I could not have defined then what a calling by God was, but I now know it to be a thought or feeling of certainty when you have no reason for that certainty. For example, if you always go home from work following one route, but for some inexplicable reason on a given night after work, you have a feeling that you should deviate from that route. You have no knowledge or experience that has put this call to action on your heart; you’ve heard no traffic reports on the radio saying that your usual route is congested, but still you have an absolute certainty in your heart and mind that on this night you are supposed to deviate from your normal mode of behavior. This is a calling.
So, while I could have not given this definition of a calling, I knew I was called to go into ministry. I didn’t even really know what ministry was. Certainly I was aware of who ministers were, both in churches and on TV. But I didn’t know the true definition of ministry, nor what it required to become a minister.
And so, again I went to my old friend, Wikipedia, and began reading on ministry, pastoral care and anything else I could find about what ministry was and how to become a minister, not realizing at the time that one needn’t necessarily be a preacher or pastor to be a minister. After reading all available at that site, I went to many others, including the Church of God and Assemblies of God websites, and random other websites, of which there are many, about how to become a minister. Completely frustrated by the fact that there are so many definitions of ministry and paths to minister, I decided the direct approach was better–ask a minister.
