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April 10, 2008 >> 7:31:57 PM
Tom Grafton's Calling
Calling
One year ago, I sat and had a conversation about calling with a friend who took a route I almost took: leaving seminary at Wilmore and then coming back. That conversation got me thinking about my calling and what calling really means. So, here’s my story as best I can remember it:
One thing has always been painfully clear to me, and that is that I am definitely called to music. I grew up around live music. My dad is a musician. When I started getting serious about music in high school, I took to it like a fish to water. Not only did I learn very quickly, but I loved playing music and performing it for others. Naturally when I hit college, I became involved in leading worship because of my gifts in music. Worship leading has always been my entry point into any ministry, including at my church after I graduated from college. I became a good worship leader, but it was not until 2 or 3 years out of college that I felt called beyond that. This calling came in two stages.
First, I went to a youth leaders’ convention in St. Louis, and there I attended a worship leading seminar (of course!) led by Charlie Hall and a certain J.D. Walt. I remember Rev. Walt talking about the seminary in Kentucky where he worked being a worshiping community. I was really attracted to the way he described this community, so I tucked away Asbury Seminary in the back of my mind.
Later, I had the opportunity to teach a couple of Sunday School classes in which I worked with my pastor to study a few passages in depth. I remember one day when I was sitting in a coffee shop with my Bible and a couple of commentaries open, thinking, "I love this stuff!" I enjoyed opening up the Word of God so much and digging into its meaning that I got really excited. I remember feeling so weird because I was sitting there in the coffee shop with books open, and this excitement was growing up inside of me. I felt like getting up and doing a little jig, but I didn’t. At that point I started looking into Asbury, and a couple of years later I was a student on campus, all excited to be in school again. The first few months were a mixture of being excited about being in a new place and a lot of doubt about whether I was really called to be here. It was a complete life change, and I had a lot of times of homesickness. My doubts rose to the point of almost not coming back my second semester, but I did. Even though I still have a lot of doubts and questions, what I do know is that I love studying God’s word and I hope for more chances to teach people the love and truth of God in a way they can understand.
Tom Grafton, the individual that initiated the collection and compilation of ATS’ student, faculty, staff, and alumni callings, is a second year MABS student from Illinois.
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