The Tent: A safe place for shepherds to reflect together
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dcarver
Joined: 08 Jan 2018 Posts: 8
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Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2018 9:49 pm Post subject: The Pastoral Call |
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I remember my personal calling to the Gospel ministry like it was yesterday. As a young fourteen-year-old, the Holy Spirit convicted me to walk the aisle of my church and make a public declaration of the Lord calling me as a pastor. Five years later, as a college freshman, I had a vivid dream reaffirming my calling. The dream focused on Hebrews 3:1-6, reminding me that all earthly ministry is built on the foundation laid by Almighty God through the life, death, burial, and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ. All ministry begins from and remains aligned with this critical starting point. Years later, while fulfilling a military obligation, a church leader asked, "What are you going to do with the rest of your life?" After responding that my long-term goal was to pastor a church, he said, "Don't give God the leftovers." His comment was so riveting that I immediately made plans to leave the military and enroll in seminary. That was almost forty years ago. Looking back on that journey of faith that has taken me from the Colorado Rockies to the streets of Baghdad to the halls of the Pentagon, the calling has remained clear and consistent- take care of people. Today, as a denominational leader responsible for providing pastoral oversight to thousands of our chaplains, I now have the humble opportunity to serve as a pastor to pastors, ensuring they remain passionate, strong, focused, and resilient in the irrevocable calling to ministry on their lives. May all of us called as pastors never become callous, careless, or dispassionate in our important shepherding responsibilities. _________________ Doug Carver |
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