Christian Living, Church and Ministry, Discernment, Faith, Friendship, God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, God's Will, Holy Spirit, Life Issues, Missions and Evangelism, Nigeria, Obedience, Patti Greene, Prayer, Salvation, Spiritual Connection, Uncategorized

Two Paths, One Savior: Conversations with Glory / Journey and Calling, Week 3 by Patti Greene

August 1, 2026 Patti Greene Leave a comment

Welcome to my NEW Blog Series: Two Paths, One Savior: Conversations with Glory / Journey and Calling

If you are receiving this blog via email, clicking the post title will show the best version.

About This Series: This new series shares the story of my friendship with Glory. She is Nigerian, and I am from the United States, yet God tied our hearts together in a beautiful way. We met at a Bible study in Lagos, Nigeria, and her love for Jesus was clear from the very first day.

Glory later moved to Canada, and during a recent visit, I interviewed her about her life and faith. I’ll be sharing one topic each week:

Week 1 – Our Connection and Story: greenepastures.org/two-paths-one-savior-week-1/

Week 2 – Early Life and Faith: greenepastures.org/two-paths-one-savior-conversations-with-glory-early-life-and-faithweek-2/

Week 3 – Journey and Calling – This blog
Week 4 – Singleness and Ministry – Being Single in Ministry
Week 5 – Writing and Ministry Together – Be Inspired
Week 6 – Reflection and Encouragement – Be Encouraged: You’re Not Walking Alone
Week 7 – Friendship and Connection – Enjoy Christ-Centered Friendships

GLORY’S JOURNEY AND CALLING, Week 3

Q. When did you first feel called into ministry?

A. From the time I gave my life to Jesus and through my friendship with Jonathan, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life serving God, so I knew ministry would be my life and my life would be ministry.

Q. What moments or experiences confirmed that calling for you?

A. In those early days of faith after I gave my life to Jesus, I was deeply in love with God and His Word. I was eager to share His Word and His love with everyone I met. I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life serving Him. God also gave us—God and me—the gift of healing. I would pray for people, and He would heal them. I remember friends comparing me to a well-known Christian evangelist at the time. As a new believer, I did not know much about her, but I knew she served the Lord and had a ministry marked by bold acts of faith. So yes, I looked forward to serving God for the rest of my life as a full-time minister.

Q. How has God surprised you along the way?

A. Even though I was studying engineering at the time, my dream was to serve God in full-time ministry. How God has surprised me along the way is that He made clear then that He wanted me to continue in my field as an engineer, to continue in my work while serving Him with all that I am and all that I have. It is totally different from what I had thought because I wanted to go to Bible school and go into full-time ministry, but God held me back from going to Bible school. He did not want me to go. He wanted to teach me on the path of walking with Him and how He wanted me to serve Him in the way He wanted me to serve, in the places He wanted me to serve Him. What He’s done is provide opportunities for me to serve Him through my job. My job has provided opportunities for me to travel to different parts of the world where I go to work, and I am serving God outside of the church or with people that typically will not go to church. I have been blessed with opportunities to take people who have never been to church to church for the first time. I’ve been blessed with opportunities to lead people to Christ in huddle rooms, in corporate offices. I have joined people in holy matrimony and done all kinds of things for God at work, in places where God is not typically preached. And that is not by hitting everybody on the head with the Bible, but by walking with Jesus and letting people see my walk with God and reach out to me to be a part of their life and their journey. Those are ways I have been able to serve God. Also, my work has provided me with the means to do the things God wanted me to do, like publishing my books, going on mission trips, among others, and paying for things that people typically look for others to support them with. I have been able to support myself and pay for those things without having to look for external support.

Fact:

While Glory worked full-time as an engineer, I could never describe her as someone in part-time ministry. Knowing Glory, I have seen that ministry is not something she turns on and off depending on the setting; it is woven into who she is. She carries the presence of the Lord with her into her workplace, into conversations, into ordinary routines, and even into her weekends. Her faith is not reserved for church walls. God is on her mind throughout the day, and because of that, He has used her in places where some people may never have had the opportunity, interest, or courage to attend a church service or Christian gathering. Glory’s life reminds me that ministry can happen in conference rooms, offices, work trips, casual conversations, and quiet acts of obedience. She is well respected, sincere, dependable, and hardworking, but what stands out most is her genuine love for God and her desire to let others see Him through the way she lives.

Bible Verse:

And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry (1 Timothy 1:12 NKJV).

