1.2.1 Why Is Calling Important?

[Gerry]

In your life, where have you seen community impact or transformation through your faith?

The community that I’ve seen impacted as of late is my own family. To gain a greater understanding, I encourage the reader to view my profile page. Yet for brevity’s sake, I’ll continue.

Any parent of teens, I’m sure are fully aware of the peaks and valleys of raising them, never mind within the context of a mental health diagnosis (PTSD). There wass without a doubt a strange dichotomy that took place within, and often faith is the one that takes a beating. This was made manifest within the lives of my children as they watched me become more and more emotionally distant as a result of reliving the horrors of my time in Afghanistan as an Army medic. Slowly but surely, these horrors began to take over my sense of identity and as this invader continued to take over my sense of self, the results were less than optimal. Yet with all this churning in the foreground, God was and continues to be working in the background to bring about His purposes. For me, this started from a friend’s simple Facebook post. In it, they quoted from Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.” Perfect peace was not a term I would’ve used at that time to describe my state of mind, but it was very appealing, so began my search for God in the midst of trauma. In this quest, that has taken years to come about and which continues to be formed within, God was challenging my perceived sense of identity as a wounded warrior and a victim of that conflict overseas. It hasn’t always been easy, but as God in His passionate love continued to break down my self-built walls of self, He began to show me that only He has the right to define who I am, for HE has made me in His image, not my circumstances. Steadily my identity became more fashioned from His intentions for me. One of the capstones that God used to solidify His reality within me was in a certificate program I recently completed in Biblical Ministry with the International House of Prayer University. All of these individual courses challenged my erroneous views of self and God, but the one that perhaps had the greatest impact upon me was the subject of “The Song of Solomon.” As our instructor, Dave Sliker began to unfold the mysteries contained within this often misunderstood book, I found myself at the crossroads of belief. Although only slightly understood before, as Dave unpacked these truths found within of the co-relation between the Sulmanite and the Shepherd King being that of our own lives and God’s passionate pursuit of us. Finally, I acknowledged that He is right and although I may call myself dark, He says that I’m lovely. This as well as many other ways too numerous to mention, God has established Himself within me. What was continuing to be troubling was watching my children continue to make poor choices because of their own erroneous concept of self. My wife and I were crying out to Him to heal them, and one day I asked Him why I was being healed and yet they weren’t. His answer was simple but profound, that day He told me that it will be out of the overflow of what He is doing within my wife and myself that His healing will come to our children. This word has since been confirmed by numerous other intercessors, but most importantly, we’re witnessing this transformation of our kids take place before our eyes. God continues to bring deep healing in the relationships of our kids with us and in particular me. Where once my kids didn’t want anything to do with me, they regularly seek me out for no other reason than to be together. My wife and I are now once again able to discuss the things of God with them and even my oldest daughter who turned to Wicca as her own faith just in the last few days has said that she wants to give God another chance in her life as a result of a conversation we had together. Praise Jesus.

So has this affected community within the context of the current subject, perhaps not. But I am more than confident that these six precious children who have witnessed firsthand the miraculous power of His restoration, they in turn will continue to receive their own restoration and become an unstoppable force for there is nothing that God can’t redeem.

[Maria]

My church is definitely a family to me and have shown it since 2010. They have taught me how to pray, worship, and use my gifts to praise god. None of what they have shown me would be possible without the love of god. I would not be here without them praying and helping me listen to god on my next steps in life.

[ECO]

That’s beautiful Maria. Did you know that the early Christians rarely use the word for “friend”? Rather, the New Testament and other early church writings, almost always use familial (family) language (“Brother”, “Sister”, “Father”, etc.).

[Bradley]

In your life, where have you seen community impact or transformation through your faith?

Recently I’ve had non believers ask me to pray for sick friends and family members. I also lead a friend back to Christ a month ago who left his faith about 20 years ago. Now his fiance is born again thru prayer. All Praise to God.

[ECO]

Bradley, that’s awesome! It is amazing how God works in our lives when we journey with people over a lifetime. What a great story about your friend and their fiance.