I am sitting on my couch with a sleeping cat draped over my abdomen, while reflecting on how significant this new Women’s Sunday School class is to me. After three weeks, we now have twenty women. God is filling this class with women who want to grow in their relationship to God, and I can’t thank Him enough! This teaching ministry erased months of feeling frustrated, under-utilized, and unsettled. After twenty months of applying “go until you hear no”, I knew May 15th would decide whether I would remain at Riverbend or move on. With twenty women now enrolled for my Sunday School Class, it’s clear that it is God’s will for me to stay where I am.
My journey to find where God wanted me to teach turned out to be deeper than “Where does God want me to serve Him with my teaching gift? Here, or down the street?” I felt frustrated because Austin didn’t feel like home to me until three weeks ago, and I’ve been here twenty months. When I’m not teaching, life doesn’t feel normal for me. Serving God through a teaching ministry has always been the centerpiece of my life. Leading a weekly bible study isn’t just another commitment on my schedule. Teaching Scripture is where I find my purpose in God’s kingdom. How do I know this?
My life choices, commitments, and how I manage time are organized around my teaching ministry and always have been. Most people look forward to Fridays and the weekend, but the pinnacle of my week is Sunday morning. When I get home from work, I begin working on the next week’s lesson. That is not work to me. That is FUN. I am a regular student of those who communicate God’s Word effectively. I have books on my shelf to help me improve how I teach. I am always looking for a class or two sharpen my skills. I pray that teaching will never be a burden, but always a joy and a passion. I pray that the Lord will show me ways that I can improve as a teacher. I pray that what I teach makes an eternal difference for everyone in my small groups. I pray that He is glorified in my life. It is my deepest desire to be faithful to use the gifts God has given me and to hear him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”(Matt 25:21)
I bet I’m not alone. Who doesn’t want to make a difference in the lives of others? Don’t we all want to know that our life counts? God created all of us with a purpose in mind. He wants to fulfill our need to make a difference. We are not on Earth to take up space for awhile. Eph 2:10 says, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” He not only designed the blueprint of who we are (Psalm 139:13-16), but He has also predetermined the good works He wants us to do for Him before we were ever born! We exist for Him. So if you’re asking, “Why am I here?”, then know that the divine answer is simpler than you think! If you “peel the onion”, you will find at the very core that you and I were created for a relationship with God through Christ Jesus. It starts with your heart. Do you desire to know God? He is not hard to find. He tells us in Acts 17:24-28 that He created us so that we would seek Him. In fact, we are told that those who reach out to Him will discover that “He is not far from each one of us.” He gives us His promise in Proverbs 8:17(b), “Those who seek me find me.” Embrace the love relationship He offers you. He will be faithful and show you what He has ordained for you. God wants to do extraordinary things through ordinary people like you and me.
My heart overflows with gratitude to God when He answers prayer. He knows that I find my life purpose in teaching His Word. I also want to thank everyone who prayed for this new ministry. Thank you to those who called, texted, and emailed me to hear how the first class went. God is going to do some special things in this class as we grow. I am going to ask that you continue to pray for this new ministry and that I would always seek the leadership of the Holy Spirit to guide and direct my preparations and my teachings week by week. It is a blessing to be in God’s family and know that I am supported in prayer. Please keep them coming!
Life is good, but all the sweeter when I am in the bullseye center of His will. I now feel connected in Austin. I’m home now.
Blessings,
Lee Ann
Hey Lee Ann,
Wow, what a testimony! It’s wonderful to see you walk out your faith and do the work that the Lord has called you too! “Go until you hear no” is now a commonly used phrase in our home…thanks to you! I’m so glad to know your class is going well and that you now feel at home here! We’re praying for you!! Keep writing, keep teaching and keep serving God! You are blessed and you are a blessing! Love you! Laurie
P.S. You need to come for my latest chocolate cake recipe…it was amazing. Much better than the one I made when you were here! haha!
Hi, Laurie:
Thank you so much for your affirmation. You are such a blessing to me as well, and I so appreciate your friendship! I will look forward to being a taste-tester of chocolate cakes the next time you’re in the kitchen! You and Chas have such a wonderful gift of hospitality. Be blessed and know that I am still praying for you and Chas as you seek His direction for your own journey with Christ. Love, Lee Ann
Shari Mennig commented on your link.
