Tent-Making

Encounter PressureWashing is now a tent-making subsidiary of Encounter Ministries. God has provided a commercial grade, pressure washing setup for the ministry. As we raise ongoing support for the work, this is going to be used to support the ministry and provide an avenue to share the message of freedom. We picked up the equipment last week. The cool thing is that several of our local Encounter Men have volunteered time to help clean driveways, houses, patios, decks, etc. So, this is truly a community effort.

I think I am learning that everything in life is an outflow of my relationship with God and the calling on our lives. There is an obvious "human" reason that we are doing pressure washing. We don't have enough financial support yet and we do have to live, pay bills, etc. But there is a much greater reason for this. Calling and assignment...

The calling that God placed upon us with Encounter was to partner with Him in a full-time endeavor to set hearts free. Full-time...so how does this "work" go with the ministry? Well, I am coming to see that God has a calling on every person's life. This is the over-arching drive/passion for why someone was put on this earth. Then God gives assignments to help establish and express that calling. So, Encounter PressureWashing is an assignment...

There must be some people, some couples who need to be reached...and this is how God wants to do it. Will this help provide for our needs? sure...but God could do that in other ways. So, he is choosing to give us this assignment as a way to share the message of freedom and hope. I remember the BellSouth guy (see blog about that)...there must be some people who God wants to reach. This is an assignment...another way to help set hearts free.

Where I sometimes miss it...to mistake the assignment for the calling. Our jobs are NOT our calling. So, my worth and identity are sealed in Jesus Christ. My calling/drive/passion in life is intact...partner with God in setting hearts free. The assignment...Encounter headquartered in Birmingham. The assignment...pressure washing. Now, I can view this "tent-making" process as a way to establish and express the calling. Sounds good on paper...or on a blog...a lot tougher to live out. But here we go...