Dr. Rondy Smith

My call into full-time ministry came as a complete surprise to me.  In the midst of a very  rewarding career as a Professor and Administrator at Trevecca Nazarene University and Management Consultant to a host of clients, God began speaking to my heart through a series of in-depth bible studies that I was engaged in.  He was so gentle and patient with me as He began a process of prying my hands open...to let go of my own dreams for myself because He was dreaming bigger dreams for me!It took a period of six years from the first planting of the seed in my mind to the completion of the calling.  I believe that God sometimes does His best work slowly!  He used that season to prepare me in ways I never could have imagined.

 Here are some of the subtle, yet challenging messages I received from the LORD as I studied His Word from the fall of 1994 until the fall of 2000.  Like Mary, I "treasured up all these things and pondered them in my heart" (Luke 2:19).

• Hebrews 11:24-27 "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter.  He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.  He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.  By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the King's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible."And God's question to me was, "Would you be willing to leave your life of position and prestige to be a deliverer of my people?"
• Genesis 12:1 "The LORD had said to Abram, 'Leave your country, your people, and your father's household and go to the land I will show you."And God's question to me was, "Are you willing to leave your comfort zone behind and go to another place I have picked out for you?"
• Romans 1:1-17 "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the Gospel of God."  I knew in my heart those words weren't just about Paul...and when I reached verse 6, "And you also are among those who are called..." I heard "and you also, Rondy Smith, are among those who are called..."  And then when I reached verse 16, my heart was pricked."I am not ashamed of the Gospel..."I knew then, I was a called woman of God destined for full-time ministry.

That six year journey culminated in a year of wrestling with the LORD over this call.  Finally, after a very difficult year of no peace in my life, Jesus took me so sweetly to Isaiah 48:18 "If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea."  WOW!  Rest comes in obedience!!  That is my personal testimony about rest...find it in obedience to God's Word and His Call.  I continue to rest in the knowledge and experience that the only place I am safe is in the center of God's will.