Shari wrote: “yay! Glad to hear an update on the class and praise God for answered prayer.”
Thanks, Shari. I hope to see you in a week. I so appreciate your steadfastness in praying for this ministry and being willing to walk along beside me in this journey! Blessings, Lee Ann
Lee Ann,
So excited that the class is growing and doing well! I have heard all good things from some of the women. Will continue to pray for you, your teaching and this new community group of women. I will be dropping in from time to time.
So very glad you feel you are home!
Thanks so much, Sandy! I am so excited about what God is up to and to know that I get to partner with Him in this ministry is a thrill. It’s amazing how all of the other pieces of my life start to feel more in place once this centerpiece of teaching materialized. Thanks so much for supporting my call to teach! Have a great rest of the week. Blessings, Lee Ann
Tracy Wilson Miller commented on your link.
Tracy wrote: “So glad to hear that you’ve found a place to serve! Praying that God continues to bless your teaching ministry.”
Thank you, Tracy! I covet all prayers that any believer is willing to send my way. May God continue to richly bless you and yours, Lee Ann
Jonathan Wenger wrote: I liked your post. I share your feelings and rejoice with you that the door to this ministry has finally opened. It is truly a gift from God when we discover that thing, or those things, for which we were made!
Praise the Lord!
Tinka Patton wrote:
I love the class and I’m so glad you are the teacher.
Interesting how you felt a calling to teach the class. I had a calling to join the class. God’s Will!
Yes, Melodie. It is very interesting to watch when God is at work. I think He is amazing, and I look forward to how He will develop it. I love having you be a part of this new class. I look forward to getting to know you! Blessings, Lee Ann
Murlene Johnston wrote:
Couldn’t find where to comment, but this is especially for YOU, so this is better, anyway. I want to congratulate you on finding a place to serve on the
Riverbend Campus through teaching. I had no idea of your background, nor did I understand that your parents lived here – I had pictured you alone in Austin, as a newcomer, even. Boy, was I wrong!
I had pictured you connected with spiritual music, because of the effect it had on you in the one “story” you read/sang at Scribe. I knew you were spirit-filled, from the tears. I could never witness to anyone about anything without crying, but I believe that now the Holy Spirit has tempered me so that I can. I witnessed Sunday before last in my S.S. class about God’s working in my life, & I was able to do
it with a joyous, inspirational testimony! I have been seeking a place of service myself; have not been as intense as you – I use the excuse that I have served my time in the years past, for I was always in the big middle of Church life in north TX while raising my 4 children. But my big quest is why do we not have the power in our own lives like the disciples did & that we, as disciples, were promised? The people in other classes that are so focused on “sin” (just like the Israelites were on being so afraid of not keeping the letter of the LAW), that they do not realize that they are justified through Jesus. HELP!
Cheers,
Murlene
Hi, Murlene:
Thanks so much for your kind words! I was motivated to move back to Austin to take care of aging parents, so they were the catalyst in moving this direction. I am knee-deep in assisting Dad with his finances that need to be simplified. He has been wonderful to work with and is letting me help him, which is a blessing in itself.
I totally resonate with the question of why aren’t we exuding the power of the Holy Spirit like the disciples/apostles? I actually blogged on this entitled, “The Shack and Its Impact”. It frustrates me no end that we seem to have such little faith. I think we have such a low to non-existent anticipation that God still wants to do “greater things than they” as the Bible tells us. I am glad to know that I have a sister in Christ who shares this with me. Maybe we should go have coffee and just process how to be bold for Christ and start risking more with Him.
I have learned in my journey at Riverbend that you have to keep asking to be involved as a teacher. There have been many who have come before me who have asked to teach, but they were never given the opportunity. I don’t think they knew what to do with me and my seminary training, but I knew in my heart that life is too short to be waiting around when other churches desire trained folk like me. I am thrilled now to be able to call Riverbend “home”, and I look forward to building long-term relationships with committed believers like you, who has a wonderful sense humor to boot!!
