Is it possible to work in a Casino, is it possible to work in sales, in management; is it possible to escape the shadow of notions and uninformed expectations and still play full out on God's team?
Time will tell, I suppose. But if it is, I'm hoping I'm off to a good start. A late start, perhaps, but a good one, I hope.
Much of my career has taken place in a time of self-reliance, self-delusion and goals of material goods and professional status. I'm not saying I've never been "that guy", I'm not even saying I'm embarrassed about it, I'm just saying that if I was still "that guy" after all I've learned, I'd have reason to be ashamed.
I've put my trust in men and set my sights on cars and money, never had enough of one or the other. But this isn't a confession, unless it's a confession of faith.
None of us can make it alone; not for very long. We all have to rely on others. Our friends and family and mentors can only take us so far, being human and flawed, as everyone is.
I put my trust in God. Sights on heaven, feet on the planet, head screwed on straight and a wife and kids to keep it that way, and one foot in front of the other every day, I put my trust in God. I take direction from the Holy Spirit (though he sometimes has to use extraordinary measures to get my attention) and I often ask Jesus for a hand.
Is it possible to be a man of faith surrounded by people who find all this God stuff quaint and amusing, who patiently tolerate me and then only because I'm mostly tolerable and not too preachy (even when I preach)?
If one has patience, a habit of regular prayer and with God's help, yes. I suppose it is.
Deacon Jeremy
November 2011
