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I'm losing faith that I can get a job

Acts-dicted Posts: 8065 **2/21/17 12:51 pm**

I am a 50 year old college grad with a wife and two small kids. When I was single, and married without kids, prosperity flowed like a river in my life. When I need some semblance of normalcy, it alludes me. Thank God my wife loves me. She has endured more in the past 7 years than any woman should have to.

In spite of a good resume, a great work ethic, incredible energy for my age, and loads of references, I remain in a rut. This prolonged season has all but ended my ministry and even basic participation in church. I used to snicker at people who claimed that those who go through a financial calamity wind up being looked down on at church, but I don't laugh any more. In seven years, one person from church has offered to help me get a job where they work. Neither pastor I've had the past seven years has made calls for me or helped me, one of their licensed ministers, find meaningful employment. One of my pastors was our District Superintendent who has plenty of connections. It seems when the possibility of having to move away comes up, they lose interest. If you can no longer benefit them and their ministry, you are kicked to the curb.

Through it all, we have remained loving and loyal, but it has made no difference.

One hope I have is that I will have more education in a couple of years. Until then I am clueless. We had to sell the 5 acres and mobile home where we had been living mortgage free these past 7 years. I co-owned it with 2 siblings who insisted on selling. We now live 40 miles away with my 84 year old father who does not want us there in reality. The sibling that was the most adamant about selling the other place also lives there. She's a spoiled brat that also does not want us there. That's 4 adults and 2 kids in an old cracker home , built in 1938, one bathroom, no air conditioning or heat.

Our plan is to move to Waxahachie to be closer to the campus, and to build relationships. The job market is better there. What do I have to lose at this point?

While I have given up on MY ability to find a job, I know God is still able.
_________________
"It is doubtful if any Trinitarian Pentecostals have ever professed to believe in three gods, and Oneness Pentecostals should not claim that they do." - Daniel Segraves UPCI

[Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 12817 **2/21/17 1:08 pm**

Praying for just the kind of job you need.

Hon. Dr. in Acts-celeratology Posts: 6385 **2/21/17 1:33 pm**

Res , your to smart to give up. Keep on trying and you will succeed. In the meantime find some joy in your life. Its there , you just have to find it. This alone will diminish depression very quick.

I really wouldnt depend to much on others for help in this area. As your finding out some things you just have to do by yourself. Prayin for you Bro....

Acts-pert Poster Posts: 16646 **2/21/17 4:01 pm**

Real money is in sales.

Perhaps you could sell caskets at a large city funeral home.
I say that only because I know of a COG minister that had the same issues - then found he is good at a tough job - selling caskets and funerals to grieving families - not everyone can do it.

But- he regularly takes home 200K per year. You may not be as successful - but how much do you need to get out of the cracker home where no one wants you?

Think of other jobs that may use your skills dealing with folks facing tough times.
_________________
Whether you like it or not, learn to love it, because its the best thing going today!

Golf Cart Mafia Consigliere Posts: 3382 **2/21/17 4:44 pm**

Golf Cart Mafia Consigliere Posts: 3147 **2/21/17 6:05 pm**

I live in Waxahachie, if you need to chat over a cup of coffee or a Whataburger, let me know!

Acts-dicted Posts: 8065 **2/21/17 6:43 pm**

Acts-pert Poster Posts: 15570 **2/21/17 7:54 pm**

RS, don't be discouraged son. What the evil one has meant for evil, God will turn to good. Press on an never give up.

Acts-celerater Posts: 651 **2/21/17 9:17 pm**

I'll pray that your relationship with God will be strengthened and not strained through all this. You know as well as I that any ministry you find yourself in flows from that relationship. But I can imagine it is sometimes difficult to pray during this. In the distant past, I've just had to offer up sacrifices of praise in desert times like these, though I didn't necessarily feel like it. My humble advice is to keep asking God what your next step is and believe that God will show you. And I'll pray that God give you grace and provision, including a job. God loves you.

01000001 01100011 01110100 01110011 Posts: 24285 **2/21/17 9:17 pm**

Hey dude, thinking of you and remembering you in prayer. I know, I know it is an old saying, but mostly true, the darkness before the dawn thing.
Love you guy!
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Some facts but mostly just my opinion!
jacsher@aol.com
http://shipslog-jack.blogspot.com/

Acts-perienced Poster Posts: 11849 **2/21/17 11:18 pm**

If you didn't have two small kids, I might recommend going to teach English in Korea or China. You could make a couple of thousand a month plus housing. If your wife has a degree and wants to work, maybe it could work out, but then educating the kids in English might be a big issue. I am not the type to take a year away from my kids. Some people do that. You could do that to teach English, but the market price seems to be about $2000 a month, which isn't a lot for that type of sacrifice.

I don't recall what your non-ministry career has been. If you were a certified teacher, there are Christian international schools that, if they hire you, will fly you and your family over, house you, and you can send your kids there for free. If you can find an English-speaking school like that, that could work out.

