Early Life And Calling
Good day! My name is Justin Short, and I have been running from my call for a long time. Recently, I became a student at the Christian Leaders Institute to get education and training for ministry. I currently live in Georgia with my wife of nearly seven years. My wife and I have been growing in godliness, and we desire to be all God would have us to be. We want to be transformed from glory to glory into His likeness.
My Story
I grew up in a family that went to church and called on Jesus, but they also had struggles that often seemed contradictory to their profession of faith. Constantly being around church and ministers permitted me to receive many words about the calling on my life. Since I was in Middle School, strangers would give me words of knowledge about what I would do in future ministry for God. It all sounded great and wonderful, but I was too shy to be used by God. I also grew up without a father, and I struggled to understand God as my Father. This misunderstanding often led to misunderstandings between God and me.
When I graduated from High School, I went to school for theology. I wanted to help people and was informed that being a minister was the only way to help people. However, when I struggled in Greek, I changed my major to psychology. I continued my psychology study and worked in psychology and nonprofits for the past decade or so. I feel like I have helped people but have not felt like I was doing what I am “supposed to do” with my life.
A Change Of Mind
Over the years, I participated in church. I taught an adult Sunday School in one of the churches I attended. Furthermore, I have been a greeter, on the prayer team, supported with a food ministry, and served as a deacon. I wanted to please God with my life. However, I have not entirely walked in what was spoken over me. I dreamed of ministering since my childhood but was not equipped to speak. Like Moses, I often feel ill-equipped for ministry. At nearly forty years of age and many years past the words spoken over me, I have yet to move into ministry fully.
What changed for me was that my father died. I did not have a good relationship with him, but he died at fifty-five years old. Then, my youngest sister died from cancer. Finally, I got a mysterious illness that made my body extremely weak, and I felt as though I was going to die, too. It took over a year for me to get back to normal, but I knew I couldn’t just go back to normal. One of the desires of my heart is that I wanted to make “His name great.” I am aware He is already great without me, but I wanted to be a vessel of His glory so that people would worship God and desire Him. I wanted to be included in what God is doing in the earth.
Why CLI: Education and Training for Ministry
It has become abundantly clear that God is calling me to ministry. However, I never felt I was charismatic, gifted, or bold enough. I also feared that I would make His name foolish, which is not what I ever wanted. Further, I was afraid of looking bad and making God look bad. I wanted to make His name great before men so that they would glorify Him, serve Him, and love Him. My biggest fear was that I would be like Schindler, at the end of Schindler’s List, wishing I had helped just one more.
This is why CLI is a blessing. My past sickness placed me in a situation where I currently do not have much money. My wife and I moved to Georgia only two months ago and are still trying to get on our feet. However, I want to learn how to rightly divide the word of truth and how to express that word so that people will come to know God as He truly is. Education and training for ministry and evangelizing will allow me to move in the direction God is pulling me to. I dream pieces of what God has in store for my life, but I have to start again as a student.
Thank you, CLI, and all who contributed to this fantastic gift!
Register a Study Account
Register for a free study account, automatically enrolling you in the Getting Started Class at the Christian Leaders Learning Platform. The Getting Started class will take you less than an hour to complete.
When you log in to the Learning Platform, you will notice that the Getting Started Class automatically appears on your dashboard.
The Getting Started Class will orientate you to the Christian Leaders Learning Platform and the Programs offered, including:
- Ministry Awards, Certificates, Diplomas, and Degrees with the Christian Leaders Institute.
- Minister Credentialling (Ordination) with the Christian Leaders Alliance, including local Soul Center registration possibilities.
Note: You can enroll in tuition-free courses or mini-courses immediately without finishing the getting started class.
Find out more about women in ministry here.
