Drew's Testimony

Chaplain Porter called me at my office on Wednesday, and asked me to give a testimony in Chapel today. I may have rolled my eyes and thought "oh jeeze", what the heck am I supposed to talk about." But, after briefly stressing about it, the phone rang and I was able to stress about work stuff again, so I filed the thought away until it cropped up after planning craziness.

The truth of the matter is, my testimony, is all about how I have come to realize that God is constantly at work in all aspects of my life. I have not always been aware of this fact. For most of my life, I have lived not so blissfully unaware that His hands are always directing, molding, pushing, pulling, nudging, poking, and occasionally smacking me upside the head.

Growing up as a PK (preacher's kid), growing up deeply engrained in the church as part of the "church family" I think it was all too easy to take for granted. Because it was a part of my life, I didn't truly appreciate what it was I was constantly being exposed to. The Sermon, the Word, Jesus, God, Sunday School, Church, Wednesday Night Suppers, Session Meetings, The Church Office, the Narthex, the Fellowship Hall, the Organ, Choir Practice, Bell Choir, Youth Group. Well, I began to understand quite quickly that the World, outside the setting of Trinity Presbyterian Church, was quite different.

It probably wasn't until I was in college (when I actually started caring), that I looked back and was shocked and amazed I had actually made it through high school. My family never had any doubts that I was capable of "getting it", but as I began to notice more and more God's guiding influence on my life, certain parts of my path began to show themselves way more clearly, and it became an exciting path to follow, one that ultimately led me to where I am today.

Quickly I realized it’s not about "me" by any means. I began to become aware of the fact that I was being presented with opportunity after opportunity to SERVE.

The year 2000, God smacked me upside the head by sending me to work for a week in Honduras.

2006, this was kind of a pivotal year, as I was sent to Mississippi twice for hurricane relief, Honduras again, Graduated from College. Also pivotal in that I was not given an open door to pursue a full time opportunity to do mission work in Honduras, even though I was sure that’s what I wanted to do. Instead, I was given the opportunity to meditate on my future for nearly six months after turning down a firm Job offer prior to graduation and instead having to work full time finding a job after graduation.

I had another opportunity thrown at me... I went after it 100%. I moved to DC because I knew I'd get the Job. It was something "I" wanted. I still didn't get it. Instead I got something close, but not quite exactly what I wanted. I was encouraged to apply for this Job working for the Army. It was close to what I was looking for, but it wasn't about me. This is a recurring theme I've come to discover.

Being selected to come here to Italy was another one of these “I want something, pursue 100%, but not quite get exactly what I'm looking for” kind of deals. Believe it or not, I wanted to go to either the Pentagon, or Korea... I was encouraged to ask for other things. Rotterdam was the first choice. People eventually talked my ear off about Italy enough that I started to pay attention, and changed my wish list at the last minute to make Livorno my number one... and I got it. Did I realize then it was a God thing? Nope.

There was a three-month assignment at McChord AFB, WA before I came to Italy in which I took a hiatus from attending church. Instead of churching it every week in an unfamiliar place, I literally felt the mountains all around calling to me every day when I first got there. I spent my weekends last summer communing with nature and had a lot of great alone time to meditate and focus on the next huge change in my life approaching way too fast, my move here to Italy. I got served with a huge slice of clarity out of that experience.

About half way through my McChord AFB assignment I again flew down to Honduras to Join my Florida church family on a week of awesome manual labor building a church in this Isolated mountain village. This trip just further solidified that continued call to serve. It really worried me that I'd get to Italy later that year and not have an outlet for that. Still not quite getting it…

But no sooner do I get on the plane and make my across the ocean do I feel this overwhelming sense of peace. This same peace that I feel whenever I work 100% for Him. It was this moment of clarity that instantly stopped my freaking out with a crystal clear voice saying, "No worries, everything is under control.”

So I was worried I wouldn't find an outlet, and my first weekend here I get roped into being a volunteer for the Club Beyond Middle School Fall Retreat. And that led to the amazing service project in Romania, and this confirming that no matter where I end up, OPPORTUNITIES present themselves. No worries!

So I know that He is totally in control! I know that He has this amazing plan for me.

I pray every day that in everything I do, may I do it to further His kingdom. If it doesn't, I probably shouldn't be doing it, and I let that happen way more than I should.

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you what path to take."

I know that his plan for me, and what I want don't always match up. And when I try to pursue something 100% that isn't part of His plan, it has a tendency to crash and burn.

1 John 3:20 "If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything"

I know that there have been some crazy times in my life, but the GOOD crazy, craziness that glorifies him, in a ministry or mission sense, can be HUGE. Every time I go on a work project or service project/mission trip, craziness is part of normal operations. In my Job, craziness is a daily occurrence! This can be an OPPORTUNITY, and I stumbled on this amazing verse that instantly brought clarity to that...

2 Corinthians 5:13 "If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. Either way, Christ's love controls us…”

So the current craziness that I'm feeling right now, about what next for me, isn't really freaking me out all that much. Stressing isn't going to change what God has planned for my life. Camp Darby has been probably the most amazing experience of my life thus far, and I really don't want it to end. But as I approach the end of my time here, I know that God has some amazing adventures planned for me wherever it is I may end up next. Pieces fall into place really fast I've come to find, and I am able to rest assured that no matter what happens, or has happened in my life thus far, weather or not I was always aware of it. He’s totally in control and knows everything.

And to sum up.... because I was having a really hard time up until I had to slam on the brakes at the 5-minute traffic light I was trying to beat. I picked up my bible sitting on the seat next to me, and it fell open to my most recent favorite psalm (Psalm 73, a really good one to read if you are freaking out by the way)... and on the note of being God's Ambassadors I read verse 28

"But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do".

Then just now, as Chaplain Porter delivered the message to us, Romans 8:38-39, in regards to our worries and the future, I can rest assured because...

“…I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow - not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below - indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

And that is my testimony for today.