Hello, my name is Eric Messelt, and this is part of my story…
"Stewardship" has become an old-fashioned term. In most churches that still use the word, it means how-much-are-you-going-to-put-in-the-offering-plate; how much will you give to your local church? However, I've come to understand that stewardship is a much broader idea than just money issues. Some have used the phrase, “Time, treasures, and talents.” God gives us all sorts of blessingsthat He wants us to recognize are from Him.
Stewardship also means the responsibility to manage well all the blessings that God gives you. Yet, it is true that we have to start with the basic lessons before we can move on to the more advanced things that God would like us to know. The first lesson we have to learn about stewardship is usually with our money.
I’ve had some interesting lessons in Stewardship. The first lessons were about money and provision. In the last couple of years, I’ve been learning some lessons about the stewardship of my very life for God.
Let me first talk about some of the money lessons. Backin ’97, Pastor Rob was preaching about tithing - again. ****************** So this time I decided I'd take up the challenge and upped the percentage of my giving. Scripture promised blessing if I were more 'generous' in my giving. So I looked for how God was going to bless me.
And it happened! God acted directly on my financial situation! How did God bless my personal economics? Well, I got laid off.
So now I had no job and started to think through "life boat" scenarios that would avoid us having to live in the shadow of a freeway overpass. But it wasn’t long that I was offered a job as a contractor-consultant. What I lost was the security and stability of permanent employment, but suddenly, I got a raise! When I realized what had happened – that God had actually blessed me economically by getting me laid off so I could get this higher paying job, I was amazed! I actually briefly considered upping my percentage AGAIN. But, frankly, I was scared! I didn't know if I could handle another step up in blessing!
But God was not finished teaching me about stewardship. My career life was no longer stable, or even rational. During the dot-com bust, there were layoffs where I was working. As a contractor, I should have been the most vulnerable. But while employees and other contractors got laid off all around me, I was spared. For a couple of years, I had the feeling of having a giant bull's eye on my chest with a flashing neon sign saying, "Fire Me Next."
During those perilous times, peopletold me that I needed to protect myself by upgrading my skills. But that would mean taking night or weekend classes. I didn't have the time because of my commute to OrangeCounty. I also had these other people in my house, one was about my size but the others were smaller.
At the same time, I was becoming even more involved with ministry at this church. I felt God was using me at the church and that it would be a loss if I stepped back. So I had a choice. Either I sacrificed both my ministry and my family to take classes to maybe improve my career marketability, or I stay the course and trust that God would take care of me. It was one of those learn-a-lesson times. I distinctly heard from God: do My work and I'll provide. I reflected on the fact that God had always provided for me in the past. I had no reasons to believe that God would not continue to be faithful.
When my project completed, I was out of a job.And it was for longer than I'd ever been unemployed before. However, I resolved to make this a productive time. I took time for reflection and self-evaluation. I wanted to hear from God about where He might be leading me.
This was a good time! Previously, I hadn't sensed any consistent direction in my life experiences. But now I began to see God's hand in my life and where He might be leading me. I was wondering if some of the events of the last couple of years were God giving me a new "calling" on my life. While I am competent in my field of information systems, it has never been the passion of my life. I began to hear from God through study, reflection, and counsel that in this, the second half of my life, I should look for significance, not merely success.
God was leading beyond the stewardship and trust issues of mere money, but also of my very life. This “time out” led me to consider what my real passion was. I could think of no other passion but the local church. It is the health and strength of the church - the Bride of Christ and the hope of the world - that has always fired me up. Looking back, I’ve had some specific experiences and training that allow me to help churches - especially those in trouble. It was shadowy, but it seemed that God was directing me into some consulting role - potentially into full time ministry. I resolved that I would begin a process to discover, confirm, and then implement whatever calling God would show me.
In the meantime, the employment thing was still an issue. It was now four months later and my composure was rattled. There were still no job bites and money was running out. In mid-January, I did another re-work of my resume'. This time - really out of desperation - I included some old skills. This stuff is all done on the Internet these days, you know.The next day I got a call from a headhunter for a short-term contract to use one of those skills! The up side was that I had a job; the down-side was that it was in Olympia, Washington. ***************
Just weeks before we would be out of money, God provided the means. It has been said before that, "God is seldom early, but never late." Wow - did I see the truth of that statement!
