May 01, 2008 >> 3:07:32 PM
Teri Lucas' Calling
Each of us are called to be a minister; to live the Christian life and do God’s work in the world. These past few years have been incredible as God reveals his plan of how I am to spend the rest of my life serving him. I have been asked to let go of what I am familiar with and step out into true faith and trust, knowing that God will provide me with everything I need to fulfill what he is asking of me.
As an adult, with children of my own, I always felt that something was missing from my life. I was fearful and anxious most of the time. It seemed that alcohol eased those fears and helped me to cope with life in general. When alcohol began to get the best of me, I went looking for a “cure.” I started to shop around for a church. I would attend one a few times, didn't feel it was right, then go on to another. I also seemed to have this fascination with a beautiful white country church. I would drive down country roads late at night until I came to this church where I would just sit and stare feeling a strong sense of peace come over me.
Over time, I finally had enough of my obsession with alcohol! I got down on my knees and asked God to help me. It was a few days later that I received a "nudge" from God to call Alcoholics Anonymous. I attended my first meeting in 1985 and I have been sober ever since August 30th of that year. I had become spiritually active again. In 1990, after five years of sobriety, my first husband and I divorced. I met Tom, my current husband, and we married in 1992. Tom and I moved to Iowa in 1999 after living in Louisiana for two years.
Another spiritual turning point came in 2001 which was an extremely bad year. Tom was let go from the job that brought us to Iowa. He hoped to sell life insurance for that year but it just didn't work out and we struggled financially. During the latter part of that year, Tom met an assistant pastor for a Pentecostal church and we started a home Bible study. We renewed our baptism together in January of 2002 as confirmation of our commitment to Jesus Christ.
Later I received a new nudge from God to further my education. I enrolled at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) in the Human Services field for an A. S. degree with the intention of being certified as a Chemical Dependency Counselor. I also began the School of Lay Ministry, Class of 2007. I now understand why God directed me to take the classes at DMACC. I had assumed his purpose was for me to complete the A. S. degree when what he really wanted was to assure me that I was capable of being a student after all these years. I was able to maintain a 4.0 grade point average in each of my classes. God was, again, preparing me for what lay ahead.
God continued to reveal his plans to me. I became a member of the United Methodist Church and began the Ministry Inquiry Process which I completed in September 2005, and then started the Candidacy Process. I became a certified candidate in December 2005. It was during this process that I was asked to state in one sentence what I believe God’s call on my life was to be. I still feel strongly that I have been called by God to help bring His broken people into wellness and wholeness through the love of Jesus Christ. As a pastor with an emphasis in pastoral counseling, I believe I will be able to do all that has been asked of me with the leading of the Holy Spirit.
I am so humbled that God brought us to Asbury Theological Seminary in the fall of 2006. My first year was fruitful as I listened to God and discerned more clearly the call he has placed on my life. I have been trained as a Stephen’s Minister for the seminary and was commissioned in the fall of 2007. I am also a member of a prison ministry that provides a worship service every Sunday night at Blackburn Correctional Facility in Lexington.
Tom and I are so grateful to be on this journey together and look forward to our graduation in May of 2009. Everything I have experienced in my life has been in preparation for this time. I am in awe of God’s mighty power and grace and I trust completely that his Holy Spirit will equip me in study and service as I walk the path he has chosen for me!
May 01, 2008 >> 12:49:27 PM
Dear Robbie
Dear Robbie,
I live in the -ville, you know Nicholasville and have to make a long, expensive
commute like 3 whole times a week for class, and I have to drive back
home. It's like a 15 mile roundtrip.With gas prices like they are, and me
owing money to all these different places like I do, do you have any tips for
us commuters? Also, what do you think is the plausibility of having a Zip
line from RJ Corman's Hanger to the Student Center?
Sincerely,
Dear LDT,
You have a few options here:
1) Carpool with other ‘Ville students
2) Bike ride it
3) Drop out of school
4) Discretely jump onto the back of trucks
5) Sleepover in the library instead of drive home
Now, all of these options are obviously awesome. You’re welcome for that. However, none of the options directly associate with Christian theology -- and I’ve notice some readers have not appreciated the absence. So let’s use the Wesleyan Quadrilateral to find out which is doctrinally appropriately for you.
First, what does Scripture have to say about this situation? Hmm, well, there is a reference to fuel: Ezekiel 4:12 suggests using human excrement for fuel. OK, maybe not possible at this moment, but it’s still thoughtful.
