You don't know what's next!

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might..." Eccl 9:10 NIV

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men..." Col 3:23 NIV

Right out of Bible College, I founded and pastored a church. I was there for seven years. Then in 1984, I started my "grand adventure".

My young wife, Erica, and I moved to Atlanta, GA where we expected to be working for a missions ministry. Unfortunately, that didn't work out but proved to be the carrot before this donkey to get us to Atlanta where we assisted a local church in their move into the Charismatic Renewal.

However, I also worked at a health club where, believe it or not, I was certified as an aerobics instructor. Erica and I also received our first certifications as scuba divers - "Openwater Divers". Why you may ask? Keep reading!

We returned to Pittsburgh, PA, our home town, for a short time. While there, we pursed the scuba diving obtaining both "Advanced Openwater" and "Rescue Diver" certifications. During this time, I continued to teach aerobics while we helped a local church recover from some devastating happenings and get back on their feet.

There was a classified ad in the back of a scuba magazine looking for couples to work on cruise ships. Just for a laugh, we applied and went off to a summer camp. When we returned, we found a letter from this agency saying that they were interested in having us come and work for them establishing fitness and snorkeling programs on board passenger ships. We were qualified because of our aerobic and scuba certifications.

Without drawing it out, we spent 3 1/2 years working on cruise ships, taking a total of 77 voyages, for a combined total of more than 300,000 miles. While on board, I was the unofficial chaplain. I held two to three services per week plus had the freedom do special services for Easter and Christmas. We had an Easter Sunrise Service on the top deck of the ship as she was pulling into Montego Bay, Jamaica with the sun just breaking over the mountains. Incredible! The Lord gave us opportunities to share with the cruise staff and passengers and lead some of them to the Lord!

While on board, I also would fill in as the DJ from time to time. After leaving the ships, my experience as a DJ got me a job as a mobile disc jockey back in Pittsburgh, which qualified me for a job with Studebakers, an oldies club, which open the door for me to be accepted by a talent agency out of Nashville which was opening up new clubs in hotels called Coco Loco. Why would an ordained minister take a job as a night club disc jockey? Do you think that were Jesus here with us like He was with the disciples that He would be spending His time taking in meetings at churches or would He be where "many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples?" Matt 9:10-11 NIV

These folks worked until 2 or 3 in the morning. They could not get up and go to church on Sunday morning. How else where they to be reached? We were there. We shared. Sometimes we planted. Sometimes we watered and sometimes we reaped a harvest!

Anyhow, the agency for whom I worked wanted to start a new club in Memphis, TN and sent me there to assess the situation and give the hotel management a sample of what our style of entertainment was like. Eventually the hotel agreed to the concept and would sign with this agency but only if I was part of the package.

Erica and I prayed about it and even though, when Memphis was first mentioned, we had to look on a map to know where it was, we felt this was God so we moved. I was the head DJ and Erica was employed as the Promotions Director. While trying to find a church to attend one morning, we both discovered Christ the Rock. After attending CTR for just few months and still working at the hotel, the pastor asked us to lunch with his wife. While at lunch, he asked me to step in as the Single Adults Pastor, a position for which I was uniquely trained as a result of three years of working in the singles' scene in night clubs.

Beginning to see a pattern here? Pastor, aerobics instructor, scuba diver, cruise ship, DJ, single adults pastor!

But the story continues. All through this time, I continued to practice my Spanish - Costa Rica, Panama, Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guatemala. The Latino population in Memphis grew from 25,000 to more than 100,000 in just 5 years. So after finishing my time with the single adults, I spearheaded an outreach to the Latino community in Memphis.

We felt led of the Lord to leave Memphis for Myrtle Beach, SC in 2000. There I ended up working for a masonry contractor who was Mexican and who had about 80 Latinos working for him. I became the liaison between the mason crews and the contractors. While doing that, we started a bilingual home church. Needless to say, my Spanish greatly improved.

Two years ago, we answered the call to move to Mexico where we are today.

I always did what was in front of me by the grace of God. Whether it was carpentry, plumbing, computers, ministry, masonry, diving, aerobics or learning Spanish. If I had not applied myself to the opportunities that the Father gave me, if I had set my mind that "I am called to the ministry, I can't do that!" then I would never have arrived at the place I am.

Our journey is exactly that - a journey! You do not know what is next but you know what is in front of you. This you can do with your whole heart, as unto the Lord! Because you don't know what's next. What would have happened if I didn't apply myself as the health club director - no certifications, no cruise ships, no night clubs, no planting , no watering, no harvest!

You have to understand that I was as confused and bewildered at times as were my family and friends. Can you imagine the stigma of having a relative or friend who had pastored a thriving work now spinning records in a club - and he wasn't even backslidden? But we pressed on because we knew what we were to be doing now and we didn't know what was next.

If we hadn't gone to Memphis, we would never have adopted our beautiful children. Erica would not have had the chance to prove herself and exemplify the character of God in the market place. We can't fathom what would of happened but we do know what did happen. As we pursed God, He proved Himself faithful to lead and guide. We did not do it all perfectly. Sometimes we wrestled with Him over His will, but we always gave in.

You don't know what's next. But there are opportunities right in front of you that are being ignored because "that can't possibly be God!" Get over it! It probably is!

More on discovering the will of God at a later time. But for now, you cannot steer a parked car. If you are in a quandary over the will of the Father, starting doing something and stop sitting around contemplating your navel or counting ceiling tiles during your prayer time. As one fellow put "I'd rather be doing something for God, even if it's making mistakes!" God can forgive and correct our mistakes!

But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. James 2:18 NIV

We are saved by grace but we must "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling..."Phil 2:12 NIV

As one popular clothing company put it - "Just do it!"

If you would like to read more of the story of our journey, leave your email address in the comments and I will forward you a copy of our first newsletter which goes into greater detail!