As I was reading over Brad Lomenick’s list of things he’s learned in his 20’s one in particular caught my attention:
If your “career” path doesn’t make sense to anyone except for you, it’s okay.
My career path doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. I’m kind of glad it doesn’t. But, what’s fascinating is that many people who have found themselves in roles of online ministry say the same thing.
Just imagine: Only a few years ago, if someone told you that you’d be using the internet for the purposes of God and that He would supply your needs financially through it, wouldn’t you have laughed at them?
God is so awesome and so darn clever.
[Image from eBerg]
@adamrshields says
Janitor in high school, house manager for concerts and recitals in college, I worked as night security for a drug and alcohol rehab program for a year in grad school. During and shortly after grad school I worked as a demographic researcher for church plants, church statistician for an association of churches, occasional bookkeeper, grant writer and non-profit consultant.
Now I am a nanny. All of the previous experiences didn't really serve to prepare me for my current job, but they all were directed and used by God. What does the future hold? I have absolutely no idea.
human3rror says
neither do i (for both of us.)
😉
Jason Reynolds says
Oh how true is this! While I knew as far back as the year 2000 that Online Ministry was my future, I saw no path forward for it to happen… particularly because hardly any churches were thinking about Online Ministry at the time. In the process I experienced the dot com implosion, two layoffs, family difficulty, and a transition through traditional Church IT to web that I am still in. God is good though, and is working us all toward His end and purpose in all of this. Beautiful how fast we are moving toward a tipping point for His Glory and Gospel spreading. Each of our stories are part of His tapestry!
Justin Wise says
Amen to THAT, my brother. Never in a million years did I think I would find myself so passionate about this strange, new, unbound form of ministry.
Here's to innovation. Here's to the future. Here's to having ears to what the Spirit is saying!
human3rror says
word up.
🙂
Vince says
I can't wait to see where we take this in 5 years….10 years …
human3rror says
seriously.
Jim says
i'm shocked…a year ago i was a sales manager for a company that sells wholesale plumbing supplies to the industrial,mechanical,commercial,residential sectors
klreed189 says
This has been one of the hardest things for over the last year. I am not very patient. I want to know what I will be doing and when. So to sit here and wait is one of the hardest things I have ever done.
But this point is dead on. Trying to imagine what you will be doing in 4 years or how about 1 year is crazy. It is just not possible. I would not have imagined a year ago that I would only teach for one year then be unemployed and ok with it.
I have done a lot of different things, realized that God is preparing me for something, I just do not know what that is yet.
I continue to explore with Him and pray that I remain faithful.
human3rror says
i'm with you brother…!
no idea the plans that God has for us. Stay faithful in the moment!
djchuang says
Good good.. very freeing to read this insight. Now, what if my career path doesn't make sense to anyone else AND it doesn't make sense to me? So, if a career path doesn't make sense to anyone at all, what do I do what that?! 🙂 I can only hope and pray it makes sense to God.
VA says
Good good.. very freeing to read this insight. Now, what if my career path doesn’t make sense to anyone else AND it doesn’t make sense to me? So, if a career path doesn’t make sense to anyone at all, what do I do what that?! 🙂 I can only hope and pray it makes sense to God.
Brian Vasil says
Great post John…
Sometimes what I do doesn't make much sense to others…but to me it's a calling. I love doing ministry online and helping people discover and grow in Christ any way that I can.
Brian Vasil
Daniel_Berman says
Grew up chasing horses and cows, and milking goats. Went to college for a Church development degree, and I am currently working IT in a hardware store with no indication of where I am going next. There is a crazy idea of the global Christian community using the web to communicate on a scale that has never been seen, but its bigger than most people can comprehend including myself.
Okay God that's my understanding of the story, now I am going to shut up now….
Graham Brenna says
Word. I keep changing my job description. I'm about to do it again! I'm realizing that I'm lucky my church allows me to do that!
Mary says
Grew up taking care of other people. God lead me down some winding paths to get me to the point of writing and sharing His story with young people.
DMosley says
I just became the internet campus pastor @chapelhill. Certainly wasn't anything I would have planned or saw coming. Cool stuff though. That's a cool thing about life in the ministry. Its always something new.
Joe Chavez says
This was an awesome post. Encouraging really. I'm not sure what God has planned for me (or my blog) but I firmly believe that it's creation this year was a work of the Holy Spirit. I have a dream that one day I may be able to support my family with it.
In the meantime, I believe has got me in the wilderness to test me and purify me.
Thanks for the post, John.
Mikes says
Amen! Amen! Me too! Me too!
Hope this happens to me too! Praise the Lord for his creativity!