When God gives you a vision to step out in faith and launch a ministry it can be both exciting and scary at the same time.  When I left the comfort of a corporate position to start Engage Media Partners, one of my mentors sent me a meme of a dog literally flying through an open gate with his ears pinned back.  The caption read, “Live Like Someone Left the Gate Open!” 

In my new venture I would be a part of teams that reached millions and spread the Gospel around the world through movies!  What an incredible time.  However, It did not come without a cost. Here are a few things you will run into when you trust the Lord and jump without knowing exactly where you will land.

1.     There are people who will not be happy about you leaving and there are people who will not be happy about where you are going.  It doesn’t mean they are bad people, or their intentions are misguided.  It just means that everyone has a different perspective.  You have to do what God calls you to do.  Seek trustworthy, God-centered wisdom from mentors, friends, and scripture – and go.

2.     There are no guarantees.  In scripture God called many men to ministry and from an earthly perspective they failed.  From a Kingdom perspective their names have been forever chronicled in scripture and some stand in the hall of faith!  Success is relative.  You will have successes and failures.  Keep your eyes on the Kingdom and realize the story you are adding a chapter to is much bigger than your life and goes far beyond your lifetime.

3.      Every day is an opportunity to succeed.  Keep your eyes focused on the windshield not the review mirror.  Do the hard things first.  Make sure to do at least one thing that will help you take the next step toward your goals before getting caught in managing your to do list.  Start the day with the Lord and let him guide you. He got you into this, allow Him to take the lead.  Remember that you don’t really know where you are going, God has the directions to the destination!

From my personal experience I trust God more now than I ever have.  My family has all we ever need.  I have the best business partner in the world with a heart for serving the church.  Our team at Engage Media Partners is simply world class.  Every day we have challenges and every day we have opportunities.  What I am certain of is that every day we have Him!

In the movie Castaway there is a great example of how to approach every day.  Chuck Noland a Fed Ex Employee (played by Tom Hanks) went down in a plane crash and was stranded on a deserted island for years.  Many days he would wake up to FedEx packages floating onto the shore from the wreckage of the plane.  The packages were often what he needed and always something that might give him hope or reason to look toward tomorrow.  When he was rescued and had to start life all over again a friend asked him, “What are your plans now?”  He said, “So now I know what I have to do. I have to keep breathing. And tomorrow the sun will rise, and who knows what the tide will bring in.” 

If God is calling you, head for open borders.

Keep breathing, trust God, and live like someone left the gate open!  And…who knows what the tide will bring in.

Jason Ellerbrook – President and Owner – Engage Media Partners