Wait! Is That a Ministry?!

What is a ministry? Is it standing in front of a big crowd proclaiming Christ? Is it something that helps out a bunch of people and gains traction by the numbers of people it helps? Or is it simply being Christ like and doing something good for people in the ever discouraging time we live? It’s all of that!

​My opinion is that in today’s churches, church members simply do not get involved because the word “ministry” scares them. Why? Well, because it used to scare me as well! (If you would like to read more about that, check out my first blog.) However, I found that ministry can easily be taking things/hobbies that you love to do and using them for Christ. Whether it is food service, technology repair, sound & lighting production, web administration, drag racing, the list is almost endless! The main thing is, you can’t be scared. Don’t let your ministry opportunity scare you into not taking action. God can give you the courage to fulfill the potential he already knows you have! Think about it.

For example, I think it is well known now that I am one of Peace Haven’s many tech geeks. For many years I built custom computers and performed repairs at literally no cost to “customers” except the purchase of parts. I never one time thought of that as a ministry, it was just something I done on the side while working a full-time job. However; like most things, that era of my life faded away as awesome things like marriage and a family came into the picture. It was only until recently I started realizing I could use this talent as a ministry in my local church. Do you know how much the average computer repair costs? 

 If you have a hard drive or motherboard failure just as a couple of examples: By the time a computer shop or retailer looks at your computer,  diagnoses it, replaces parts, and “optimizes” your system (basically installing the operating system and drivers) you are in turn looking at a total repair cost of close to $300-$600! So what does the retailer tell you? They will try to talk to into buying a new computer. If your computer is 5 or 6 years old, I understand that…maybe. However, if you have a computer that is newer than that…what is a person to do? Especially in the economic times we see today. I am no rich (monetarily) man and my family has struggles like everyone else. The questions I just asked above concerning technology repair were same questions I asked myself and it was around that time that God basically told me, you can do something about this. You can make a difference in the lives of people in your church doing what you love! That is when I decided it was time to start up my hobby again and help people out, all by using the same mindset I had many years ago. Resolve computer problems, with no labor cost whatsoever! I know what some of you might be thinking…are you crazy!? Won’t that take time away from your family?! Well, no I’m not crazy (at least I don’t think) and actually is hasn’t taken time from my family but instead it has been one of the most rewarding and enjoyable times of my life! It has given me opportunity to answer my kid’s questions about the repairs I am making and also has led to one of the best times I had with my son as we sat down together and completely tore apart a computer and I watched him put it back together with little help from me. (Don’t worry, it was one of my own computers.)

I guess I said all of that to say this, think of things to love to do. Are there ways to use what you love to do as a ministry? If you truly contemplate this, I promise you may be very surprised (and scared at first.) But don’t be scared! You may miss out on an enjoyable moment in your life and most importantly a great opportunity to make a difference in the life of people in the name of Christ! I know that my blogs are not deeply spiritual and don’t dig deep into the Bible. However, my desire is to see individuals using their talents in exciting new ways. Talents and ways that just 5 or 10 years ago would have been never heard of or seen as untraditional. Step up to the plate, you may just drive one out of the park!
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God Bless!