I'm Not Here To Empty The Trash . . .

I’ll never forget my first day of seminary. 

God called me to begin preparing for ministry just about the time I began thinking I’d be able to retire from my career in a few years. At first I tried to ignore it, but it quickly became clear that God’s plan for me didn’t involve fishing every day—well, at least not in the way I thought of fishing at the time.

So I enrolled in seminary to begin preparing for this unknown and undefined mission God seemed to be pointing me towards. I was fifty-two years old when I walked into that first class—and I was late, which was very unusual for me. Every head turned when I walked in, and every student in that class was a fresh-faced twenty-something.  I remember thinking I have kids older than these kids. 

I walked across the back of the room to find a place to sit, and suddenly, the instructor stopped and looked at me.  “We’re going to be in here until 9 or so. I’d prefer it if you would come back and clean the room after we’re done.” 

I was a little confused, and then it soaked in.  He thinks I'm the janitor!

Here I was, answering what I believed was a divine call to ministry at an age when most people are planning retirement, and before I even get started I get mistaken for the custodian.  Everyone had a good laugh when they found out I was a student!

I know this is the way God often works. Moses had a speech impediment and became the spokesperson for a nation. Peter was impulsive and hot-headed, yet he became the rock Jesus built the church on. And me? I was a middle-aged guy who apparently looked more maintenance than ministerial.     

Faith isn't about looking the part. It's about going where you're called, even when it looks nothing like you imagined. And maybe I looked more like I was there to empty the trash, but I was actually there to be filled with the knowledge I'd need for a mission God hadn’t even shown me yet.

I thought seminary was the destination, but it was just the beginning. Over the next few years, every aspect of my comfortable and predictable life would be turned upside-down. And looking back, I realize that maybe where I’ve wound up was God’s intended destination for me all along.  And perhaps my whole life has been an exercise in preparing me with what I needed for the mission God had planned for me ahead. It makes me wonder.

I’ve learned a lot of lessons about faith from my non-conventional, sometimes crazy, and always messy life. I’ve learned to watch for what God is doing in my life. I preach about that often, and it's such an important lesson about faith, because we often miss it if we're not looking for it.

I have so many examples of lessons I've learned, I've decided to share them. It’s been a long time since I published a book. “No Ordinary Days” will be my first book in more than a dozen years. It didn't start as a book. I started writing down stories after my father passed in 2024 for my two daughters, and I realized the story that was emerging was more about faith than family history.

Look for updates here, but “No Ordinary Days” is tentatively scheduled for release Fall of 2026.

~Pastor Todd Creason