Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Glimpses of God's Hand Throughout Life

My name is Seth Watson, and I am the Young Adult Flock Pastor at New Covenant Bible Church. I look forward to meeting and getting to know you better. One of my core values is authenticity, so in that spirit I want to share my story with you.

Growing Up
I grew up going to Sunday School, Sunday Worship, Sunday night events, and Wednesday night kids programs because my dad is a pastor. I grew up as the oldest of five siblings. When I was around eight years old I prayed with my parents to trust Jesus as my Savior. At this point my childish-faith was largely about “not going to hell” when I died. But the summer of my last year of elementary school I went to summer camp and there made a decision to follow after Jesus in a real way. This was a spiritually rich time of life for me. However, when I got to Jr. High things became more difficult. Living for Jesus was definitely not a popular thing to do at my Jr. High. So I struggled and finally decided that I would pursue popularity and acceptance at almost any cost. I turned to sports, music, and friends in order to gain the acceptance that I craved and I did well, for a while.
   
A Painful Season
In my junior year of high school, life was good. I was starting on the varsity football team, exactly where I wanted to be. I was dating a popular girl. But the Lord had other plans for me. I got sick, lost 25 pounds, and couldn’t finish the football season. In the off-season I hurt my back which led to a very disappointing senior football season. The god of football had been ripped out of my life. Just a few months after that season ended, the girlfriend who also had been an idol in my life broke up with me - another idol gone. I didn’t get the ACT score or the scholarship I wanted. Disappointment and frustration were mounting in my heart. Looking back I can see God’s hand in all of it. He would not allow other things to be idols in my life.

A Simple Invitation
So heading into college I was at a place of openness to the Lord again. I went to Wayne State College, majoring in pre-medicine. The Campus Crusade for Christ group helped me and the other freshmen move into our dorms. One of the movers invited me to a Crusade meeting and that simple invitation altered the course of my life. I went, and kept on going. That winter I rededicated my life to Jesus at the Denver Christmas Conference. But I still had my plan of becoming a doctor. Over the course of the next couple of years, the Lord began to make it clear that medicine was not what He had for me.

Our Story
At the same time I met Rebecca and we began dating. I interned with my dad at my home church working with the youth for a summer.  It was at this time that I began to feel the Lord leading me to pursue full-time ministry. So Rebecca and I got engaged (2004) and were married (2005). I finished college (2006) and started working as a youth pastor at our church in Wayne, Nebraska. Both Rebecca and I felt the Lord calling us to seminary for further ministry preparation. So in July 2007 we packed up all our earthly belongings, said a tearful goodbye to our friends and family, and drove 12 hours south to Dallas Theological Seminary. We met great friends and grew a lot during our time there. I graduated in May 2011 after four years of study.

Coming to Iowa
We visited New Covenant in January 2011 and were amazed at the healthy family of growing disciples that we found here. After a week of reflection and prayer the Lord made it clear that New Covenant was where He was calling us to be. So, here we are in Cedar Rapids. We enjoy hanging out with friends, being a part of what God is doing in people's lives, watching good movies, reading, drinking coffee, taking walks with our daughters, Annabelle, Abby, and Ellie, and lots of other things. I look forward to meeting you and serving alongside of you here at New Covenant. My email is seth.watson@newcovenantbible.org.

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