Wednesday, November 28, 2012

From Joy to Joy


From Joy to Joy
by
Bob TenHaken
as told to Emily King


“Why am I here?” 

The question nagged and confused me as it would anyone who knew me at the time. I loved teaching! I enjoyed the challenges and opportunities in teaching 8th grade math. But for the first time in my 13-year career, I felt out of place in my own classroom. I had a strange feeling of being unprepared and ill-equipped to handle classes for the year.  

Previously at a retreat, my wife, Shirley and I separately felt led to offer our availability to do whatever God wanted. That evening, we invited our pastor and his wife to our small-group meeting.  However, no one else showed up. The pastor seized the opportunity to ask: “Bob, have you ever considered full time Christian work?” Shirley and I sat stunned. We related our experience at the retreat.