Growing up I always wanted to teach and make music. Those were the main things that I considered when thinking of a career. As a songwriter I always wished to express my music as a career. And I always wanted to teach others things as well. So I figured, I'd be a choir director. It's still something I consider and will most likely study in college. But now, God has given me my calling.
Towards the end of my freshmen year of high school I started to consider youth ministry. I was lucky to have an amazing youth pastor when I first started at youth group and he seemed to have an impact on me. I wanted to teach the way he taught me. But it wasn't a career I ever gave much thought to.
Sophomore year I began to think about it more, but still it didn't seem like something I would actually consider doing with my life. Now it's all I can see myself really doing.
One night I was watching a teen Christian program and it really stuck out to me. I pulled out a notebook to take notes and such, next thing I know I was looking through Scripture trying to match things to verses. I remember looking down at all the pages of "notes" I had taken and thought "Did I just write a sermon?" And, I did.
After that I started to consider youth ministry more, but it still wasn't a true desire of mine. God made it a desire.
There was a day that the same phrase kept running through my mind, "Upon this rock I build my church." I had never read or heard this before somehow. All day I couldn't shake the phrase, it kept repeating it's self in my brain. I couldn't figure it out, it just kept playing on a constant loop. I asked one of my youth leaders about it and she told me it was a sign and was God's way of telling me youth ministry was the right choice. I was stunned, had God been actually speaking to/through me? I was so amazed.
Of course, I looked up the Scripture where "upon this rock...." came from as soon as I got home from youth group that night. I found that it was Jesus saying it to his disciple Peter. (Matthew 16:18) Peter has always been my "favorite" of the 12 disciples because of his passion and the way he loved Jesus. The fact that Peter denied Jesus seemed to always make me think, because Jesus still loved Peter so deeply. I didn't get why God was saying "upon this rock I build My church" to me out of all people. I was not to ever be compared to Peter! I was nothing close to Peter. I AM nothing close to Peter. I still don't fully understand what God was saying. But it isn't what He said, it's that He said it. And it changed my life.
That's how He called me to me a youth pastor. To this day I still have that drive to lead kids my age. I want to be able to lead them in worship and teach them of Christ and God's relentless love for us. Without my youth group, I don't know where I would be today. I don't think I would be the same girl that is writing this though. I want to give others the chance I got. Sometimes a teen may not be reached if not for youth group. I see that in where I go. I just want to lead and teach and sing of God's great love.
God finally gave me a calling, and I couldn't be happier with it.
Towards the end of my freshmen year of high school I started to consider youth ministry. I was lucky to have an amazing youth pastor when I first started at youth group and he seemed to have an impact on me. I wanted to teach the way he taught me. But it wasn't a career I ever gave much thought to.
Sophomore year I began to think about it more, but still it didn't seem like something I would actually consider doing with my life. Now it's all I can see myself really doing.
One night I was watching a teen Christian program and it really stuck out to me. I pulled out a notebook to take notes and such, next thing I know I was looking through Scripture trying to match things to verses. I remember looking down at all the pages of "notes" I had taken and thought "Did I just write a sermon?" And, I did.
After that I started to consider youth ministry more, but it still wasn't a true desire of mine. God made it a desire.
There was a day that the same phrase kept running through my mind, "Upon this rock I build my church." I had never read or heard this before somehow. All day I couldn't shake the phrase, it kept repeating it's self in my brain. I couldn't figure it out, it just kept playing on a constant loop. I asked one of my youth leaders about it and she told me it was a sign and was God's way of telling me youth ministry was the right choice. I was stunned, had God been actually speaking to/through me? I was so amazed.
Of course, I looked up the Scripture where "upon this rock...." came from as soon as I got home from youth group that night. I found that it was Jesus saying it to his disciple Peter. (Matthew 16:18) Peter has always been my "favorite" of the 12 disciples because of his passion and the way he loved Jesus. The fact that Peter denied Jesus seemed to always make me think, because Jesus still loved Peter so deeply. I didn't get why God was saying "upon this rock I build My church" to me out of all people. I was not to ever be compared to Peter! I was nothing close to Peter. I AM nothing close to Peter. I still don't fully understand what God was saying. But it isn't what He said, it's that He said it. And it changed my life.
That's how He called me to me a youth pastor. To this day I still have that drive to lead kids my age. I want to be able to lead them in worship and teach them of Christ and God's relentless love for us. Without my youth group, I don't know where I would be today. I don't think I would be the same girl that is writing this though. I want to give others the chance I got. Sometimes a teen may not be reached if not for youth group. I see that in where I go. I just want to lead and teach and sing of God's great love.
God finally gave me a calling, and I couldn't be happier with it.
