The Tent: A safe place for shepherds to reflect together
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Ken Schemmer
Joined: 06 Apr 2008 Posts: 20 Location: Anaheim, CA
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 8:59 pm Post subject: Provision |
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I think of all the years God has provided for me on the mission trips that I have been on, God was faithful to bring the money needed to go on those trips. Especially in 1992, when I was leading a team to Venezuela, I saw God provide the money for the whole team to go. I remember looking at the list of people who donated money and seeing a lady’s name whom I did not know. She sent me a $1000. When I asked my youth pastor, he said that it was his aunt who loves to send people on mission’s trips. The Lord told me through this that He will provide and care for me wherever I go; money was not a problem for Him. At this time I am looking to the Lord right now to provide for me in the two ways. First, I am asking for wisdom with my wife’s job at the hospital and the direction that He is leading her. Second, I am asking God to provide me with a supervisor who will be a good shepherd to me and our flock. |
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gcts\mmccrum
Joined: 11 Dec 2008 Posts: 10 Location: Woodstock, GA
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Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 2:48 pm Post subject: Why this Journey? |
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“Great is Thy faithfulness.†That was the hymn my wife Debbie went to the piano and played after I broke the news to her that our son was in deep trouble and that as a result I learned I must resign our church…That was the most painful time in our married life and ministry life. It seemed the whole world was caving in on us. Yet, as painful and desperate the circumstances were to us at the time, we continued to hold on to God’s faithfulness to us in the past. Surely He knew what was going on and had everything under control.
I resigned the church and took time off from full-time ministry to care for my son. All during the journey God took care of us. First, He provided for our family with the church’s 3-month severance pay. Then, He provided a pastor friend and his men’s accountability group to help me put together a resume and understand the interview process. One of the men had a business card for me to follow-up on to get started. “Here’s your first assignment,†he said. “Call this man. It will be good practice.â€
The man I called was the owner of a large construction information business. When I talked to him on the phone I found out he was an elder of a church and that he especially enjoyed helping pastors or ministers who for one reason or another had to be out of the ministry. We did not know this previously. Within two weeks I was hired as an account manager. (I worked at CMD for 5 years.) The men’s accountability group was amazed that this could happen so quickly and that I had received God’s favor!
That was the good news. The bad news was my salary would start out at a third of what I was receiving as a pastor. My wife and I still felt this job was a provision from God and that we should accept the position. As it turns out a family from the church we had pastored wanted to help us out financially and made up the difference for three months. After 90 days on the job my supervisor at work gave me a promotion and heavy pay raise that would allow us to make it financially.
God not only provided for us time and again during that 5 year journey, He comforted us in His love. We felt His constant “hug†and had the assurance that this painful journey would be used for His glory. About six months after the incident happened with my son I received a phone call from a pastor who had the very same circumstance happen with them and their son. We began to see why God allowed us to go through those difficult troubles so that we could “comfort†this family. As a result they were able to find healing and remain in ministry while caring for their son. Other couples came to us with similar circumstances during those first few years of the journey and we were able to comfort and encourage them, as well.
Why this journey? God wanted to provide and comfort us so that we could comfort others. Looking back, as painful as the journey was, I wouldn’t have had it any other way!...My friend, God will provide!!! (By the way since that time God healed our son and I was able to return to the ministry as a pastor of a church, where my son now leads the worship!) _________________ Mike McCrum |
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Albert Downing
Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 5
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Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2009 9:22 am Post subject: |
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Praise God for His faithfulness and His daily provisions. As I reflected upon the question and response in this section "Provision", What does it take to be a shepherd? The response from a Jordanian Bedouin, Abu-Jamal was, "what matters is that you have the heart for it. If you do you can begin tomorrow."
As I look and reflect upon my ministry as a Chaplain in the Army, I believe there has to be a calling to this type of ministry. I know the Lord has "called" me into this ministry. It is a ministry filled with the unexpected as well as some expectations. It has a lot of challengings, dealing with Commanders, Command Sergeant Majors, First Sergeants, soldier issues and other chaplains to name a few. But the rewards and benefits make up for all you go through.
There are a lot of pastors and ministers, but that doesn't mean they can be an Army Chaplain. The chaplains work long hard hours and are always on call for their soldiers. I just returned from being deployed in Iraq for 14 months (24 December 2008). I arrived in Iraq on October 27, 2007 and didn't have a day off work until I came home for leave, which was October 1, 2008. I normally worked 14-16 hours a day, every day. But, was always on called during the night and there were times I was called back to the office to minister to the needs of soldiers. Sometimes, the soldiers would knock on my door at night and say, chaplain, I need to talk with you. You have to have a heart, you have to be called, you have to care and you have to love
what you're doing.
The Army Chaplain Corp motto is: Nuture the living, Care for the wounded and Honor the dead. You give up yourself to provide for them, just as the shepherds. Therefore, I feel blessed to be called and have such a heart for this ministry. It is the BEST job in the military. _________________ A. L. Downing |
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