Who Gets "Called"?

If I ever got the chance to meet a famous person, I'd want to get a picture with him or her as fast as I could.  Well, today, I wanted to get a quick picture with Richard.

Maybe he's not a household name.  So Richard Loghry isn't famous.  The reason I want to know people like him is because he makes God famous where he is.  And this Tuesday, he flies to an "unknown" part of the world to take the Gospel to the jungles of Suriname.

Richard is a great example of how God "calls" people to missions.  I first met Richard when I was 18.  We served for 10 weeks at a little camp in Brownsville, KY. 

(Please forgive the fashion.  It is a statement to prove that God works through generations who have no sense of style.)

Richard is from a little town in Arkansas that most people have never heard of and he was serving the Lord long before I met him.  In the summer of 1997, Richard had his first "away from home" missions or ministry experience at Camp Joy.  Since that summer, our paths have crossed numerous times.  I have always been fascinated with the way God works in Richard.  The Holy Spirit is evident in his life.  Wherever Richard is, he works for the kingdom.  He is consistently giving his time, talents, money, gifts, and life to make disciples.  He serves in the little things.  He loves big and gives big hugs.  He knows that the state of Arkansas has never been his home--he lives for the next life.  He knows that he didn't start out as a "good boy" and by the power of the Spirit has overcome significant sin struggles in his life.  Richard builds community whereever he is, and now God will use him to build a group of believers in Suriname--with a people who currently do not know the name of Jesus.

Let Richard encourage you.  When you hear the word "missionary," don't think of some spiritual giant.  Think of a human with a super Person.  That super Person (the Holy Spirit) dwells among all of God's people.  When God calls someone into a relationship with Him, He empowers him or her.  We aren't suppose to accomplish big things "way out there somewhere" until we've obeyed whereever "here" is.