- “You’re going to be a missionary.” I thought I was suppose to go around the world, see many cultures, preach outside the U.S. Instead, God led me to be a church planter here in the States… But God lead me to the most ethnically diverse part of our country. All my training, experience, and education in cross-cultural ministry couldn’t have been more valuable, despite my misunderstanding of what God was leading me toward.
- “You’re going to marry your high school sweetheart.” At the time, I wanted to believe it so badly. When she broke up with me our freshman year of college, I revenge dated like crazy. But God lead her into my life for a specific time and purpose. You see, she had a much higher standard of purity than me at the time. Because of her, I didn’t throw my emotions, or my sexuality, around while dating. In an ironic turn of events, I was able to stand before the woman I now call my wife, completely pure because of her influence and example.
- “Buy a home.” Everyone was buying a home in 2007! And though we were quite young, my wife and I desperately wanted to be home owners. We convinced ourselves that it was what God wanted for us. So we wracked up a quick $140k worth of debt. We then tried to sell it right as the housing bubble burst two years later. We spent the next 4 years making two house payments, begging God to relieve us of this mistake we convinced ourselves to get into. But God turned our mistake into a miracle – He enabled us to sell the house one year before moving to the most expensive housing market in the country. Our rent is now roughly $1,000 more per month than our previous two housing payments combined. God was preparing us to manage our money carefully – and He got us debt-free in the process.
Blessings,
Pastor John