When God Calls You to Hunt for Cars…

There are times in life that I think we get in our minds that we were meant to do something and we set out to do whatever that thing is and it ends up that that was just a small part of something else that God wanted us to be a part of. Over the course of the last few months I have been searching for a car, because the car I have been driving is my parent’s and they were hoping to get it back soon. So with the full intent of finding a car, I and one of the older men of the church, who I thought might know more about cars than myself set out one day a week to go to dealerships and test drive some cars. We drove a lot of different cars some a little to big, some way to small and a few that I thought I couldn’t afford. Every time we went out we would come back with a lot of new information, tired and a little discouraged because the cars that would work for what I wanted were to much. Honestly, it frustrated me a little that somedays it just felt like we waisted our time, but the more I thought about it and reflected on those days I realized there was a lot more going on then searching for a car.

The older man and I would spend the day talking and telling stories. I learned a lot more about his life because we just decided to go hunting for cars and it opened the opportunity to just talk. If you spend six to eight hours in the car with a guy thats three times your age your bound to hear about things you never knew about.  Those days of just driving along and listening reminded me of my passion for people and my belief that everyone has a story worth tell. I think sometimes we get so busy with doing things in life that we forget to stop and listen. We forget that the people around us have a totally different way they have experienced life and there is so much that we can learn and share if we just stop for a while and take it in.

On our trips to the dealers we met a lot of car salesmen, some of which were helpful and others who were not. But what was interesting to me was the conversations we had with some of them. Obviously there were a few times that they would try to sell me cars that I knew I didn’t want, but there were a few that were honest and open. There was one car that we took for a test drive that was pretty nice car until we went back to the dealership and the salesman pulled up the cars history and started to laugh. He said he couldn’t honestly sell me the car cause it had been in eleven wrecks and been totally rebuilt. For some reason growing up I got this idea that car salesmen weren’t always the most honest people and they would just try to sell you anything, however, I learned that that is not always the case.

The last day that we went out we met three pastors who had either retired or this was their side job or were just in transition looking for the next ministry opening. I found these conversations really helpful to me as one of the guys said he just felt like he was done with ministry which to me sounded weird because as a pastor I do not see ministry as a job but rather part of living life. Jesus didn’t call people to be pastors or elders he called people to be disciples and make disciples. Ministry is everything we do even if thats having conversations over our life stories with older men or the salesman who is trying to sell you a car. We communicate the gospel by the way that we live our lives. I believe that this was the way that Jesus carried out his ministry. He ate and drank with sinners, he called tax collectors (car dealers and IRS agents of our day) to come and follow him, he met people in their homes and on hillsides, he fed them with whatever they had, and he most certainly  did not settle to doing ministry within the bounds of the established traditions and institutions of his day.

For three hours we talked with one of the pastor/salesman about everything except cars. I found the conversation encouraging and

refreshing simple because we were sharing our passion for people and what we believe God has called us too. Being a car salesman was not exactly what he thought God had called him to do but out of that he was still finding ways to minister to others and start a

non profit to help children in africa. He and a few friends bought a coffee roaster and sell the blends they make as fair trade sending everything they make over to schools in Africa. Even though he may not be doing “traditional” ministry he is still doing what God called him to do for this time and place that he is in.

There are times in my life that I can be rather discouraged about where I am at or what I am doing, but when I stop and allow myself to center on what God is doing I start to see that he has this awesome way of using the places we are and the things we do. God used the simplest three hour conversation with a car salesman to remind me of the dream he has put on my heart for “Love Helps” and how there is no retiring from following Jesus and even when the place and the methods of ministry change the message is always the same, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself”. When we start to see our lives as a means to spreading the God news of God’s love for humanity our whole outlook on the way we live and what we are doing will change. It’s still a learning process for me and it takes time to really grasp that God can use everything.

I didn’t end up buying a car from any of the places that we went and checked out, however, maybe that wasn’t the point of the car hunting. Maybe God was using the time to remind me of what my calling is and how he can use conversations with salesman to encourage us to live everyday as the day he has given us to live for him.

-Caleb Ross Hunter

 

P.S. I did find a car and have since bought it with help from my parents up in Indiana.

Day 50 “A Year of Thought”: Places and People

“Places become important because of the people we share them with”

Do you know those places that hold special meaning for you? A place where great memories were formed and you can always seem to see that place even when your far away from it? One of those places for me is a tent outside the dinning hall, the fall of my sophomore year of high school, I recommitted my life to Christ and shared that moment with one of my best friends Luke Russell, that night at camp. That moment is a memory tattooed in my mind and I was able to share it.

In front of my parents house there is a flower bed where there use to be bushes but thanks to Luke and I’s discovery of a tunnel under the bushes they had to be taken out from our jumping in them to many times. Another shared moment for Luke and I, though we got in trouble it’s a memory all the same. Every time I think of that place I think of our adventures as kids. That place though now a small flower bed holds such meaning for me.

Today at church Pastor Stephen Wing talked about how Jesus shared his transfiguration with his disciples, his friends. It wasn’t just the moment at the top of the mountain but more of the long hard climb up the mountain that would enable Peter to remember this moment for years to come. The hard climb up the scruffy unkept mountain side. This is often life for us, a long hard climb up a mountain but sometimes we get to the top to see the transfiguration. Those awesome moments and we forget what we went through to get there.

Peter saying in Matthew 17 “it’s good for us to be here”, it’s good for us to not only share the mountain top experience but also the climb. Though it’s hard it’s worth sharing. Though life is hard it’s worth sharing. When life is shared with others thats when it has meaning.

Who do we shard these places with?

Who do we share this place with?

When we live life with others life has meaning. For those who never understand this place will become meaningless because they haven’t shared it with anyone. When we share life an ordinary scruffy place becomes holy and full of meaning.

The path we climb may wear us out but it’s not about the path, it’s about who we follow and who we share it with. Share life.

When we look back we remember we were there and we shared those moments. There are a number of places that hold a lot of meaning for me right now and are forming memories, like a dirt road outside of town, a bon fire, a path in the park, a picture we painted that hangs on my wall, and Amarillo, Texas. Just an ordinary kind of scruffy places and things but all of them and so much more that I share with my best friend Megan. Those all hold meaning because of who I share them with. They are memories because they can be shared.

Who are you sharing your life with?

Your Climb? Your Story?

I was introduced as the Youth Director at the Pratt Presbyterian Church today and am walking, hiking, climbing a new mountain with them and experience and a journey that I get to have and share with them. I was warmly invited in as if I were a part of their family. I know the place I share with them will be full of meaning.

-Caleb Ross Hunter

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P.S. Sorry for the delay on updating the blog. I have not missed a day but have not been able to move the writings from my journal to the blog, but slowly and surely I will have them for you to read. God Bless.