Comments on: Top 10 places to find your ministry

By: bondChristian

bondChristian — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:44:39 +0000

Thanks, Mike. I think we’re all guilty of this. Assuming away any selfishness for a moment, it seems like it’s still the natural reaction to all the blessings we’ve received. We want to give back in a big way.

Like you said, though, it takes a lot of patience and trust in God’s plan to recognize that our success is measured in our obedience to God, not our results for Him. After all, He already has the results under control whether we follow or not.

-Marshall Jones Jr.

By: Mike King

Mike King — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 03:03:09 +0000

Great points here Marshall. I’m certainly guilty of seeking a grand hope or desire to serve over the last few years and I must say that the Lord has challenged me with patience to get over that selfish aspect of my desire and start to see where I can serve the Lord in everything I do instead. I can say that I have learned a lot in this test and patience has been the best thing I’ve learned where I feel much more able to see where I am needed. I’m sure there are many layers to those blinders however so I can open my heart and mind to more discovery as He reveals his plan. Great points and I certainly agree with this from my experience.

By: bondChristian

bondChristian — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 06:52:32 +0000

Wow, you and Sarah both… and probably the rest of us too (definitely me too). “Stepping out of our comfort zone” is so cliche… not because it’s lame, but because we repeat it over and over again without any action to back it up and show how important it really is.

Thanks for uncliche-ifying it with your story, Amanda.

-Marshall Jones Jr.

By: amanda!

amanda! — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 04:03:24 +0000

This is how I ended up in Germany and Poland two years ago, which turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life. Up until the day I signed up for the trip, I had no interest in anything German. I was all about my culture. My pastor didn’t understand why I wanted to go to a country on missions with complete strangers, to a country that spoke a language I did not speak. But I stepped out of my comfort zone and God did amazing things in my life there. I still go back to notes I took while over there and reflect on amazing things God taught me.

By: bondChristian

bondChristian — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:55:49 +0000

Isn’t that the truth! The hardest part about doing anything is the small stuff. At least that’s the way it is for me. It’s like doing accounting work (no offense to any accountants out there) or filling out any forms or sweeping floors. It’s not always difficult in the technical sense, but it’s taxing (no pun intended) because of the tediousness of it.

Which is why I’m such a proponent of encouragement. Encouragement is what we need, the encouragement to follow through with what we already know we should do. Information, the high-level, how-to strategy, is cheap… thank you, Internet. Encouragement, though, is still scarce.

-Marshall Jones Jr.

By: Michael Holmes

Michael Holmes — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:41:09 +0000

This is a nice post!

When you said “get past this trivial slave stuff and dive into the mountain movin” I almost shouted “Preach!” It made me realize that real power isn’t in the “great” stuff but in the “everyday” things.

By: bondChristian

bondChristian — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:37:46 +0000

Amen to that, Sarah. So often we’re looking for some perfect, amazing, grandiose (I like that word) plan. God has that for us, but it’s usually not what we expect.

I like what you said about flying without a net. God wants to totally be our net… 1st and 2rd of the Ten Commandments.

-Marshall Jones Jr.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:42:01 +0000

This is so true! My first week as a missionary I almost quit because I had an incident that left me saying, “Dude, this is NOT what I signed up for. I am so out of here.” Looking back on it I see it was exactly what I signed up for I just didn’t think it though, but God did. I’m glad I finished my commitment, especially when things got tough. You learn so much when God makes you “fly without a net” and you trust it.