Affirming the call
Joy El has held a special place for Jodi and I ever since I accepted the role of interim maintenance coordinator in April of 2020. We had prayed that God would give us clarity in whether to accept the position or not. God moved in many ways in 2020 by closing several doors and opening others in the direction He knew we should go. We felt a very confident and strong call to take the position and begin a chapter of service to the Lord at Joy El.
Who would have thought that a year later God would be continuing to affirm us in this ministry through a Father Daughter retreat? This year as I was planning for the weekend of the Father Daughter retreat, my daughters informed me that they didn’t want to go because daddy would have to be working (and it would be boring). I talked with my wife and we really felt like God was saying this was a weekend that we were not going to let the girls miss out on; they really needed to spend time with their heavenly and earthly fathers. I am glad we were led to this decision.
During the weekend there was a time where the fathers and daughters were split into separate sessions to discuss relevant issues to the role of a father and daughter. At the end of this time, the fathers broke up into groups based on the age of their daughters. In my group were several men that had a lot in common and several shared life experiences. I am not, nor have I ever been one that enjoys break out groups. I see the value in breakouts and have used them frequently in situations where I am teaching or training. But, after experiencing this group I have a new found appreciation for such groups.
During this time one father was sharing how he had attended because he wanted to be able to understand and relate to his daughter when she got home from school about scripture she had learned. When we came to a time of prayer, this father asked if someone could help him because he did not know how to pray. He shared that he had heard about Jesus and believed there was a “higher power”, but did not know much about him.
The Lord prompted me to ask if he had a personal relationship with Jesus. He simply replied, “No, I do not, but I want to.” I was then given the privilege to ask him if he would like to accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior. His response was a simple yes, after which we walked through the sinners prayer and he began a relationship with Jesus.
God chose to use a maintenance coordinator at a father daughter retreat to minister to a tractor mechanic. But he set it in motion long before the retreat ever happened at Joy El. I feel fully affirmed in my calling to Joy El, and encourage everyone to be open to the call of the Father. Answer the question “where does God want me to serve?” It looks different for all of us, however I urge you to be obedient to the Father’s call; you never know when He will use you for great things. I have been extremely blessed to be a part of the service team here at Joy El and look forward to what God has in store for me and my family. It just amazes me to see how God can save and then use a wretch like me.
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