be the Someone.

Recently, I began working on the Youth Alive team – a US Missions orginization. I’ll spare you the details, but if you’d like to know more, click here.

It’s definitely led me to think differently in some areas…one being money. Missionaries live by faith off of monthly support – duh. They have a huge responsibility to be good stewards of the money their supporters are sacrificing for them…but, aren’t we all? Aren’t all to be good stewards of our money, regardless of how it’s raised or where it comes from?

Anyway, that’s not my main point. Just an example of an area that I’ve been thinking differently.

Something I’ve noticed in conversation with people outside of “the ministry” – everyone and their mom knows someone in the ministry.

I was at Waffle House with a good friend the other day, and began talking to my server (Wendy was her name, I believe) a bit about what I do.  US missions to the high schools, and all that good stuff. Her response?
” Oh, yes! I had an uncle that was a youth minister for a loooong time!” She went on to describe her involvement in various ministries as well –  it was a very engaging conversation. (Yet another compelling reason to visit your local Waffle House!)

Here’s what I’ve seen in my short time at bat: Everyone will instantly respond by mentioning someone they know in the ministry. My brother is a pastor, my dad was a worship leader, my brother in law was a church groundskeeper, my mom was the Pope, etc.

Okay, so I’ve never heard that last one. But you get my point. We even see this in John 4, in Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. Her response to His spirituality was:

¹⁹“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. ²⁰Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

Why are these people always referenced by seemingly unsaved people in conversation? Why are there names brought in to the mix? Why is it that it could be someone from long ago, but for some reason it seems so relevant to talk about them?

Could it be that they’re making the impact in their lives? That the brother-in-law is remembered for his good advice he gave that one time. The uncle is remembered for being there at the hospital. The dad is remembered for his spiritual leadership.
(Sure, there are probably people who bring up these names just to sound spiritual to some degree – but for the most part, these are the ones making the impact)

The challenge I get from all this?

To be that someone. To be the person who gets brought up in those random conversations. To be remembered as the connection point to the Kingdom.

Not saying you have to go into “full-time ministry” to make this happen…And not saying you have to be remembered to be “great” or whatever.

But may I be the person remembered for serving Jesus.