While I’ve been traveling through Tanzania over this past month, I’ve had the opportunity to meet several Pentecostal pastors and quite a few Catholic priests. Many of the conversations I’ve been having with these church leaders has centered on my faith journey with Jesus. To give a little background, image is very important in Tanzania and all pastors and priests wear trousers, a button down shirt at minimum and usually a tie and coat even though it is consistently hot (90+˚ F). Pan over to me and I am wearing a t-shirt and shorts, jeans maybe. While I’ve been here I have actually purchased some trousers and button down shirts. Going to church in less would be disrespectful and preaching in less would be unheard of. Needless to say, it’s been an interesting journey.
Whenever I’ve had the opportunity to really sit down with these church leaders and talk with them, I can’t help but to sense that they are very curious about my tattoos. This is only heightened when I tell them that I have spent six years in seminary, hold two Master degrees (one in Divinity and the other in Counseling Ministries) and pastor in America. I just don’t fit the typical pastor mold. Now it would be very easy for me to be offended, but rather then seeing this as an obstacle, I see it as an opportunity to talk about how Jesus saved me and brought me out of darkness and into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). I love seeing their faces light up when I begin to share my story of hope and healing with them because they can’t help but to be impacted by God’s unconditional love, His amazing grace and Almighty power.
But, these situations are nothing new to me. From the earliest days after Jesus saved me, He impressed upon me 1 Corinthians 1:27-29, “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God” (ESV). You see, a drug addict and dealer are considered foolish, low and despised in the world’s eyes and that’s what I was. God let me know very early that I had nothing to offer Him, which is extremely humbling. But, by God’s love, grace and power, He has transformed me and my life is now a living testimony to the truth of these verses. I am one of God’s many trophies that He wants to show to the world.
It’s amazing the favor God has given me with people and with whom He has placed me in the company of. The more I’ve leaned into God’s grace and relied upon Him to make the way forward, He has opened up opportunity after opportunity for me to preach, pastor and pray for people. It’s funny, by the world’s way of doing things I should probably try to promote myself by hiding my tattoos, dressing the part of a pastor and talking of my degrees and minimizing or even skipping the ugly of my past. But, whenever I am in situations like these, Holy Spirit faithfully reminds me that to do that would be minimizing God’s grace and anointing upon my life. Jesus has captured my heart and place within me this all-consuming passion to worship, serve and make Him known to the world. I truly can do nothing less. As Peter told Jesus, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life” (John 6:68 NLT). There is no place else for me to go, but to following Jesus wherever He is going and calling me to follow, so that I may proclaim of His grace, love, mercy and power!
