The Call Of God
Stories
Sharing Visions
Divine Revelations, Angels, And Holy Coincidences
I had been struggling with the call to the ordained ministry for several years. I knew God was calling, but I didn't really want to go. After all, I had a wife and two young children to support, I had a great job that I really enjoyed, and I was active in men's ministry at my church. Why couldn't God be happy with what I was doing in ministry as a layperson? Why couldn't he just leave me where I was? It was nice. It was good. It was, well, comfortable.
I felt as though God was really on my back. The weight of knowing he wanted me to enter the ministry, and me not wanting to leave my comfort zone, had become a heavy burden. In the privacy of my car early one morning, as I was making a ninety-minute commute to a nearby city, I was having a conversation with God about all the reasons it was just too difficult (read inconvenient) for me to go to seminary and was proposing other ways I could serve from where I was. But God wasn't buying my excuses. Throughout this discussion, in response to every excuse I made, God just kept saying, "Be a pastor. Go to seminary."
I began to weep uncontrollably as I drove, crying out, "But why me? What's so special about me? Why can't you call someone else who's more available (suggesting the names of some people who I think would be great pastors)?" I really didn't know why I was crying and was hoping other drivers wouldn't notice, but I couldn't stop. Suddenly, through my tears, I heard myself saying, "Thank you for calling me. I will go to seminary. I will trust in you and your plan for me. Show me where to go and I will." It seemed that all of the sudden, somehow, in the midst of my tears, my will was conformed to God's will for me.
A feeling of peace washed over me, which I understood to be God assuring me that all was well, that my fears were unwarranted and that he would provide for my family. I was able to pull myself together, as I arrived at my destination, and put in a full day's work.
Several days later, I was reading a devotional that explained that sometimes, in the presence of the Holy Spirit, a person weeps uncontrollably. I then understood that during that early morning commute, the weeping that I couldn't stop, or explain, occurred because I had experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit in a very real and personal way.
Roy Nelson is an attorney, mediator, and arbitrator. He will enter seminary in 2003 in preparation for the ordained ministry.
Amy Yarnall
O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all of my ways. -- Psalm 139:1-3
I began my earnest search for what I should be doing with my life after graduating from college and beginning to attend Skyline UMC with my husband Ray. I had a degree in International Relations and no idea what I was supposed to be doing in terms of a vocation. My search was rooted in my intuitive, then unnamable, conviction of the truth of Psalm 139. I knew that God searches and knows me completely. I cannot put my finger on an exact moment, but I know that somewhere in 1994, I began to pray. This was the beginning of a nearly three-year time of discernment. At first, I felt foolish as I prayed. I wasn't even certain I believed in God. But still, I prayed for guidance from the God who knows me completely, about what it is that I am to do in life. The thought of ordained ministry had come to my mind as a child in confirmation classes. That thought of ordained ministry didn't recur until I was in this three-year time of discernment. Then, each time it occurred, I would shove it aside and think, "I could never do that; I just wish I could figure out what I should be doing with my life."
I changed jobs once, and continued to be miserable, longing for some insight, some guidance, into how it is that I am supposed to live this life which I have been given. I also continued my journey of faith. My questions that had begun, "How can I believe?" shifted to "How can I not believe?" God was, indeed, working within me, giving me the most precious gift I have ever, and will ever, receive: the gift of faith. Perhaps one of my greatest fears is the thought of once again facing that horrible doubt with which I wrestled. I am comforted that, if and when I come to another desert like that in my life, I will be armed with the spiritual disciplines to survive the desert, like meditating on Psalm 139, and other passages of scripture. (But it is not something to which I would look forward -- not that anyone would!)
I did Bible study and served in the church and in mission outreach, and through this was opened to God's call upon my life. When I was driving home on a Friday night in January of 1997, I was in a driving trance, praying again about what God wanted me to be doing in life. I felt so weary, and I was praying, "Surely this is not what you intend for my life." Then, I had this image of my pastor serving communion at church and what I call a "God-thought" entered my mind. It was, "You need to hurry up and follow your calling while you are young." I snapped out of my trance, and wondered what exactly had just happened. I decided to sleep on it, and then discussed it with my husband and our mutual friend, Susan, who was staying with us for the weekend. They were extremely affirming of the idea of me going into ordained ministry. So, I made an appointment with my pastor and told her about my experience. She was also very affirming and encouraging. As I continued the journey, meeting with the District Committee, applying to seminary, and all of the other steps in the process that year, I still wrestled with doubt. So, my calling has a second part to it. I heard God speaking to me another time, this time through a saint of the Skyline church named Bunky Dankle. I arrived at church for a mid-week Lenten reflection and communion service and saw Bunky sitting alone. Her husband had recently died, so I went and took a seat beside her. We talked and visited for a while and then the worship service began. Throughout the service, I was distracted as I doubted and wondered whether I could really be a pastor. All I remember about the actual worship service is my pastor breaking the bread and holding up the cup. Then, at the end of the service, Bunky turned to me, took my hand into both of hers, and with tears in her eyes, she said, "Thank you for sharing your love."
