The Call

Hello, welcome back to Celebration Baptist Church's Live Boldly podcast.

I'm Jessica, and with me today is Pastor Tommy.

Pastor Tommy is our family pastor here at Celebration, and today we are talking about being called to serve.

So when most people graduate college, they get a job, get married, something like that.

But not you, Pastor Tommy.

Tell us a little bit about what your life looked like when you graduated college.

Well, absolutely.

Hey Jessica, it's good to be here with you today.

So, you know, when I was in college, just like most people, a lot of people your age, they're getting married, they're figuring out what they're gonna do next.

And I already knew I was gonna go in full-time ministry.

So I was going just to a state college, uh, went to Central State University, and back in the day in Edmund, Oklahoma.

But junior senior year, every summer I was taking mission trips.

So we'd take the whole summer and go work at a camp or something like that.

But when I graduated, I knew that I wanted to do something different, and so I just it was a good opportunity.

So I signed up to what was then called the Home Mission Board.

Now it's called NAM or the North American Mission Board.

And once I found out that you're kidding me, right?

Wait a minute, you're gonna pay me and go work somewhere in another state?

I was like, sign me up today.

So I grew up in Oklahoma where I grew up, I had literally never left the state until I was like 16 years old.

I was 20 miles from the border of Kansas.

Wow.

And it was a youth group field trip.

We just went to get some candy just to say we got out of the state.

So I was looking forward to, you know, not just serving, but also traveling, going to places I'd only heard about, and I was very, very ready to go.

That's exciting.

So how did missions impact your relationship with God and with other people?

Well, I'd worked with several churches up to this point.

So I'd been a student intern, uh, did music games, rec, stuff like that for a couple large churches there in Edmund where I was living during college.

Uh missions came when our youth groups, we'd take mission trips.

Matter of fact, we'd go to Florida, we'd go to Panama City.

We came there a few times.

But I just knew when we took the trips to get out of your comfort zone, this is where some growth was happening for me.

And so I thought, you know, I would like to sign up for an extended period of time.

So at that time, our North American Mission Board back then, the HMB, had something called U.S.

Tours.

And you could sign up for a year or two years.

And I said, you know what, that sounds great.

And so, not just answering the call to serve, but really knowing that I knew these years were gonna help impact and lay the foundation for my whatever's next in my life.

Yeah.

So you mentioned in your devotional today in the Live Boldly magazine that you wound up in Waterloo, Iowa.

So, how did you trust God as you embarked on this new adventure in a different state?

Well, let's see here.

You know, when I graduated, I already knew I was going, but with the when you signed up the mission board, basically they had a list of cities and places and descriptions of what you could do.

Work with children, work with churches, student ministry, all kinds of things.

So basically, what I did was pick three or four, my top three or four, send in my application, and Waterloo, Iowa was not even on my list.

I was originally supposed to go to Boston.

That was what I'd been assigned to.

I thought I was going to Boston.

But what I described in the devotional, I remember this day setting in the BSU.

Back then it was called the Baptist Student Union, campus ministry.

And because we didn't have phones in our dorm or ones that we could give out phone numbers to, so that's where we had to go for everything.

But I'm sitting there this day when I got the phone call saying, Hey, we think we've got the perfect place for you.

It's in Waterloo, Iowa.

And I said, Why not?

Let's go.

There you go.

So today's verse is Acts 1.8, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

How has this verse impacted you and your worldview?

Yeah, I think growing up in a small town, not traveling a lot, you know, that was my Jerusalem where I lived and knew, I couldn't wait to go to Judea.

And so for me, I've always tried to have a global mindset, you know, that we're called to minister where we're at, but yet I do think we have a responsibility that as we go, whether that be next state over or cross the big pond to another country, you know, I think we need to all have that mindset that, hey, I'm put on this earth to really be a missionary, and whether God keeps me in one town for my entire life or I get the opportunity to travel, I've always tried to view, kind of like Paul would view, that I'm just on the go.

Yeah.

And so whether I'm living here or there, my life is I want to be a global missionary.

And I I like to travel.

I want to travel and I want to see new things, but I think it's an opportunity to say, you know what, this verse is for all of us.

We're all supposed to be about taking the gospel around the world.

Mm-hmm.

So, what would you say to encourage someone who, I don't know, maybe they're on the fence about answering God's call in their life?

Well, I don't know what people are waiting on because you know, if you feel like there is a call and God's called you, then that's really all you need.

It's not like you have to feel like I'm ready, because you're never gonna be ready.

Right.

Or you wait to a certain point of your life and say, okay, I'm married, my kids are grown, or whatever it may be, to me, it's like, no, it's right now.

The time to go is now.

And, you know, whether you have family or no family, that's gonna be part of that call.

And so for me, I want to encourage everyone, man, if you're getting a call to go and not just take a trip to missions, but just to be a missionary right where you're at, why wait?

You know, we get one shot at this life, and I want to make the most of it.

So I feel like we all should view ourselves as missionaries and answer that call to wherever that may be.

Yes.

Pastor Tommy, thank you for joining us today.

To all of our listeners, if you want to hear more of his story, 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 all of our current sermon series, including Live Boldly and anything else that's happening in the Celebration Baptist Church family.

Pastor Tommy, would you pray for us today?

Absolutely.

Let's pray together.

Father, we thank you for just the opportunity to serve you.

I pray for everyone who calls himself a believer in Christ, or this is part of our call that now as we go, so whether that be our hometown, whether that be the next date over, or even, you know, to another country, I pray, Lord, that we are faithful to answer the call just to be your disciple, to be your missionary.

And so I'm thankful for the events and trips and the places I've got to go, and I know that's changed my life.

And it's kind of laid the groundwork for the rest of my life.

And that's what I want to pray for others today.

Lord, if they haven't taken that first step, that they will answer the call to say yes, whether that be again local or in Judea, around the world.

I pray they will answer that call and see how you want to work and change in their life.

And Lord, lead us all to be mission-minded and do our best is to spread the gospel wherever you take us.

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

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you, Pastor Tommy.

Be sure to tune in again tomorrow to hear more of Pastor Tommy's story.

We'll see you then.