Ordained Deacon Minister Story
Ordained Deacon Minister Story
Robert Roethke is my name and I have an Ordained Deacon Minister story. I am a 65-year-old disabled veteran retired from 20 years of military service. My wife has been my love and my inspiration for 37 plus years and we are still counting. We have one daughter, one special needs son, and one grandson. My wife and I are both from large families. Both families came from the same neighborhood located in NE Minneapolis. Getting together and sharing a meal is the best. Norfolk, VA was my last duty station location. Upon retiring from the Navy, we packed up our belongings and relocated back to Minnesota.
I am a disciple of Jesus Christ with Catholic and Baptist roots. I have chosen to live out my life answering God’s call and am committed to know, love, and serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Early Life and Conversion
I am the seventh of eight children. I was born in August of 1953. My mother came from a strict Roman Catholic family and my dad was raised Baptist. He converted to Catholicism in order to marry my mother. I was baptized at an early age. I grew up immersed in the Catholic faith and tradition.
I drifted away from Catholicism in my late teens. I followed the New Age movement for some time into my twenties. My wife and I met in 1980. We were married shortly thereafter and started a family. I joined the military in 1984. That was something I thought I would never do. Midway through my career, I took orders to Norfolk, VA. I was invited into a Baptist church and before long was singing in an adult choir. That was another thing I thought I would never do. The Lord had led my family into a safe haven of love and support. We became members of Ocean View Baptist Church. Those were challenging times raising a special needs family but the Lord provided. It was at Ocean View Baptist that I was called forward and rededicated my life to Jesus Christ. Shortly thereafter my wife and I chose to be immersed in Believer’s Baptism.
Calling to Ministry
Being around a bunch of Baptist men influenced my desires and behavior tremendously. Many were Deacons. They taught me how to act. They taught me why to pray and we studied Holy Scripture. I relished their fellowship. I grew quite fond of those men. Eventually, I too became an Ordained Deacon. I taught Sunday School. I led small study groups during naval deployments. I made visitations to the elderly in their homes and at care facilities. I can now look back at that time and realize as broken as I was, God could still use a sinner like me.
Ministry Training Journey
My ministry journey has become my life, that of knowing God’s purpose for my life and then living it to the utmost. When I found Jesus and experienced what cannot be seen and what cannot be heard, my life truly became an adventure.
I have always been comfortable being in a learning environment. After I retired from the service I jumped at the opportunity to go back to school. I took advantage of the VA and Minnesota GI-Bills to finance continuing education and ministry training. I began by completing an Associate’s Degree (AA) in liberal arts at Century College. At Bethel University, I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Christian Ministry (BCM). I went on to complete a Master’s Degree in Theological Studies (MATS) at the Northwestern University of St. Paul (2014). Because my GI Bill financial assistance ran out I chose not to pursue a Masters of Divinity (MDiv) degree at that time. By successfully completing my MATS, I kept the door open to pursue a degree in divinity.
CLI (One Step at a Time)
Led by the Holy Spirit, I found that door and walked through it. God’s timing is impeccable. There before me was the Christian Leaders Institute (CLI). Praise God! I can’t say enough good things about this school. The more I study the more I am convinced that CLI is what it claims to be. That is why I have become a vision partner. Its design as online training makes it incredibly convenient. Its no cost/ low-cost ministry programs have enabled me to move forward with my training. Thank you, Henry Reyenga, and praise God.
I find the curriculum to be challenging and refreshing. CLI’s ministry training has been very valuable to me. The majority of my studies are pertinent to the current events in my life. I learn and then put to practice what I have learned, beginning sometimes the same day.
I love to fish. I fish the bottom a lot. So what is my CLI bottom line? CLI has given me the opportunity to live out my God-given call! To know, love, and serve the Lord. I’m hooked on CLI for sure. What a catch!
Ordained Deacon Minister Story
Becoming and maintaining my position as an Ordained Deacon Minister with Christian Leaders Alliance is extremely important to me. It is a vital step towards the center of my ever-growing relationship with Jesus Christ. Because I have chosen to follow my Lord and Savior, my service falls under His Lordship. “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be…..” (John 12:26 NIV)
God led me to Christian Leaders Institute. The Lord’s work at times is arduous. In order to follow and to serve, I know the necessity to be properly trained and conditioned for duty. There is an intense war going on within me. God wants me healed and sanctified. I was born with a need to be trained in a learning environment. CLI has become my training of choice.
Continued Ministry
The Holy Spirit has committed me to God with ordination. The vows I took during my ordination ceremony laid out the importance of carrying my cross and having a Christ-like mind. I have been set apart, being ordained to spiritual leadership. This is why the Holy Spirit calls me to stay connected with Him in my ordained deacon minister story.
I have been committed to God’s grace. Being spiritually charged has enabled me to make decisions on faith, enabling the appropriation of God’s resources. It is only when I am spiritually connected in Christ can I serve the Lord as a strong spiritual leader. Ordination has set my path straight. I look forward to having a deeper, more intimate relationship with my Lord.
“Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32).
There have been many opportunities of service for me to choose from. The Lord has kept me close to home. My wife has suffered from chronic pain for years. Being my wife’s personal care attendant is my front and foremost ministry. “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink… I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me…” (Matthew 25:35-36 NIV)“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)
I belong to a Christian men’s study group. We have been meeting every Saturday for years now, studying scripture and discussing how its lessons apply to our lives and our relationship with Jesus. Several months ago I became a Licensed Minister Officiate. I will be officiating when my sister and her fiancé marry this coming September. Recently I was asked to officiate a memorial service for my brother-in-law’s only child. Beginning next month, several church members and I will begin a new ministry called “Hands and Feet.” We will be making home and hospital visits as a group, for those in need. Not to forget I have chosen to become a CLI advocate and enjoy every minute of telling people about all the opportunities that CLI offers. If you study at CLI, you will learn how to live, trust me. What I do is not as important as how I do it. Ordination keeps me focused on my training on my ordained deacon minister story and journey.
Conclusion
My life had a distinct beginning that God created on my behalf. “Knowing my life in Christ” is living my life as His servant. “Living my life as His servant” has become my part in God’s ministry. Truly knowing and living my life as God’s servant has become my calling. Wherever there are people there are opportunities to serve the Lord and His creation. Wherever there are people there is always the need to love. Loving the Lord and His people is a ministry, and I can’t minister without knowing the Lord.
Prayer Requests
1. I ask you to pray for me, specifically for perseverance with the changes that I’m going through.
2. Pray that I grow more adept at maintaining an awareness of our Lord’s presence.
3. Pray that I stay connected with the Holy Spirit, to be His good student.
4. Pray that I have the courage and confidence to share Jesus with the ones I love and the ones I am about to meet.