Kenneth Lyerly
Five years ago, I made a decision to enter the ministry. While on a trip to North Carolina for a family reunion, I visited with my cousin, James. I shared with James that I had made a decision to go into the ministry. He looked at me in an odd way and said, "You are not going to believe what I am going to tell you." He said, "You may not remember that our grandmother Lyerly was known for having visions. When I was eight years old, I went to her and asked her if she had ever had a vision about me. She said, 'No, but I did have a vision about Kenny. In my vision, Kenny was a preacher.' " James said that this whole scene had come back to him, just that morning. I was speechless. I had remembered my grandmother having visions, but had never questioned her. She was the person in my life that read scripture to me when I was very young. She died when I was ten years old. I was 56 years old when I entered the ministry. It took 48 years for her vision to bear fruit.
Doris Miller
Up until a few years ago, I had been successfully ignoring God's call to ministry with lots of "me-rationalizing" and "why would you want me" -- the typical kind of stuff. As it just so happened, a good friend was preparing for her seminary interview and visit. Since the seminary was in my home state, I offered to go along just to keep her company. The time came for her interview and visiting of classes. She gave me the car keys so that I could go to the mall if I got bored, but I decided to spend some time in the library. Things were going well at first. I flitted around the library, feeling excited by everything I saw. I had finally settled down to reading when an insistent nagging began! God began to encourage me to ministry. I was having none of it -- lots of mental arguing going on. The intensity began to increase and I decided that it was time to go the mall!
When I got to the parking lot, I attempted to unlock the car for my excursion to the mall, only to find that I was unable to unlock any of the car doors! A look in the trunk told me that I wasn't going to be able to get into the car that way either. Frustrated beyond belief, I returned to the library. Time seemed not to matter, so I cannot say how long it was, but the urgency to consider ministry became greater, until finally I agreed to consider the idea. It was not long after that concession that my friend finished up and came to find me. And of course, as you might surmise, the car doors all opened with ease.
It took me several days before I could express what had happened to her, my husband, or anyone else. I did eventually agree to more than consideration of ministry! Since then, I have served nine years as a pastor, and have moved on to a new side of my call -- to specialized ministry in Christian education.
I felt as though God was really on my back. The weight of knowing he wanted me to enter the ministry, and me not wanting to leave my comfort zone, had become a heavy burden. In the privacy of my car early one morning, as I was making a ninety-minute commute to a nearby city, I was having a conversation with God about all the reasons it was just too difficult (read inconvenient) for me to go to seminary and was proposing other ways I could serve from where I was. But God wasn't buying my excuses. Throughout this discussion, in response to every excuse I made, God just kept saying, "Be a pastor. Go to seminary."
I began to weep uncontrollably as I drove, crying out, "But why me? What's so special about me? Why can't you call someone else who's more available (suggesting the names of some people who I think would be great pastors)?" I really didn't know why I was crying and was hoping other drivers wouldn't notice, but I couldn't stop. Suddenly, through my tears, I heard myself saying, "Thank you for calling me. I will go to seminary. I will trust in you and your plan for me. Show me where to go and I will." It seemed that all of the sudden, somehow, in the midst of my tears, my will was conformed to God's will for me.
A feeling of peace washed over me, which I understood to be God assuring me that all was well, that my fears were unwarranted and that he would provide for my family. I was able to pull myself together, as I arrived at my destination, and put in a full day's work.
Several days later, I was reading a devotional that explained that sometimes, in the presence of the Holy Spirit, a person weeps uncontrollably. I then understood that during that early morning commute, the weeping that I couldn't stop, or explain, occurred because I had experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit in a very real and personal way.
Roy Nelson is an attorney, mediator, and arbitrator. He will enter seminary in 2003 in preparation for the ordained ministry.
Amy Yarnall
O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all of my ways. -- Psalm 139:1-3
I began my earnest search for what I should be doing with my life after graduating from college and beginning to attend Skyline UMC with my husband Ray. I had a degree in International Relations and no idea what I was supposed to be doing in terms of a vocation. My search was rooted in my intuitive, then unnamable, conviction of the truth of Psalm 139. I knew that God searches and knows me completely. I cannot put my finger on an exact moment, but I know that somewhere in 1994, I began to pray. This was the beginning of a nearly three-year time of discernment. At first, I felt foolish as I prayed. I wasn't even certain I believed in God. But still, I prayed for guidance from the God who knows me completely, about what it is that I am to do in life. The thought of ordained ministry had come to my mind as a child in confirmation classes. That thought of ordained ministry didn't recur until I was in this three-year time of discernment. Then, each time it occurred, I would shove it aside and think, "I could never do that; I just wish I could figure out what I should be doing with my life."
