Never Say Never

We leave Brazil later this afternoon and I'm ready to get back to my family and to church (I'm really missing the Youth... which is so weird to hear myself say since youth wasn't even a passion 3 months ago. It's amazing how God can ignite something in you that you never realized was there, huh?). Anyway, we're going to be leaving to go look at the property again in about an hour. We're going to take a closer look at the structural integrity of the houses and map out places for new buildings. This will help us to plan for future ministry here in Brazil. The one thing this trip has shown me is that God truly is in control and that if we allow Him to, he will give us opportunities to expand His Kingdom if we're willing. And His plans don't always jive with what we're thinking sometimes. It's crazy. When we first came to Brazil a year and a half ago to adopt our children (which MJ and I always said we didn't want anymore kids, now we have 8), I hated Brazil and couldn't wait to get home. Then we returned for a mission trip a year later and I fell in love with this country and it's people. I really feel called to do ministry here whereas a year and a half ago I couldn't stand this place! But God changed my heart. Actually I guess you could say that I listened to His voice and aligned myself with His activity. Let me give you another example of how His plans don't always jive with ours... I've been on staff at our church for almost 8 years now. I had been an Associate Pastor and loved my job. Couldn't see myself doing anything different. I was seeing people's lives impacted, I was comfortable and didn't want to change what I was doing. Then the Lord spoke to my Pastor and told him that MJ and I were to be the new Youth Pastors. When he told me I thought he had lost his mind. I would have never wanted to even volunteer in the Youth much less have that be my position. I would have rather worked full time in the Nursery... well, maybe that's going too far... anyway, I never desired youth ministry. EVER. Actually teenagers always got on my nerves! I'm serious. But I submitted to my Pastor because I trust him and I believe that he heard from God and look what God has done! I have passion and a vision for the youth that can't be explained. It's something that I can see myself doing for a very long time now. And this wasn't even a blip on the radar 3 months ago. The reason I said all of that is this: Never say never. By doing that you are selling yourself short of what God could be planning for you and your family. He wants to take us out of our comfortable places and put us in a position that we have to trust Him to get by or we crash and burn. Because there's no way the Dunn's can do ministry in Brazil without Jesus. And there's no way MJ and I can be effective Youth Pastors without Jesus. We need Him and His ability every day or we can't make it. Sure we could have just stayed doing what we were doing and not reached out to Brazil or we could have refused the youth position (actually pastor would have fired me, just kidding...lol!) but that would have been the easy road. And denying myself and taking up my cross to follow Jesus isn't always easy. But the best way is His way. That's the way where we'll reach the most people for the Kingdom of God. So don't sell yourself short by saying "never." Allow God to direct your ministry and your path.

Love Ya, Jim