My Life from A Small Town Girl to a Big City Servant of God
“A charge to keep I have, a God to glorify; a never dying soul to save and fit it for the sky. To serve the present age, my calling to fulfill: O may it all my powers engage, to do my Master’s will!” These poignant words of Charles Wesley encapsulate my calling and my mission to serve God’s people. It has been my hope that I am and have been in His perfect will. When I look back over the years, I have served in many capacities: as a dietician in the hospital, food manager in a school, teacher in the classroom, and a counselor, preacher, and a pastor for over thirty years. For me, the role of Pastor has been the highest calling of them all. In my mind it seems almost a miracle, from my humble beginnings, to become this servant of God. However, I am cognizant that there are a host of others who have done so much more with even less.
I did not know what God had in store for me. I only knew that there was a yearning deep within that would not be satisfied until I said “Yes!” Saying yes did not mean smooth sailing. There were many hurdles to overcome and many sacrifices to be made. And oh, so much prayer and more prayer. I am nearing the end of my tenure, others coming after me will be able to do so much more with less sacrifice but will still need prayer and more prayer.
It is my hope that this book will be an inspiration to many. It is my desire that the younger generation will understand my journey, the sacrifices I had to make to be where I am today and benefit from my experiences. In my time, we had to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps, when we had no straps. There were very few options and even fewer opportunities. But the younger generation has straps and if they trust God and serve God, they can go higher than my generation ever dreamed of going. To the older generation, it is my hope that this book will inspire you to know that you can blow off the dust from the dreams you once had. It is not too late. Spread your wings for there is still time to fly.