A Blessed Life (13)
I admire people who have a sense of direction for their lives. They seem to be clearly focused on their goals. During my teenage years I vacillated between being an auctioneer, radio announcer, or a forest ranger. I loved public speaking; I composed sermons, but never seriously saw myself as a pastor.
Looking back I can see how God used many different events and experiences to prepare me for the plan He had for my life. Several of those things occurred during my teen years while attending Mt. Carmel Christian Church. Our minister during several of those years was a young Bible college student. Brother Bob White was energetic and very enthusiastic. There was a fairly large group of young people for a small country church. Brother Bob was not reluctant to put us young folks right in the midst of church life. One lesson I remember well. It taught me that you can be put on the spot, pretty much fail, and still survive. It was a sunny Sunday morning. There was always a brief assembly before Sunday school which involved a welcome, opening prayer, and a song. On this particular Sunday, Brother Bob asked me to do the opening. I must have been fourteen at the time; a time when teenagers are especially self-conscious. I told my minister that I could do the welcome and the prayer, but I could not lead a song. He assured me that all I had to do was announce the page number, and when the piano player played the introduction, he would be leading from the back of the sanctuary. I announced the number, the piano player played the intro, and Brother Bob was busy greeting folks at the back door. I stood frozen in the pulpit, feeling foolish and wishing I could collapse into the baptistery beneath the platform.
From that experience I learned that you don’t have to be an expert in order to begin serving. It also served to remind me that, from time to time, I need a healthy helping of humility.
– Terry A. Morrison