The How

Hello and welcome back to Celebration Baptist Church's Live Boldly Podcast.

I'm Jessica, and Pastor Tommy is joining me again today as we continue to talk about his story.

Pastor Tommy, what is it like to serve God and trust that He will make ends meet?

Well, we kind of talked about yesterday a little bit how I ended up in Waterloo, Iowa.

Yeah.

And so if you want to know what it's like to trust, just step out of your comfort zone where you don't know where you're going to live, you don't even know where your food's going to come from, and you don't know a single person where you're going.

So my first experience, kind of full-time missions for those couple years I served, I didn't have a choice.

I had to trust God.

You know what?

He's taking care of me this long, he's not going to let me down.

It's going to be okay.

And so taking that leap of faith was something I think that changed my life forever.

And so honestly, to this day, I don't really have to worry that my God's going to take care of me or meet my needs because he's proven that over and over again.

Yeah.

So you mentioned in your devotion today that the church that you were working at at that time had a very small attendance.

And sometimes that can be disheartening.

It feels like we're not doing enough.

So how did you stay encouraged that you were serving and fulfilling God's call in your life at that time and at that place?

So Waterloo, Iowa, my first assignment.

So I was going to spend the next three years of my life.

I didn't know this at the time, but the first five months we're going to be in Iowa.

So I wound up with this church, and literally my first Sunday there, there were five people.

Wow.

Now I'd came out of a church working in college, two of them, there were about 2,000 each.

Wow.

Now I knew there were small churches, but this is not even a small church.

This is a few people in a room.

So my first Sunday, here's what we had.

We had the pastor, his name was Kurt, he's preaching.

I ended up being the worship leader with about 12 other job descriptions as well.

They made a lady playing piano.

So if there were five people, Jessica, how many is that leaving the audience?

I was like, wait a second, we're already up to two.

There's two people left.

It was David and Carolyn Newcomb, a couple that were in their 60s, and they were the only ones there my first Sunday at this church.

Wow.

And we went through the entire church service.

And so, you know, I we sang three or four songs.

The pastor preached for 30 minutes, and we even had an offering.

And yes, the guy, David, got up, came and got the offering plate, walked back to his wife, handed her the offering plate, she put an envelope in it and came back up while the other person, the piano player, is playing the offertory.

I honestly felt like I was being filmed in the Twilight Zone.

It was the strangest thing I've ever experienced when it comes to church life.

That was my first Sunday.

But you know, during that five months, you know, things started to happen, people started to show up.

And when one my last Sunday there, we had 26 people.

Wow.

Now you think that 26 people is not a lot, but when you run seven, eight, nine, ten people for a few weeks and you have 26, it feels like a million.

Yeah.

We almost packed that church out.

So I've never really worried about, you know, how many are in the room, how many coming.

My wife and I have a motto in ministry: just love the ones you got.

You know, so whoever shows up, you're gonna give them everything you got to minister to them.

That's awesome, Pastor Tommy.

So what do you think are some things that hold people back from serving?

And how can we overcome those things?

Well, I think sometimes people think, you know, they kind of worry whether needs be met, especially if you have a family, you know, to go to the mission field or even take a trip, it's gonna cost financially.

And I get it, those are real struggles.

But at the same time, I just feel like if God has called us to go do this, he's also gonna provide for the how.

So for my how for these three years of my life and mission work, you know, honestly, I didn't have to worry about where I was gonna stay or sleep or what I was gonna eat.

This particular church in Iowa, no one was able to keep me, and they actually put a bed in the church.

And I lived in the church for five months.

No way.

I lived and slept in a Sunday school room.

They literally put a little twin bed in there, and that's where I lived.

No shower, no nothing.

They had a baptistry.

Now I never used a baptistry, to be honest with you.

I got me a YMCA gym membership, and that's where I would go and take my showers.

But you know, also just food in general.

You think about I'd never cook my own meals.

You know, so people bring me groceries.

A kid across the street actually taught me to cook macaroni and cheese.

His name was Adam.

And speaking of Adam, Adam would be the first guy I get to baptize at this church.

Wow.

So, you know, I when you think about how God's gonna provide and take care of you and the how and overcoming those things, for me that's part of the journey.

I mean, that's part of the joy of seeing how God's gonna do some amazing things through ways you just never dreamed of, that he's gonna more than meet your needs.

Yeah, that's all awesome.

Pastor Tommy, thank you for joining us today.

To everyone listening, if you want to hear the third installment of Pastor Tommy's story, please join us again tomorrow.

And don't forget to follow Celebration Baptist Church on Instagram and Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

That way you can keep up with everything that's happening in our celebration family, including our Live Boldly sermon series.

Pastor Tommy, would you pray for us today?

I will.

Let's go ahead and pray together.

Father, we thank you, Lord, that when you ask us and you call us to go and serve or take on a new position and maybe a new opportunity in our life, that God, you're also gonna provide the how.

And uh, Lord, that you're gonna more than meet our needs to not just do the job, but to do it well and to learn through it.

So I'm thankful in my life, Lord, for the years I've spent on the mission field and living in different places.

Uh Father, that you show me day after day that you're gonna be faithful.

Even when we're not, you are faithful to us.

So I pray for anybody listening, God, that you're asking them, Lord, maybe to take a position to serve or to lead or to step up and maybe take a trip or even maybe go full-time missions.

Lord, that you also help them understand that if you've called us, then you're gonna provide the how.

You're gonna make a way, God, even when we can't see it.

I know that because you've done it in my life and so many others.

So, Father, I just pray for people to be faithful, to answer that call, and Lord, trust you that you're gonna take care of us.

So thank you, Father, for which in the name we pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you so much, Pastor Tommy.

Be sure to tune in again tomorrow to hear the end of his story.

We'll see you then.