I will pray for you to find your place of ministry at Riverbend. (I loved your “big middle” word picture of your involvement in church while raising 4 kids.) Let’s do lunch or coffee sometime. I would love to get to know you. (By the way, the “Comments” link is between the title and the first line of the blog.)
Blessings,
Lee Ann
Lee Ann, I liked your blog and it renewed my desire to get back into teaching. Years ago at another church I taught an adult Sunday School class. During the week I would study and write for 30-45 minutes first thing in the morning. On Saturday I spent 1-2 hours finishing the lesson. I have an appointment with Dr. Haney later this month and I will bring up the topic of teaching. I had been thinking about teaching, and here comes your blog.
Thanks and blessings,
Art Mosely
Hi, Art:
I am so glad you enjoyed my post. I believe God will honor your desire to use the gift of teaching at Riverbend. You obviously took the responsibility very seriously, and I already know that whoever you teach will be well fed! I will pray that Dr. Haney will lead you well to move in that direction. If you will let me know what day you’re meeting with him, I will pray for you!
I hope to see you again at SCRIBE. I have been out of town alot, but hope to be back on June 25th.
Blessings,
Lee Ann
——————————-
Lee Ann, I will meet with him June 29 at 2:00’ I appreciate your prayer support.
Blessings,
Art
——————————-
I have you on my calendar! I will look forward to hearing how it went.
Blessings,
Lee Ann
Pam Turner commented on your note “6.1.11 I’m Home Now”.
Pam wrote: “it sounds like God has taken you on an incredible journey. Sometimes the scariest place to be is also the safest …in the middle of God’s will. I hope that you will continue to feel his peace and I look forward to hearing updates on how it is going.”
It’s been an amazing journey of being seminary-trained, 12 yrs of church staff work, to becoming a financial planner and using my gifts in the church as a lay leader – for now. My heart is always with the church, and I could give you numerous testimonies on how His peace has led me to major decisions in my life. Thanks so much for taking an interest in my blog, and I hope to share more as I go on this wonderful journey with the Lord. I hope you’re doing well! Blessings, Lee Ann
Linda Dill wrote:
Reading this blog made me so happy as I knew your new women’s class would be a great success!!! I am just sorry that you are not at Austin Baptist Church!!! Linda
————————–
You are so sweet, Linda! God is so good!! It will be fun to watch how He develops this class.
Blessings,
Lee Ann
Bev Lanier wrote:
Lee Ann,
My comment is that I’m so happy that I get your blog directly through email and all I have to do is click and read. I love what you write and I’m always inspired by your messages. You are such a great person and I’m so blessed to know you personally.
Welcome to Texas! Tell your mother hello and let’s play golf again!
Bev
Lee Ann,
I am so happy for you that you have found your fulfillment in teaching the women in Austin! I know what it feels like to yearn to be used how you know you can be used. My conundrum is that this is my desire, but I am a mother now to one little girl who needs my attention. I often feel I am the extraordinary person God has called to do an ordinary thing. Now, I know she is not ordinary and motherhood in itself is a wonderful thing. But I do not feel as you do in your situation that this is exactly my calling and I was made to do this. I try to be the best mother I can, but I often want to do other things that I feel I am called to like mission work and visitation. I can’t do all these things because I am responsible to my husband and to my daughter and I feel suffocated by those things. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m struggling with how to be responsible to what God has blessed me with and still be able to do what I feel fulfilled in? And is that something that God wants us to do at all times? (Find something we feel fulfilled in)
Thanks for your blogs,
Alaina
Conundrums are no fun, Alaina! Here is the shift in thinking I would offer, and I credit my latest read of Tangible Kingdoms, by Hugh Halter and Matthew Smay, to help me with this shift. Instead of viewing the things you feel God has gifted you to do as an “additional commitment” on the calendar, do your visitation/missions work WITH your family, so you’re not taking time away from them. I can just see you and your sweet daughter going together to visit folks in their home. Or I can see you, Jeff and your daughter doing a mission trip as a family.
