My Ministries
and Mission Work

Christians can often tell a lot about another person when they learn what kind of things they do to show their love to, and for Jesus. Doing good and kind things for others in Jesus' name, which means we are doing them by His power and authority, is suppose to be the natural Christian lifestyle.

Some people are so absorbed in their own problems and neediness that they don't get around to doing much for others. It is even less likely that they are deliberately sharing the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ, so that others may believe and be made whole.

I have found that the more intimate I have become with Jesus, to the point of knowing He is my BEST Friend, the easier it is to see things I could do, even in little ways, to express His life and love that is in me.

Now there are church-folks who think that to be in ministry means you have signed up for non-profit mission organization, and have trained so many years, and gone to work abroad in another country. Or, at the very least, you have a full-time paid position in a church or such an organization. That is not the Bible's definition of ministry.

It is that lifestyle of behaving like your Lord and Master and Best Friend, Jesus. Furthermore, the Bible teaches that upon receiving Christ by faith, into our lives, we receive a gift of the Holy Spirit of God to dwell in us, and help us live out what we have learned from the Bible, and to comfort and guide us. That gift also gives us a special abilities to express God's will and to help in the spread of Christ's reign in many more hearts. These gifts are sometimes referred to as ministries too.

So then, if someone presses me and asks point-blank, "What is your ministry, Ruth?" I have to stop and think. I take most of what I do for granted. Some were a highlight when I began to do them, but now they are very ordinary parts of my daily and weekly schedule.

I do recall a weekend workshop where this was taught and I discovered that God had given me several spiritual gifts. They have shifted somewhat depending on the stage and roles I have had in life, but I know these are special abilities the Holy Spirit gives me when I need them.

A creative imagination, discernment, faith, teaching, and wisdom, and behind-the-scenes helps, would be the main ones. At times I have experienced the gifts of administration, shepherding or disciple-making, (mentoring might be another word for this), and every once in a while my writing even becomes a platform for preaching.

At present [2006, at writing; some changes since then] I see the following as my areas of ministry, some of which assist missions; 1. By being a live-in caregiver for my 90 year old Dad He gives me free room and board, but I depend on the Lord for anything I need above and beyond that. It's not with a registered organization, but I think of myself as a "faith missionary" who trusts the Lord for support.

2. By being a Board member for Western Tract Mission, Inc. and the secretary on the Board. I help make decisions that run this small literature, and Bible correspondence courses mission. WesternTractMission.org

3. I do their web design and maintenance, and also the desktop layout for the newsletter.

4. I'm working with a missionary from Europe to build a new web site to profile small missions and ministries that don't have access to support from large North American churches. Generosity-Alive.org

5. I am promoting my Christian novel and sites as a means of evangelism too. It's probably better that I send you to those sites than to try to tell you all that here. One of them is over 500 pages!
Ruthes-SecretRoses.com
BouquetofEnterprises.biz
AGodlyInheritance.com

Just developing and maintaining those sites, plus the related blogs and ezines I publish weekly, is a full-time job!.

6. I squeeze into those same hours a lot of mentoring by email, as I make friends around the world. These relationships arise from my sites and the feedback I get.

7. I also write regularly to certain missionaries, to encourage them, and when I do have some income I set aside 10% for the church, and 10% to give away to missions or those in need - as the Lord prompts me. Some day, I pray, God will give me the resources to give as generously as my heart desires to give. My goal is to be a giver like God!

8. Perhaps my most secret ministry is one of intercessory prayer. From way-way back I have felt that if I promise someone I will pray for them, I must keep my promise. I'm sure I've prayed long past when those individuals have forgotten that they asked. I also divide up relatives, friends and missionaries, and church needs, into lists, and pray for a few from each list every morning when I go for my prayer walk before breakfast. I pray for my immediate family every day on my afternoon walk. It happens at times that my day's schedule is so disrupted I don't get to it, but keeping my prayer promises is very important to me. I can get very tenacious when someone I love has a problem!

So you see, even though I can't travel to other countries in my present circumstances, I've got my plate full of missions. I guess I really don't need to apologize at all to those who have tighter, narrower definitions of what it means to be in ministry.

2011 Update: There have been some changes since 2006, when I wrote this page. Dad died in February 2007, and I spent some months cleaning up his estate, and moving into Saskatoon. There I became a missionary with Western Tract Mission, Inc., rather than a Board member (though I still take minutes for the Board). My work load has increased to include the writing of tracts, interviews for and writing of testimonies for the Impact Canada booklets, and many other things.

The Generosity-Alive.org site and those of my own mentioned above have been much neglected, while I have taken on the websites of clients and other ministries (currently 10). I have started and focused in my own business hours on two SBI sites, which I hope will eventually support me fully and allow me to increase my giving to the missions and ministries crowding into my volunteer hours.

I do try to continue the ministry of prayer, but don't have as much time for letters and emails as I used to.