Facing what we are not, and discovering what (we’ve always known) we are

I can see that I am starting to discover what my calling really is, and I am glad that I did not get sidetracked into something that would not have been fulfilling to me. I have had a struggle fitting into what appears to be the prevailing format of the classical church. I am not a pew sitter, and I am not called to be a pastor. Now I have finally come to peace with that in my soul. Some time ago, at a pastor’s meeting in Seattle, we were going around the circle and introducing ourselves. I said “I’m Ray Rempt and I look at all the world as my parish”. The other pastors chuckled, but it was significant for me to really voice that, as it is how I really feel. I think I am finally beyond the feeling of oddity that I have carried for many years because I am a minister that really does not fit into the normal mold. I simply can’t fit the mold of a pastor. I am too fat, or too loud, or too educated, or not nice enough, or not boring enough, or too honest, or too intense, or too passionate, or something, and now I am finally finding that I am what I am, and I am no longer offering any apology for it. It sure does feel good!

How about you, are you settling into that which fulfills you at a fundamental level? I would like to encourage you to not settle for second best, but pursue the thing that is really in your heart. We had a visitor from Germany a few weeks ago, and he wanted me to tell him how he could do what I do, in having a regular job, but taking time off to go on these preaching tours that I do. I told him that I somehow have been the recipient of favor from my company, and they like me well enough to let me go for several weeks to preach several times a year. I don’t know how to “teach” someone to do this, but I want to encourage anyone who wants to get time off to start to be creative in how they approach their employer. It occurs to me that the Lord wants far more than classical or traditional pastors to be able to explain His words and announce His ways. It will take people from all kinds of backgrounds, professions, and walks of life.