clearer message. I got up and emailed my pastor the next morning. God had given me urgency about finishing what he had started in me as a pre-teen. Here we are 7 years later and I have been climbing this mountain one small foothold at a time since. I have been certified as a lay speaker, I received an online ordination in order to accommodate requests from people for me to do their weddings and such. I’ve put myself before committees. I’ve endured disappointments; I’ve received advice and encouragements. I tried to find easy routes. I tried to keep things safe and comfortable not only for myself but for my family as well. Then it happened. In September of 2011 I lost my job. The job that granted me all that safety and comfort. The career that I had built for the last 18 years. I was now faced with a choice. Do, I stay on the same career path or do I take a major leap of faith. I began researching both paths and as a result of that research here is where I am today. On Tuesday, August 21st I will arrive on campus of Emory University’s Candler School of Theology will I will begin orientation as an incoming Master of Divinity Student. I will be commuting back and forth each week from my home in Canton, NC to Emory in Atlanta. While in Atlanta I will be staying with my very gracious cousin, Jessica and her husband Donald. I am currently in the candidacy process for the United Methodist Church and am in hopes that I will be a certified candidate by June of 2013 so that I can participate in the Teaching Parish Program which will enable me to do my contextual education through a paid appointment as pastor of a local church. I’ve put all of this in God’s hand and God has provided well. Not only did I get accepted into the program but I also received a Sherman Scholarship covering all of my tuition. I have also received a scholarship from the WNC Emory Club that will cover my books. I am hopeful that other scholarships will come next year that will cover all of my expenses. This year I am praying for the funding for my health insurance, my living expenses, food, and gas. For those who feel called to support me in those areas I will be posting information on how soon. This blog is being created as my way of journaling my seminary experience. I will continue to post sermons and reflections on scripture in the Daily Ponderings in the Word Blog but this blog will be where you can track my seminary experiences if you so desire. Your prayers for me and my family during this major time of transition are greatly appreciated. Look for the next post on Tuesday the 21st.