Halter suggests that to be a bridge builder, we need to include people we’re desiring to reach in the things we’re already doing! He calls the people we’re trying to bring along as “sojourners”. He emphasizes that they need to feel accepted and feel a sense of belonging, and that we are being an incarnational community by including them, going to where they are, and ultimately creating curiosity for them. For example, I spend 4.5 hours on a golf course once a week. Why not be intentional to include someone in my foursome? I also don’t skip meals. Instead of eating alone, why not make sure I include people I’d like to get to know for lunch or dinner? You could just set out an extra place setting or two!
Alaina, you are one of the dear extraordinary treasures in God’s kingdom that I feel blessed to know, and I know you’re doing extraordinary things because of Christ in you for an extraordinary daughter and husband! Motherhood/parenting is a high calling, and if there is anything that I could see as a challenge, it would be finding alone time with God without all of the “interruptions” of a child who needs you. In the meantime, I will pray that God shows you how He can use you in this chapter of life around your areas of giftedness.
I don’t have all the answers, and I hope the ideas above don’t sound like “pat answers”. I am just hoping God can use these thoughts to help you think outside the box. I would love to hear back from you when you’ve had a chance to process this.
Blessings,
Lee Ann
Lee Ann,
That has been my desire all along to bring Jeff and Reyne with me, but I’ve tried to get Jeff to do missions trips with me and he doesn’t really want to. I know if I could find the right kind of trip, like a basketball camp for kids or soccer camp he would be more inclined. Well, that at least will get me searching for something like that. Thanks for letting me process–I find what it takes so often is “talking” outloud with someone.
As for bringing Reyne with me, since she has CF she’s a lot more succeptible to sicknesses than other people and I know Jeff wouldn’t let me take her to a nursing home or even to someone’s house we don’t know who live in a not so good part of town. To me it’s trusting God, to Jeff it’s craziness:)
I don’t like blaming everything on Jeff, but I don’t know how to explain things otherwise. I feel like I’m putting him down all the time, but he really is a wonderful father and I always hear how he’s such a good therapist too.
Blessing in your walk/run for Jesus:)
Alaina
God has answered all the prayers for your new ministry with enthusiasm! In the form of your twenty eager learners! I predict you will, as you say, love this sweet connection
Thanks, Liz! How I fit in Austin now feels right and normal to me. Please keep praying for God to use me in an impactful way to help these women grow in their walk with Christ. Love you, Lee Ann
Hey Lee Ann,
It has been such a privilege to pray for the study and your desire to fulfill Eph 2:10 (one of my most encouraging verses, btw A real motivator on days I just can’t seem to find the desire) Truly, it has been a privilege to go before the throne of our God on your behalf. I rejoice w/you in having found a place to call ‘home’. Knowing God created us for relationships and service unto his glory, it’s no wonder our hearts soar when we experience those opportunities w/Him. I am SO glad that you now know 20 more children of the living God!! I love meeting w/God’s family and sharing life. Tis so sweet! I trust God will deepen the relationships as He deepens your knowledge of Him through the group study.
May you always find your joy in serving the King of Kings Lee Ann, may you always find your joy in Him! Unto Him who is worthy of all glory and praise may the honor be directed!
ALIVE because of his grace,
and blessings to you abundant,
Lyrinda
Hi, Lyrinda:
Your prayers on my behalf are coveted! It is a now a joy and privilege to know 20 new women and to still have the honor of building our small group in Hutchinson. I resonate with “our hearts soar” as this class came into being. I see His signature all over it! I know I can’t live on cloud 9 forever, but I am going to enjoy it while I can.
Blessings,
Lee Ann
Rian Harkins commented on your link.
Rian wrote: “Very cool!!!! I will keep praying for you regarding this new opportunity to teach/grow/serve/learn.”
Wish I lived in Austin so I could go to your Sunday School class. For me summers are so short when I go to Mozambique and this is a stay home summer–longer, hotter.
When will you be in the Arlington area?
Blessing,
Mary Foutz
Hi, Mary:
I am writing from Kansas. I am not sure if I am driving back Friday or Saturday of next week. It depends on my client schedule for Friday as to whether I stay the night and head back to TX on Saturday or not. It will most likely be Saturday, and Arlington is 6 hours from the time I leave after having breakfast with a friend. Let me know if Saturday at least is an option for you.
Blessings,
Lee Ann