My Turn on the Couch

[Nahum]

I first felt the call of God on my life as a young child during a morning prayer session at our Christian school in southern Missouri. I was twelve years old and no one in my family had ever been involved in ministry. I did not know what to do with the desire God had placed in me to preach so at the age of twelve I began teaching home bible studies to my neighbors. I was active in every ministry in the church my parents would allow me to be a part of.

I saw sacrifice at a very young age. My mom and dad had four kids and it was their desire to see each of us attend a Christian school. It was hard for them to make ends meet without the costs of Christian education, but even more so after we enrolled.

I can remember my dad working a 40 hour week for the phone company and then working every odd job he could find to help pay for our paces and tuition. I remember my mom taking a factory job to help put us through the Christian school. She also was a seamstress, earning extra money through long hours of tailoring late at night.

When all of the paychecks were not enough to cover the costs of raising our family and putting us through the Christian school, they would sell things to cover the costs of tuition for the four of us kids. Family heirlooms. Guns, clocks, and the like.

That kind of sacrifice was bred into us kids. We saw it first hand, everyday.
Today, three of my mom and dad's four kids are active in Christian ministry. I pastor, my brother is an assistant pastor, and my sister is married to a Baptist preacher. So I know that the sacrifices my parents made really impacted the world in a positive way.




More to come....