the call of evangelist

1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:1-5, ESV.


I have a very specific calling. It is "to do the work of an evangelist." To be honest, it is not a popular calling. If it had been up to me, I'd have chosen something else. I always wanted to be a singer and use my talent to lead people in praise, but alias, I can't sing a word. Over the years, people have tried to put me into teaching roles, administrator jobs, and social chairs; while I can do these things, they are not my primary calling and gifting. My main giftedness is that of the evangelist - that of equipping church members to effectively share their faith in Jesus. We are all called to share the gospel (Matthew 28:18-20) but my call is to help people do this one thing.


Years ago, I began to study leadership becasue I realized that I needed to be more effective at "this one thing I do." I needed to learn to lead and influence people to share Christ. While I believe I have also been gifted in this area, I believe my gifting is but for one purpose...to influence people to be evangelistic.

Why am I telling you all this? Probably to remind myself! While this season holds many opportunities, my greatest calling (apart from my calling as a wife and mom) is to be involved in the work of evangelism. If I, or my team, can help you to reach people for Christ or train you to do so, then let me know. If you just need a speaker, then I pray God will show you who that might be.

Thank you for your love, your prayers, and your encouragement. Pray for me to remain focused on the main thing - the work of evangelist. You are loved and prayed for.

Gifts that make a difference

If you are looking for a gift that makes a difference, allow me to recommend one:

Women at Southern:
A Walk Through Psalms
Jaye Martin and Alyssa Caudill, Editors
ISBN# 978-0-9840657-0-7

Published July 2010, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY, $25

Foreword by Mary Kassian, 409 contributors

The devotional book costs have been underwritten so all proceeds go to women's scholarships at Southern.

Not only will women benefit by being able to go to seminary, those who read this walk through The Psalms will be blessed.

To purchase your copy, visit the: LifeWay Christian Bookstore on the campus of Southern Seminary or call them at 502-897-4506 or email southernseminary.4689@lifeway.com.

This Christmas, I will be giving some copies to those who need to know the love of Christ. Giving the devotional book, Women at Southern: A Walk Through Psalms, is a great way to share the love of the Lord.

I pray that God will give you opportunities to share the love of Christ during this Christmas season.

Live the Word

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace  and truth" (John 1:14, ESV).      

This weekend, I was blessed to bring a message to the ladies at the North Carolina state convention Women's Prayer Evangelism Conference. Their theme was Stepping Out from Romans 10:13-15 (how beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news). When we look at John's gospel, we can see how the gospel spread as Jesus walked though life.

Here are the main points, one taken from every chapter in John:

Live the Word: 21 Ways to Step Out for Jesus!

1. Be inviting - Andrew, Philip, Nathanael were invited to come to Jesus and we are to do the same, 1:37-51

2. Be involved - Jesus took time to go to wedding and be with people so we need to take time to be in the community, 2:1-11

3. Be available - Nicodemus came to Jesus at night and Jesus took time for him so we are to be available for others, 3:1-22

4. Be missional - Jesus crossed cultural boundaries with Samaritan woman so we are to try to get to know others who are not like us, 4:1-45

5. Be expecting - Jesus healed the man at the pool and we must remember to expect miracles, 5:1-17

6. Be giving - the boy brought his five loves and two fish to give and Jesus multiplied it so we are to give what we have for use in His kingdom 6:1-15

7. Be intentional - Jesus is intentional about where He goes, what He says, and who He spends time with so we are to intentionally develop relationships with those who do not know Him  (reference 7:35)

8. Be forgiving - Jesus forgives woman caught in adultery and we are to forgive others, 8:1-11

9. Be looking - Jesus healed a blind man and now he can see. We can look for opportunities to share about Christ.

10. Be shepherding - Jesus is the good shepherd and we are to model being a shepherd by feeding people spiritually and caring for their needs, 10:1-21

11. Be Life - Jesus is Life and we are to represent life and hope to others, 11:1-27

12. Be sacrificial - Mary anointed Jesus with expensive perfume and we are to give sacrificially for the work of the Lord, 12:1-8

13. Be serving - Jesus washes the feet of the disciples and we are to out-serve those we work with, 13:1-20

14. Be Truth - Jesus was Truth and we are the speak Truth and stand for Truth, 14:1-14

15. Be fruitful - Jesus is vine and we are branches. We are to stay connected to Him and reproduce fruit in our lives, 15:1-17

16. Be loving - Jesus tells of the work of the Holy Spirit. He is the one who convicts of sin. We share the love of the Lord through all we say and do.

17. Be prayerful - Jesus prays for the world and we are to pray for people to come to know Him.

18. Be open - Jesus was open to what He was teaching. We are to be open to questions and not be in secret about what we believe,18:19-24

19. Be real - The crucifixion shows that life is not easy. We don't have to hide our struggles or our imperfections or try to be perfect. Let people see how Jesus helps us through tough times.

20. Be sharing - The women saw that the tomb was empty and went to share the good news with others. We need to share the gospel story, 20:18

21. Be testimonial - John has testified to the gospel, we are to testify and share our stories of what Jesus is doing in our lives, 21:24

Let's look for ways we can Live the Word this week! You are gifted2go!