I finally answered “yes” to God’s call for me to become a pastor when I was 31 years old. I enrolled in a
college that was founded for the very purpose of teaching men called later in life how to pastor a
Southern Baptist church. Because of that unique purpose I met many people with a variety of life
experiences. One was an OTR truck driver. One was a National Park forest ranger. Another was a pest
control technician and another was a retired Air Force sergeant. We often joked about being “butchers,
bakers, and candlestick makers”.
We did have two things in common, though: one, it was a huge and scary step of faith to follow that
call. Secondly, God worked miracles for us to complete our education. From day one, God’s hand in my
life proved His call and His care.
For instance, when I made the decision to begin attending college, I was the Art Director for the TV
station. I went to my immediate boss, the Production Manager, and told him of my decision to become
a pastor and asked him if I could continue working and work things around my “schooling”. He was a
Christian man and said he would do everything he could. I was relieved and felt good about my
decision. About an hour later, his boss, the Sales Manager (and a staunch Mormon) came to me and
said I had to choose…if I wanted to go to school, I had to resign for the TV station. There would be no
compromise. I gave him my answer and called Angie and told her I had just quit my job. Things were not
so rosy at that point.
Before that day was over, the Sales Manager came back to my office and told me he had changed his
mind and that I could continue working (albeit with certain restrictions to make things a little tougher
for me. One being a pay cut). Do you know why he changed his mind? The four Sales Consultants for the
station (all Christians and very involved in their respective churches) went to him and said if Tony quits,
we all quit! On another occasion, I was riding on bad tires…almost completely bald. When I arrived at
the church we were attending, a deacon met me in the hall and gave me a check. The deacons had
pitched in and wanted to pay for new tires. But here is one of my favorite stories of God’s care. Instead
of driving all the way back to the TV station to get the company car, to save time, I decided to drive my
personal car from the school to a business I was going to photograph for a commercial. It was over fifty
miles away and when I cranked the car to return home from the business, I looked at my gas gauge. It
was setting on empty. Not just close to empty…but flat on empty. And I had no money. So I struck out
for home, driving slowly and praying fervently. I made it. Over 50 miles on an empty gas tank. That was
a miracle.
All the other pastor-called friends at college had the same stories. God enabled them to complete what
He called them to do. Yes, they had to take that first, and scariest, step. But they did and the Lord
rewarded their faith, over and over again. Now…think about what God is calling (or will call) you to do.
Will He reward your faith any less? Absolutely not! What He calls you to do, He will equip you to do.
Have faith and be obedient.
Say good things about your Savior and about His church on the bluff.
Bro. Tony
college that was founded for the very purpose of teaching men called later in life how to pastor a
Southern Baptist church. Because of that unique purpose I met many people with a variety of life
experiences. One was an OTR truck driver. One was a National Park forest ranger. Another was a pest
control technician and another was a retired Air Force sergeant. We often joked about being “butchers,
bakers, and candlestick makers”.
We did have two things in common, though: one, it was a huge and scary step of faith to follow that
call. Secondly, God worked miracles for us to complete our education. From day one, God’s hand in my
life proved His call and His care.
For instance, when I made the decision to begin attending college, I was the Art Director for the TV
station. I went to my immediate boss, the Production Manager, and told him of my decision to become
a pastor and asked him if I could continue working and work things around my “schooling”. He was a
Christian man and said he would do everything he could. I was relieved and felt good about my
decision. About an hour later, his boss, the Sales Manager (and a staunch Mormon) came to me and
said I had to choose…if I wanted to go to school, I had to resign for the TV station. There would be no
compromise. I gave him my answer and called Angie and told her I had just quit my job. Things were not
so rosy at that point.
Before that day was over, the Sales Manager came back to my office and told me he had changed his
mind and that I could continue working (albeit with certain restrictions to make things a little tougher
for me. One being a pay cut). Do you know why he changed his mind? The four Sales Consultants for the
station (all Christians and very involved in their respective churches) went to him and said if Tony quits,
we all quit! On another occasion, I was riding on bad tires…almost completely bald. When I arrived at
the church we were attending, a deacon met me in the hall and gave me a check. The deacons had
pitched in and wanted to pay for new tires. But here is one of my favorite stories of God’s care. Instead
of driving all the way back to the TV station to get the company car, to save time, I decided to drive my
personal car from the school to a business I was going to photograph for a commercial. It was over fifty
miles away and when I cranked the car to return home from the business, I looked at my gas gauge. It
was setting on empty. Not just close to empty…but flat on empty. And I had no money. So I struck out
for home, driving slowly and praying fervently. I made it. Over 50 miles on an empty gas tank. That was
a miracle.
All the other pastor-called friends at college had the same stories. God enabled them to complete what
He called them to do. Yes, they had to take that first, and scariest, step. But they did and the Lord
rewarded their faith, over and over again. Now…think about what God is calling (or will call) you to do.
Will He reward your faith any less? Absolutely not! What He calls you to do, He will equip you to do.
Have faith and be obedient.
Say good things about your Savior and about His church on the bluff.
Bro. Tony