Living into your calling

A few years ago, I was helping out with a campus ministry at a community college I attended.  The speaker that night was a guy I knew. He had played football at the junior college, went off to LSU, then transferred to Southern Miss where I went. The campus ministry had plenty of football players that attended the speakers and Bible studies. He and one of the current football players who was being recruited by various universities to play football were talking. As I overheard them talking, the question of regret came up. The speaker told the young football player if he could do it all over again, he wouldn't have went to USM. He would have went to a larger school where he could have had a better chance at being drafted. Now aside from my obvious disappointment at his disregard for our alma mater, I was struck by this statement in another way.Here was this guy who had a college degree, a beautiful wife (who he had dated as long as I had known them), got a chance to play college football, and knew the love of God. It began to dawn on me that he like many of us was not "happy" with his lot in life. He desired more than what he had been given. From listening to him speak, he was obviously successful in the career he had chosen and it allowed him to speak to students and make an impact on their life. I have no doubt he was exactly where he was called to be. The problem is many of us, myself included fail to live into our calling. For my friend, he would have been happier being a pro football player because to him it offered more value than what he was doing. Inversely there is my friend Catherine. As we were talking over facebook tonight, it dawned on me that Catherine was most definitely living into her calling. I'd only known Catherine about two years, but she had always been kind of quiet and reserved. The fact I'm overbearing and talk to much probably doesn't help encourage others to speak but it's my curse. However recently God has been doing amazing things in her life. She has shared ideas for outreach at the campus ministry I was a part of at Southern Miss. She volunteered to give her testimony to the youth group she is an intern with and is genuinely happy about both. She is living into her calling. She is making the most of life and speaking for God and about God in an unashamed way. Our calls change, but hers right now is to reach out to people and share how Christ has worked in her life and how God can work in theirs. She is experiencing the pure joy of how we feel when we live into our calling and are exactly where God wants us to be. As you go forward, look around and see the impact you making. Are you where God is calling you to be right now? Are you where you are supposed to be but not reaching out to who you are supposed to? I hope that anyone who reads this, can come to know the pure joy of the moment you realize that you are right where God has called you to be at that very moment in your life. The joy of realizing that we have the free will to choose the direction our life takes and we have chosen a path that is pleasing to God and allows us to work and build His kingdom.

-Shawn

Why I chose the United Methodist Church or why It chose me

Well I've taken a break but now I'm back. My friend Brittny asked me if I could offer her any information about the Methodist Church. Being the Methodist Nerd that I am, I gladly mailed her about 5 books. This brought me to revisit a question I've often been asked. Why the United Methodist Church? Now this question probably wouldn't occur nearly as often, had I not had the distinction of coming to the UMC from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or The Mormons. Before I get to the UMC let me discuss why my mother and I left the Mormon Chuch. My family has never been overly religious. We may have went to church on Sunday we may have missed it. It wasn't a big deal to my family. When we got more diligent about going, my mother quickly realized the Mormon Church was no longer for us. The final straw for us was spending a worship service sitting at the back of the Church with no actual worship going on. The "worship" for the day was an entire family Father, Mother, and three children got up and in front of the church confessed every little thing they had done wrong that week all the way down to the youngest child. I remember the little one confessing things as simple as not sharing with someone at school. While I believe that admission of sin is an important part of reconciliation with God, something moved inside of us. We left the church never to return. After spending about two months visiting various denominations, we arrived at Gateway United Methodist Church. We were given a loaf of fresh baked banana nut bread by the United Methodist Women's group to welcome us as a visitor to the church. Then after the service came the defining moment of what would become my faith journey so far. Unlike the other denominations ministers, pastors,etc the pastor of this church answered our questions that day. You see the other churches we had visited the pastors all wanted us to make time to come in and talk to them. The pastor of Gateway UMC after greeting everyone changed out of his robes and sat for an hour and a half answering our questions. About 6 months later I was baptized and mine and my mothers request as member of Gateway United Methodist Church and the larger United Methodist Church body. When I ask people why I chose the United Methodist Church, I often assert that God chose it for me and brought us there, but the main difference is the welcoming to visitors regardless of circumstances or past. This continues to be a bright point for me as I serve in various capacities within the church. I see a church that fully embraces the belief that Christ loves you enough to meet you exactly where you are, but loves you too much to just leave you there. The people of the United Methodist Church are actively working and serving in this capacity to meet people wherever they are on their journey of faith and work to create Disciples for the transformation of the world. That is why I am United Methodist.