I'm speaking from my own limited frame of reference, here, working in education.

When I was in grad school, we were poor in terms of cash, though the Lord always provided for our basic needs. I often did not know where rent (which is expensive there) was going to come from. A couple from a cell group we'd been in visited Hawaii, but didn't have time to meet us. But they were able to get us $1000 before Christmas one time.

Once, when we were leaving, my wife said at a prayer meeting that sister so and so had given her $400. I prayed, "Lord, I'l like someone to give me $400." We needed the money. There was this friend from church who'd been helping us clean and pack before we moved. I didn't have much, but I was thinking of giving her $100. Her and her husband didn't make a lot of money. I dropped her and her boy off at their house since that was an all-night prayer meeting and they didn't have a ride. She handed me $400. I almost gave it back until I saw that it was $400, and then I didn't dare, because it probably hadn't been an hour since I'd prayed for someone to give me $400. I told her about my prayer and said I'd trust God to bless her.

Before I moved to Hawaii, the sole of my athletic shoes I used every day broke. I prayed for God to provide me a pair of new shoes at a thrift store super cheap. One day when in a vacation condo temporarily in Honolulu, right after we got there, we weren't going to look for housing that day, so I went to the thrift store next door that I'd seen a sign for. I went out there to get those shoes I'd prayed for. There was a pair of new shoes on the top of a stack in a box outside the store. I figured I'd check the size on my new pair of shoes. Sure enough, it was my size. I asked the girl in the store how much they were. She said normally $17, I think she said, but that day, she was having a said. I got them for $2, a new pair of New Balance. The guy who'd brought them in had donated two pairs he'd just bought. The other pair sold the tag. (Not about jobs, but I thought you could use a testimony about God's provision.)

Anyway, we were poor in Hawaii. My wife is a great cook and suggested we take our meager resources and start selling food. They had street parties where you could do that in Hawaii where they block off the street and thousands of people will go there to eat and listen to live music. So we did that, and it helped us scrape by.

We did a trade show in Hawaii where we sold food for three days in a row, hardly sleeping in between because we had to buy food and prep it for the next day. There were lots of vendors selling wares. I heard a guy selling tea to customers as they walked into the busy event could make several thousand gross. We had to put a lot of capital into our food not to mention labor. He was selling basically water, and he may have had even better revenue than us. Lots of other vendors were selling non-food items.

There are all kinds of niches for little vendors. It doesn't have to be some sort of ad hoc retail thing. If you have some sort of skill, you may be able to offer training courses. Are you good at giving presentations? In a large city, you might be able to learn a bit about teaching presentation skills and then do some corporate training.

There are also things you can get certified on that could get you a job or a business, Microsoft courses related to their software and systems, Google Adwords training, home inspection, medical coding, real estate appraisal, or selling real estate.

If you have some capital, maybe you could sell something online. You could write a book and sell it on amazon, or hire people to ghost write for you and sell those books. There are lots of online niches.

What are your skills and work experiences that you could build on to start a small business or to find a job in a niche where there is high demand?
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Friendly Face Posts: 434 **2/22/17 6:29 am**

RS, you make some very valid points about the unfortunate fact that many times Christians and pastors use their time, energy and influence to do things that benefit themselves. I have sensed your heart as a man who is doing his best to give up all and serve Christ. You have been willing to serve without the glory, compensation and security so many others receive without giving up their material comforts, security etc.

My words may give you some encouragement but they mean nothing in light of the fact that God sees the sacrifices you have made in your life. He does sometimes reward us in this life but never lose sight of the fact that operates through an eternal perspective. Psalm 118:6 The Lord is on my side, I will not fear: what can man do unto me? Know that this truth is God for you in spite of what man does or doesn't do on your behalf.

My message last Sunday was from Romans 8:28-39. The take away for myself and the church was to challenge ourselves to focus on the fact that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father and He lives to make intercession for you. If God is for you who could be against you?

The fact that I see your heart and know you are a man of God means nothing. The fact that God sees your heart and knows you are a man of God who makes sacrifices for His Kingdom means everything.

Feel free to PM me. My background is varies with sales management, doing my own small businesses etc. Perhaps we can discuss some ideas that suit you. If nothing else maybe my counseling background can help encourage you through this difficult time. I will pray for you now.

Hey RS

Acts Enthusiast Posts: 1274 **2/22/17 11:57 am**

What are your skills? Are you on LinkedIn? www.linkedin.com

01000001 01100011 01110100 01110011 Posts: 24285 **2/22/17 6:00 pm**

Golf Cart Mafia Underboss Posts: 3682 **2/22/17 7:29 pm**

Acts-perienced Poster Posts: 11849 **2/23/17 3:53 am**

Acts-dicted Posts: 8065 **2/23/17 5:52 am**

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