How do you know God is "calling" you and what are some implications of His calling?

Transcript

Todd Randall [00:00:02]: Welcome back to Entrust Equipping Leaders. Today we're diving into this idea of being called and then of retiring. Laurie Lind's guests are Barb Allen and Liz Loeffler.  Laurie Lind [00:00:16]: Hey, everybody, I'm Laurie, the host of the Entrust Equipping Leaders podcast. And thank you, Todd, once again for that fine introduction. As Todd said, today our guests are Barb and Liz, two long-term Entrust staff members. We're really going to get into their sense of calling today. How did they know God wanted them to serve him? They both left very comfortable corporate jobs. One of them gave up on the dream of being a nun, and one of them actually came to the point of considering taking her own life when she got into full-time ministry and hit some pretty hard times. All of that is ahead today. And then in two weeks, we'll talk about how do you know when it's time to stop? Or is it ever time to stop when you're serving God? So let's jump in.  Liz Loeffler [00:01:07]:  My big goal in life had always been to be an executive secretary in corporate America, and full time ministry was not on my radar screen whatsoever, particularly if it involved going to a different country, eating different foods, learning different language. I'll pray for you, I'll give to you, but don't ask me to do it. And for 14 years, I was very content and happy working at Procter and Gamble as an executive secretary in their sales office in Philadelphia, till God suddenly started to shake things up. And I met a Bible smuggler at an Evangelism explosion clinic that worked for Brother Andrew. And I had read the book God’s   Smuggler years before that, and I thought if I was ever to get into full time ministry, that would be exciting, but I'm too much of a chicken to smuggle Bibles. That would not be something I'd be interested I would be willing to do. But God worked in a number of mysterious ways to bring me back in touch with this tall Dutchman I met at Evangelism Explosion. And to make a long story short, for six years I worked as their area coordinator, setting up speaking engagements for Bible smugglers in churches and different venues and arranging housing when they were in the area. And one day, one of the gentlemen that was there said to me, when are you going to come smuggle with us? And I laughed in his face and I said, I got a new house, a new car. I can't take a month, a summer off from Procter and Gamble without pay. I only have two weeks. He says, you only need four. I said, I only have two weeks. I can't afford even two weeks without pay. Would you believe in the next six months, Procter and Gamble changed their vacation policy not once, but twice, after I've been working with them for twelve years. And I suddenly had four weeks vacation. And I said, God, are you serious? And I took my first Bible smuggling trip in 81 and at the same time I was getting very disenchanted with the corporate world and ended up going to work for my church. I took my second Bible smuggling trip three years later to confirm that what I felt Lord calling me to do. Enrolled in Bible school while I was still working at my church. And after eight and a half years at my church, I joined Entrust in Vienna, Austria, November 1, 1989, and nine days later the Berlin Wall fell. So I had a front row seat to the opening up of the east and Russia. And after the Vienna office closed, I went kicking and screaming to Moscow, Russia, and figured I wouldn't last 24 hours. And I lasted 15 years.  Laurie Lind [00:03:50]: Well, while we're with you, Liz, and then we'll come to your story Barb. But Liz, how did people around you feel as you were transitioning, suddenly saying, oh, I'm going to go smuggle Bibles and now I'm going to actually leave corporate America and so forth?