I changed jobs once, and continued to be miserable, longing for some insight, some guidance, into how it is that I am supposed to live this life which I have been given. I also continued my journey of faith. My questions that had begun, "How can I believe?" shifted to "How can I not believe?" God was, indeed, working within me, giving me the most precious gift I have ever, and will ever, receive: the gift of faith. Perhaps one of my greatest fears is the thought of once again facing that horrible doubt with which I wrestled. I am comforted that, if and when I come to another desert like that in my life, I will be armed with the spiritual disciplines to survive the desert, like meditating on Psalm 139, and other passages of scripture. (But it is not something to which I would look forward -- not that anyone would!)
I did Bible study and served in the church and in mission outreach, and through this was opened to God's call upon my life. When I was driving home on a Friday night in January of 1997, I was in a driving trance, praying again about what God wanted me to be doing in life. I felt so weary, and I was praying, "Surely this is not what you intend for my life." Then, I had this image of my pastor serving communion at church and what I call a "God-thought" entered my mind. It was, "You need to hurry up and follow your calling while you are young." I snapped out of my trance, and wondered what exactly had just happened. I decided to sleep on it, and then discussed it with my husband and our mutual friend, Susan, who was staying with us for the weekend. They were extremely affirming of the idea of me going into ordained ministry. So, I made an appointment with my pastor and told her about my experience. She was also very affirming and encouraging. As I continued the journey, meeting with the District Committee, applying to seminary, and all of the other steps in the process that year, I still wrestled with doubt. So, my calling has a second part to it. I heard God speaking to me another time, this time through a saint of the Skyline church named Bunky Dankle. I arrived at church for a mid-week Lenten reflection and communion service and saw Bunky sitting alone. Her husband had recently died, so I went and took a seat beside her. We talked and visited for a while and then the worship service began. Throughout the service, I was distracted as I doubted and wondered whether I could really be a pastor. All I remember about the actual worship service is my pastor breaking the bread and holding up the cup. Then, at the end of the service, Bunky turned to me, took my hand into both of hers, and with tears in her eyes, she said, "Thank you for sharing your love."
Kenneth Lyerly
Five years ago, I made a decision to enter the ministry. While on a trip to North Carolina for a family reunion, I visited with my cousin, James. I shared with James that I had made a decision to go into the ministry. He looked at me in an odd way and said, "You are not going to believe what I am going to tell you." He said, "You may not remember that our grandmother Lyerly was known for having visions. When I was eight years old, I went to her and asked her if she had ever had a vision about me. She said, 'No, but I did have a vision about Kenny. In my vision, Kenny was a preacher.' " James said that this whole scene had come back to him, just that morning. I was speechless. I had remembered my grandmother having visions, but had never questioned her. She was the person in my life that read scripture to me when I was very young. She died when I was ten years old. I was 56 years old when I entered the ministry. It took 48 years for her vision to bear fruit.
Doris Miller
Up until a few years ago, I had been successfully ignoring God's call to ministry with lots of "me-rationalizing" and "why would you want me" -- the typical kind of stuff. As it just so happened, a good friend was preparing for her seminary interview and visit. Since the seminary was in my home state, I offered to go along just to keep her company. The time came for her interview and visiting of classes. She gave me the car keys so that I could go to the mall if I got bored, but I decided to spend some time in the library. Things were going well at first. I flitted around the library, feeling excited by everything I saw. I had finally settled down to reading when an insistent nagging began! God began to encourage me to ministry. I was having none of it -- lots of mental arguing going on. The intensity began to increase and I decided that it was time to go the mall!
When I got to the parking lot, I attempted to unlock the car for my excursion to the mall, only to find that I was unable to unlock any of the car doors! A look in the trunk told me that I wasn't going to be able to get into the car that way either. Frustrated beyond belief, I returned to the library. Time seemed not to matter, so I cannot say how long it was, but the urgency to consider ministry became greater, until finally I agreed to consider the idea. It was not long after that concession that my friend finished up and came to find me. And of course, as you might surmise, the car doors all opened with ease.
It took me several days before I could express what had happened to her, my husband, or anyone else. I did eventually agree to more than consideration of ministry! Since then, I have served nine years as a pastor, and have moved on to a new side of my call -- to specialized ministry in Christian education.
