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WHERE DO I PUSH START?
Kathie
I sat in the group of tentmakers, intrigued by Kayla's story. I knew years earlier she'd written our MENA Total Employment office in Lebanon eager to be a tentmaker in the Middle East. She had been excited, qualified, focused. Like many inquiries, she had everything but a job in the Middle East! Nothing materialized either.
I wasn't the only one who thought her story would end there. People around her dampened her enthusiasm. She wondered what God really wanted her to do. She looked other directions for her future. Her mission interest hung on her refrigerator door for years. The rest is in the story, He Brought Me Here, that she shares in this issue
Beginning the venture into tentmaking is a spiritual journey with a long, sometimes circuitous, route. Join us in looking at different ways that journey might begin. Maybe you'll recognize your own story! If you're already a tentmaker, accept our invitation to share how God first called you. If you're thinking about being a tentmaker, give God your willingness. That's the beginning; He knows what to do from there.
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TENTMAKERS ARE BORN
Byard
"Where do babies come from?" The question stops any young parent dead in their tracks. "Where?" the parent answers slowly, stalling for time to ponder their next artful words. Everyone knows it's an important question. It even has a clear answer. But, prudently, a clear answer is seldom given.
"Where do tentmakers come from?" That's one question, on the other hand, that never has a clear answer. Yet it is often answered glibly, as if there was one! Based on wrong assumptions, some may say, "Tentmakers are sent by the church." Or "tentmakers are part of the mission department." Or "tentmakers are launched by their home field." Or "tentmakers are self-appointed apostles." The truth is, unlike babies, tentmakers have no predictable starting point. To read more
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HE BROUGHT ME HERE
Kayla
It was Sabbath afternoon, near the end of the youth congress. I sat quietly in a mostly empty convention center hall contemplating my experience of the past three days.
I thought back to the first evening of the conference when each presenter had shared a short description of their seminar. One had caught my attention: "Miniskirts, Mothers, and Muslims."
It wasn't just the catchy title that engaged me. It was the memory from nearly seven years before. Read Kayla's story.
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"When God is leading
and directing,
you don't have to
kick the doors open."
--Camp
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THE PATHWAY TO TENTMAKING
Not everyone's journey into tentmaking is exactly the same. The process involves many factors. But as a person's perspective changes from job to mission, from an income to calling, from employee to witness, a tentmaker is in process. Consider where you are in that process. The Pathway to Tentmaking identifies some of the most common steps that many have taken. Your journey may move you along different than an infographic, but we pray it always keeps moving you towards God's Call.
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BEGINNING SHY
Stephanie
We moved to the Middle East for my husband's job. He's a helicopter pilot and works as an instructor at a flight school. I never set out to be a tentmaker myself, even though I knew it was a privilege we would have in this region.
With two little ones, I didn't plan on working. And I'm shy. I pray 2 Timothy 1:7 continually, "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline." Deep down I feel a strong calling; I know time is short and I want the Lord to help me shine brighter and stronger. I just didn't know how that could happen. Read Stephanie's Story
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 PITCHING TENT 2.0
MENA Tentmaking Described
Tents offer an ideal example for identifying the important parts of New Testament tentmaking. In this video, Pastor Byard reminds us that when God is working in your life, tentmaking is easy access, is all about people, and deserves the best support. To hear MENA Tentmaking described, watch Tentmaking 2.0.
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“I the Lord have called you in righteousness,
and will hold your hand, and will keep you,
and give you for a covenant of the people,
for a light of the Gentiles;
to open the blind eyes,
to bring out the prisoners from the prison,
and those that sit in darkness out of the prison house.”
Isaiah 43:10-12 and 42:6,7
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PERSONAL & REASSURING
When God Calls
The most consistent story line in Scripture is one of God engaging a weak and limited human being to do a special task for Him. It's the foundation of his plan. The God of the universe always connects with us and invites our participation in saving others. How unique. How unexpected. How effective.
- Gabriel appeared to Mary (Luke 1)
- The angel met Gideon at the threshing floor (Judges 6)
- Isaiah's saw a vision (Isaiah 6)
- Moses stood at the burning bush (Exodus 3)
- Saul, destined to be a tentmaker, collapsed on the road to Damascus (Acts 9)
Every call has certain elements. Constants. Take any of the stories above--or countless others--and identify the common pieces:
- God's presence
- Surprise
- Reassurance
- Specific instructions
- Promises
- More...
Then look at your own life. Has God come to you with a call to missions? Are you surprised? What reassurance has He given? What has He asked of you? What has He promised? To help you hear His voice more clearly, read "God's Call to Service."
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