For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. - Jeremiah 29:11
The Lord definitely has plans for us, and sometimes, when we trust in those plans, things work out in amazing ways. When I was a kid, I was a church nerd. I was baptized as an infant at Faith Lutheran Church in Oxford (OH), was confirmed in that congregation, and eventually met and married my wife, Megan, there. My childhood pastor, John Mittermaier, saw my excitement for church and plugged me into worship life at an early age. He encouraged me to read the Bible passages in worship as an adolescent, I cantored the liturgy, and I sung in the choir. I was sure that one day I wanted to be pastor. The Lord had put a calling into my heart, but the plan to get that point was a long and winding.
In high school I got into theatre and found a creative outlet that allowed me to express myself in ways I never before imagined. I decided to pursue a degree in theatrical performance, but after a year of classes, I realized I didn’t want to travel to New York to try to “make it big.” I began working as a camp director at Camp Luther, a family camp on Lake Erie, and immediately loved the job. I ended up working there for ten years before I burned out and wanted a job closer to my family. I thought that working in the non-profit sector as a training specialist would be my new career and that I could eventually work my way up the corporate ladder in order to provide for my family. This is where that mysterious, winding road took a sharp turn left!
After a year of working in the non-profit realm, I still wasn’t happy with my vocation. I dreaded getting up and going to work each day. It was at a “Web It Up Wednesday” event at Lord of Life where Pastor Lowell looked at my defeated face and asked, “have you ever thought about going to seminary?” I had thought about it. A lot! Ever since I was a little church nerd. But I never thought that God could use a broken guy like me, who barely knew the Bible, worked in nightclubs and bars as a DJ, and definitely had no interest in learning Hebrew or Greek. That word of encouragement that the Holy Spirit spoke to me through Lowell was the water that opened up the seed within my heart. The seed of a vocational call to ordained ministry that was planted in me at a very young age.
We are all called to live out our vocation in faith, knowing that God has a plan for our welfare and provides a future of hope (Jer. 29:11), even if we can’t see it immediately before us. Listen to the call deep in your heart, find what brings you joy, and do it for the glory of God. Along the way, don’t underestimate how God might be using you to plant seeds of encouragement, worth, and love in the hearts of those around you.
Excited for our journey,
Corey Wagonfield
Pastoral Intern