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Newsletter:  June

I was blessed to work a Walk to Emmaus in July of 2005 and was blessed to have served with Wanda Ivey.  This is her God story that I want to share with you.  It touched my heart and just maybe it might help you to name “The Itch That You Can’t Scratch.”

I had experienced success against the odds most of my life.  I was the middle of five daughters from parents who had little education or money.  I worked to pay for college and landed a job with a Fortune 500 company, thanks to affirmative action legislation.  I was one of very few women in a male dominated industry.  Hard work resulted in continued promotions and relocations for our family.  I kept thinking the next promotion would bring an end to the restlessness that stirred inside.  I kept telling my family, “Just one more move and that’s all I want.”  I was disappointed when the restlessness continued and the hunger inside would not go away.

A concerned colleague invited me to coffee one day to discuss my career plans.  He noted that I was successful in my career, had a great husband and a talented young daughter, but did not seem to be happy.  I responded, “Yes, I know, I have an itch I can’t scratch.  Maybe just one more promotion.  Maybe if I could get that VP job this empty spot inside would be filled.”  He told me it was not a job that was missing in my life; it was a spiritual component that was missing.  I acknowledged that I should be in church on Sunday, but did not want to give up my Sunday morning tee time.  You see, I had used golf to gain access to customers and executives that could not be reached otherwise.  Golf had become one of the idols in my life.  The colleague told me it was not about being in church on Sunday, it was about having a relationship with God.

Well, three promotions and three locations later, the emptiness inside lingered.  I had the corner office, the VP title, the house in Southlake and the executive car.  I had moved my family eight times and nearly destroyed my relationship with my daughter by breaking the promise not to move her during her high school years.  Satisfaction eluded me and I still did not know why.

I was saved and baptized at the age of ten and knew the Lord, but had never been discipled.  Our family had been in and out of church but never served or been seriously involved.  We joined First Baptist Church Colleyville in the fall of 1997.  We managed to sneak in and out each week without making any friends or having to make any commitments.  Then God started to twist around in that empty spot inside.  God put a full sized hook into that empty spot in my stomach and pulled me off the bench.  I could almost hear him say.  “Your way did not bring you happiness, now try my way.”  I met with one of the associate pastors at FBCC and he taught me to develop a relationship with God through prayer, study and small groups. 

God pulled me off the bench in the fall of 2000.  He surrounded me with Christian friends in a small group study.  Another Christian friend led me to a spiritual weekend known as The Walk to Emmaus.  The Emmaus experience deepened my hunger for knowledge of the Word.  I soon enrolled in Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary to continue my growth.  I have learned the joy of serving the Lord on the hospitality team, woman-to-woman mentoring, Crown Financial and other ministries whenever needed.

My priorities have changed - they are now my husband, my daughter and our church.  Now instead of running off to the country club to play golf with snooty friends, I find time to scrapbook family memories with our daughter.  The country club membership is a thing of the past.  Now, instead of seeking the next promotion, I am seeking God’s will in my life.  I spend time with the Lord each day through small groups and mentoring relationships.  I have learned that I cannot do it all on my own; I need God and Christian friends to be complete.