RECYCLED GIFTS

“Then Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him.”
-Mark 9:35

The men and women that were called to follow Jesus came to him with all that they were and all that they knew, and

Jesus took that and re-purposed it for the glory of God and the benefit of his kingdom. Most often, when Jesus calls us from our boats and nets, he does not require us to forget all that we know. However, he often redirects that knowledge

and experience toward other purposes. God re-purposed the disciples, and God is re-purposing us.

…Our journey of following God begins with rethinking about the gifts and skills we possess.

... For some that path includes a seminary degree; for others it means getting their training on the street and in the barrios, in a church or prison cell. The question is: On the day Jesus comes strolling down the shore of your everyday life with that all-important invitation, “Come after me,” will you be willing to accept the redirection? Will you walk away from what you decided to do in order to become the gift that you are called to be?

- Excerpt from “Bread for the Resistance”
By Donna Barber, (pages 16-18).