A job's a job so I packed up and left town. Initially, it seemed like a big adventure. Those first few nights in Olympia in early February werecold. I didn't even want to run the heater because I was trying to save money! This was no longer an adventure - I was cold, lonely, and a little hungry. Work was OK; it was just a job.
I wanted to find a church right away. I looked in the phone book, went there, and knew that this was The Place: my home-away-from-home church. I became friends with the pastor there. His name is Keith. When he found out that I went to CBC, he was very excited - partly because of the reputation that CBC has around the world. So we met several times and developed a mentoring relationship and I did a couple of training sessions with the Elder Board there. Keith and I have stayed in touch since - more on that later.
Well, the job thing turned out to be more weird. I learned that job wasn't going to last as long as I’d been told. Right after gettingthat news, I got a call from my old headhunter. He said there was a position back here! More interviews and I had a new job lined up. But after four months there, my boss informed me that things were not going for the company as they had thought - the position I was hired for would be out-sourced and I’d be laid off in three months. Then a short-term contract popped at the old place in OrangeCounty. When my contract at that job was about to end six months later, another firm called with an opportunity that would allow me to "telecommute," that is to work from home. So I started working for this firm in mid-April this year. I received four jobs in rapid succession - all at just the right time. **************** Maybe some of you like roller coasters more than I do!
Please let me stress that the point of all this isn't to say that if you put more money in the offering basket then God will bring you a new, higher-paying job. While that did – sort of - happen for me, your mileage may vary. ************ What was more significant was through this time of fear, uncertainty, and doubt – and very real pain - that God brought me to new places of faithfulness.
But I was still seeking a life-direction from God. What was God calling me to? I made some contacts with some consultants who worked to help churches become healthy and strong – remember? That is my “passion”. An organization that does some of that held a "Personal reFocusing event". So I attended. The event was very significant and I developed a personal calling statement. Here it is: "Helping hurting churches through healing to health resulting in resolution, reconciliation, repentance, and refocusing of pastors and leaders."
I learned that the technical term for this kind of activity is "Restoration Ministry" and I started contacting people already involved doing it. Some of them seemed to think that I needed pastoral experience and I see the wisdom in that. Well, where was I going to get pastoral experience? Not at CBC - we're not in a position to take on another pastor. So I had a pity party for a couple of days: why would God give me a calling but not the means to accomplish it??
Still,from that workshop I was encouraged to start a more intentional coaching relationship with Keith (my pastor friend in Washington), so I called him two days laterto talk. He was excited in pursuing the coaching thing and then he said he had a new consulting project for me. Their Elders had decided to add a staff position at the church and wanted me to do my consultant thing to help them design the position and such. Before I could think through what he had just said, he went on... He said he had a problem with this new position: every time he thought aboutit he couldn't help but see my name next to it. ******************
Now Keith had not known anything about the seminar I’d just attended or the conversations I’d had. I kept quiet, but a bombshell was going off in my head! At that moment I was struck by God's sense of humor: sure, I throw a pity party because I can't see how I can get “pastoral experience” and God tosses the opportunity in my lap.
The staff position at Keith’s church still is far from a sure thing. But after my wife, Barb, and I had prayed a lot, talked it through, and sought consulting from others, we have decided to take the plunge. Our family is moving to Washingtonin two weeks. And since I am telecommuting, I can keep the job I have now, at least until God gives me another surprise!
Here are some things I learned from this time:
*God cares for my needs and can easily provide for me
*God is not surprised by the events of my life and wants me to trust Him
*God will lead me in the next steps of my life
So what have I seen during this time?
*I have seen God provide for me at just the right time
*I have seen how much my family means to me
*I have seen how good are the people who God has brought into my life; starting first with my wife
*I have "learned to be content in whatever state I am in" - even if it's Washington ****************
*I have heard a renewed calling in my life - a new purpose for my post-middle-age years
*I have seen the power of living as a good example - that by responding well to what God has given me – especially trials, I can be an encouragement to others
*I have seen that what initially may seem like a trial can actually be an engine for personal growth - I almost look forward to the next trial!
I don’t yet know how the next few years will turn out, but my commitment is to keep walking through the open doors that God has for me. No matter the result, the journey is worthwhile as long as I allow Jesus to lead me.
And that’s my story -
– for the time being.
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