Class Response Six: Ack Ackerman

The timing of this class was so great! On Thursday afternoon, the staff at Freedom Valley was so blessed to be treated to lunch and a tour by the staff at the Adam's Rescue Mission. AND it was the same day we were assigned to watch Ack Ackerman's (director of men's discipleship at ARM) video from last semester on discipleship. What God is teaching me through the timing of these two lessons together has to do a little more with my own perspective of ministry and trusting God with my heart and provision than it does with the way I actually disciple others.

I was amazed while we took the tour by the extensive list and rooms and recycling projects they do at the mission. It was absolutely incredible to see all they do in that one ministry. Honestly, at times I thought "Wow... do they really need to be doing this? Wouldn't something else work just as well to support the ministry?" Maybe it would... but I'm not sure that's the point. I feel like God is reminding me of a lesson he's been teaching me a lot the past few weeks. Sometimes God puts us in circumstances, directs us in his timing, and guides us to do things all in a way that doesn't exactly make sense to us. It's not always bad.. sometimes we just feel like life would be better if we could get a little less of "that" and a little more of "this" in our lives.

I don't know the start of ARM well enough to know how they chose to do recycling... but it sure is something God is blessing and something they are using to bless the community, too. It's not JUST about them and the best profit possible. It's about following God's heart, his will, his timing, and his instruction TO YOU, trusting that his plan will always be best... even if it SEEMS like we could come up with a better plan on our own.

The staff and volunteers at the Mission are joyful in serving and passionate about the ways God is healing and saving men, women, and families through their ministry. If I could take a guess.. I think it has a lot to do with their faithfulness to raising support through the recycling center. It takes a lot of hard work and a lot of trusting God to provide... but it REALLY causes them to rely fully on God. Not on the government or on people. I'm really challenged by this tonight. I loved seeing Ack's heart for the men he disciples and the atmosphere at the Mission was clearly affected by a group of people that just want to follow God and "recycle lives". What they're doing for our community in giving new purpose to old, broken, seemingly useless things... they're doing in the lives of men and women, too.

I believe that is a clear picture of God's heart. He brought purpose to my life and I pray that He'll keep using these lessons He teaches me through these ministry leaders to show others the abundant life we have in Christ... because of HIS love for us.