Rethinking Calling
YouthDownSouth interviews
Major John Needham, a Salvation Army
officer and the Divisional Commander of
the Kentucky-Tennessee Division.
YDS:
Please tell
us a little bit about yourself – in
particular please tell us your
testimony.
JN:
I was fortunate enough to be born into a
family where grace and truth were the
elements from which our nest was
feathered. The Salvation Army became my
church home and my relationship to God
was a family affair. Then at the age of
15, I became aware of the fact that I
really had no relationship with God
because of my sinfulness. Fortunately, I
had always desired to be close to God,
so when it became apparent that I had to
surrender my life fully to Jesus, a
sense of brokenness and helplessness
came over me. I cried out for God to
come heal me and to make me whole. He
did not hesitate but acted in that
moment. I began to feel my life getting
in sync with who I was created to be. A
beautiful relationship has resulted,
seeing me through all the stages of my
life thus far.
YDS: Why are you a member of The
Salvation Army?
JN:
Salvationists can’t hide. I like to keep
my relationship with Jesus subdued, but
being in the SA forces me to live it
publically. The
Army is very mission-focused and this
helps me to continually walk
in the Spirit.
YDS:
How did you first come into contact with
the SA?
JN: Fifth
generation birth…it’s in the blood.
YDS:
What do you believe it means to “be
called”?
JN:
Sanctification means “being called out”
by God for his plan. It is a mission
term describing how God puts his
disciples in action, gifting and
empowering them through the Holy Spirit.
It begins with an inner-God work which
equips each follower to become a witness
and messenger. Each calling is unique as
each follower is unique. The similarity
of every calling is that it requires
faithfulness and obedience for our
respective callings to become fruitful
in the body of Christ and in the world
for which he died.
YDS:
Do you believe that you are called?
JN:
Absolutely. My calling is where I find
my life in Christ.
YDS:
What are your top five Salvationists of
all time?
JN:
Joseph Korbel, Yen, Elisabeth Cottrill,
Dorothy Langston,
Arnold Brown
YDS: If
you were to give words of advice to a
young adult to figure out what God wants
him/her to do in life, what would you
say?
JN:
(I’m assuming that the word “trip” is
not meant to be there) Every individual
must discern how their life can
contribute to Jesus’ mission, or what
early Salvationists called the
“Salvation War”, and contribute in the
way blessed by God. To live a blessed
life is more about what we give God
rather than what He gives us. Therefore,
my advice to anyone seeking God’s will
for their life is:
*Read
Scripture about those whose lives were
blessed by God and draw parallels for
your own life
*Pray by
request to God to close and open doors
of opportunity, breaking your heart when
necessary.
*Speak to
wise counselors to see if they confirm
Scripture and Prayer direction.
*Step out
in faith with accountability guards,
evaluating whether that direction
deepens your spiritual connectivity to
God and the world
*Take into
consideration the contribution of
“wilderness” experiences and don’t
over-inflate the value of
mega-production.
* Finally,
daily ask God if he is pleased with the
compass reading of your life. If he is,
nothing else really matters.
YDS:
What ultimately lead you to the
profession you are in today?
JN:
Running from officership actually helped
me to discover it in God’s timing. Many
young Salvationists are annoyed by the
presumption of others that they should
be officers. Just be careful it’s not
God’s presumption too.
YDS:
What is the most successful thing you
have accomplished as a professional?
JN:
Remained faithful to my wife for 35
years, with a little help from my
friends.
YDS:
What is your take on ministry as it
relates to your career?
JN:
As an officer, I am a minister of the
gospel of Jesus Christ. The development
of my officership from commissioning to
present day has increased my capacity to
love others as Jesus loves them. There
are some times when career comes into
tension with ministry, and I thank God
that he has always given me clear
guidance and excellent motivation to
make the right choice.
YDS: What
is your favorite Scripture verse?
JN: “I press on to take hold of
that for which Christ Jesus took hold of
me.” Phil. 3:12b
YDS:
If you could give words of wisdom to our
readers, what would you say?
JN:
When you have negative consequences, let
the Spirit guide you back through the
steps/actions which didn’t work so that,
in the future, you can avoid those
negative consequences again.
 |
John
and Marty Needham are Salvation
Army officers serving
as the Divisional Leaders for the Kentucky and Tennessee
Division in the Southern Territory USA. They have been
married for 34 years and have three children: Stephanie
Anne, with husband Chad and children Rex, Caroline, and
Clay; Christopher Thomas; and Jonathan Lee. |
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