Second, how has Christian tradition handled this situation? Well, a horse and buggy are common use in the Amish tradition. I think we might be on to something!
Next, what has been your experience with God in this situation? I have a feeling that your experience with God has something to do with your calling to the seminary. So, we know that option #3 (see above) is not the right choice.
Finally, what is reasonable for this commute? Honestly, I believe that it is most reasonable to choose option #5. Be confident that John Wesley supports this notion because if you look closely at the Wesley statue, he seems to be pointing towards the library – the answer has been clear all along!
--robbie
April 24, 2008 >> 2:40:35 PM
Dear Robbie
Dear Robbie,
I enjoy working out at
the deep end…probably 4 or 5 times a week. Unfortunately, there is a person
there that exercises, well, let’s just say, “very loudly.” It’s very
distracting for me to be near this person and hear their loud “UHHHHHNNN’s!!!”
and “YEEEAAAAHHHH’s!!”. I tried changing my workout schedule but this person
seems to always be there. Also distracting my routine is when this individual
blatantly checks themselves out in the gym mirrors.
How do I approach this
person with my concern? Should I simply ignore this? And how do I hold back
laughing when they admire their reflection? Thanks.
-Gym Rat for Jesus
Dear Rat,
Wow! This concern regarding this particular student has come up a few times now so I better offer my best help (which is never that good). My first priority is to try to understand this person’s motivation for their behavior. Most likely, this person is hoping to display a sense of power and control in their environment (in this case, the Deep End). You feel unable to concentrate on your own routine which means that you are playing into their motivation.
Now- Be Assertive! You cannot simply ignore the situation…
Many mature advice givers would prompt you to approach this person and explain the situation. But this would not be good because loud people like this do not care to listen to your feelings. Instead, take a more creative approach to assertive action. When this person grunts, “UHHHHHNNNNN!!” immediately follow it up with an even louder, “DEEEEEERRRRWWWEEEAARRRR ISSSS SMMMMEELLLLY!!” An alternative to this would be to follow his “YEEEAAAAHHHH!!” with a “BUH-DAH-BUH-DOOOOO!!!” This will immediately disable further outburst.
I wish I could advise you on how
not to laugh when they check themselves out in the mirror. But I also wish I
could live with the Smurfs one day. Some things are simply not possible.
Robbie
April 23, 2008 >> 10:02:49 PM
ATS Comic
April 23, 2008 >> 10:24:08 AM
Erik Rasmussen's Calling
I was a freshmen in college and very young in my walk with God. Everything around me was changing, but it seemed to be for the best. As I saw my desires and wants and hopes grow into God, I realized that I wanted to share this story. I remember going to my mentor’s office and not understanding why everyone did not want to do ministry. It made no sense to me, because I couldn’t imagine doing anything greater. (I am very selfish and can’t usually see beyond my own scope. This is one of those times.) In this experience, I realized I’m probably called to ministry.
As the years went on, I could think of nothing greater than to live like Paul did. Moving from one city to the next declaring God’s beauty, truth, and life. But at the same time, I had an inexplicably immense desire to be married. These two lives couldn’t be melded together (at least in my mind). I struggled for quite some time with whether I was called to live like Paul or to be married and maybe pursue a ministry with more stability. Then one day I was sitting at church and I felt like God showed me that I didn’t have to be a missionary, I could be a pastor here or something else of the like. This was quite strange because I hadn’t even been thinking about it. All of the sudden it just popped into my head. I had release from one calling, and I had a choice I could make.
I’m only just now realizing this, but it seems that at this point, God began to reform my calling. For the last couple of years, I have had a huge burden for the church in the United States. I don’t know how long this has been here, but it feels like forever. I don’t long for other countries anymore, it is strange to me that I ever did want to live like Paul.
Only this morning I read a question that asked this, “What would you attempt to do if you knew that you could not fail?” There was no doubt or hesitation. I would make a retreat center for pastors in the UM church to come and stay and be renewed for and encouraged to claim a deeper life for themselves and their congregation. A reminder that we were never called to play church, but instead to be the church.
Is this my calling? Maybe, J.
Erik Rasmussen is a first year Master’s of Divinity student at ATS from Louisiana.
April 18, 2008 >> 6:50:16 PM
Archived Comics and Dear Robbie columns!
Do you like reading the Dear Robbie columns and comics in This Week at Asbury? Now they are archived all the way back to 2007 on the blog under the categories section on the right hand column of the page. Check them out!
April 17, 2008 >> 1:36:26 PM
ATS Comic