Next Week: Singleness and Ministry

Feel free to repost, forward, or save, citing its source. And please subscribe to GreenePastures.org to receive my blogs through email.

#ChristianMinistry #Ministry #Nigerian #SecularWork #ChristianJourney #ServingGod #Engineering

———-

Books by Patti Greene

Coming Soon: Luke 2: The Christmas Story: Discover the Birth of Jesus in Scripture

Unstoppable: Go the Distance with God ISBN: 979-8284335017

Answer Me: Developing a Heart for Prayer ISBN 978-1512760453

Bible Word Search Puzzles: The Gospels ISBN 979-8218070465

Bible Word Search Puzzles: Acts and Epistles ISBN 979-8218092696

Bible Word Search Puzzles: Epistles and Revelation ISBN 979-8363612046

Christian Caregiving: Practical Advice for a Happy Ending ISBN 978-0692115381

Awaken Me: A Devotional Prayer Journal ISBN 978-1490893181

Anchor Me: Laying a Foundation in Prayer and Bible Study ISBN 978-1490893174

Bible Study, Christian Living, Church and Ministry, Discernment, Faith, God's Will, GreenePastures.org, How to Guides, Obedience, Patti Greene, Prayer, Spiritual Gifts, Wisdom

A Small Beginning, A Faithful God by Patti Greene

August 1, 2026 Patti Greene Leave a comment

If you are receiving this blog via email, clicking the post title will show the best version.

Sometimes God begins His work in the smallest, quietest ways. I recently wrote an article for The Baptist Standard about one of those moments, and how the Lord wove His faithfulness through it all. If you need a reminder that God is present in the little things, this may bless you today.

Voices: A small beginning, a faithful God

Over the past five years, I have had the privilege of watching God do what only he can do. I’ve watched it through a Bible study we started in our subdivision.

I am not sharing this story to highlight my role, because this Bible study did not begin through human planning or strength. I am sharing it because remembering God’s faithfulness helps us see his heart more clearly.

Looking back on what he has done among us changes the way we view ministry. It reminds us God often begins with something small, quiet, and ordinary and then breathes life into it.

A testimony of God’s faithfulness

The Bible study in our subdivision began with a simple desire to open God’s word with others. From the beginning, it was unmistakably a work of God. He gathered people, opened hearts, built community, answered prayers, and sustained us through seasons we never expected. He did it all in ways no one could take credit for.

As we look back, we see his grace. People have come to faith in Christ. Hearts have opened to Scripture for the first time. Those who once felt unsure or intimidated by the Bible have developed a hunger for it. Many of the ladies have grown deeper in their walk with Jesus, finding strength, comfort, and direction in his word.

One of the sweetest surprises has been watching people fall in love with the Old Testament. Books they once skipped or did not understand have become treasured parts of their faith. God has shown us every page of Scripture reveals his voice, his character, and his promises.

Through it all, God has never failed to provide a place for us to meet. Whether in homes, community spaces, or borrowed rooms, he has opened doors. He has given us places to gather, learn, pray, and share meals. He has provided what we needed, often before we knew we needed it.

Friendships have formed—sweet, unexpected, lasting friendships. People who weren’t connected to a church are now worshiping faithfully. Some have found church homes for the first time in years, while others have returned after long seasons away. God has used this study to gently draw people back into fellowship with his people.

Ladies’ prayers have been answered in ways only God could arrange. We have prayed for healing, direction, comfort, provision, and reconciliation. Time after time, God has shown himself faithful. Sometimes the answers came quickly, sometimes slowly, and sometimes in ways we did not expect—but they came.

We have walked with one another through loss. We have said goodbye to people we loved. We have watched others endure illness, grief, family struggles, and financial challenges, yet remain standing—not because the road was easy, but because God walked with them, and we walked together.

For many, the Bible has become alive and real. It has moved from being a book on a shelf to a daily companion, a source of strength, and a place of refuge. People are reading it with new eyes, a deeper understanding, and fresh joy.

Care groups began and multiplied. What started as a simple gathering of 12 has grown into a network of people who care for one another, check in, pray, help, and encourage. Servant leaders have stepped forward. People are quietly helping people—not for recognition, but because they love the Lord and his people.

And there is so much more God has done that we may never see or hear about. Ministry often happens behind the scenes: in private conversations, quiet prayers, small acts of kindness, and unseen sacrifices. Even when we do not see it, we know God is moving. He has been moving all along.

Reflecting on five years

Five years of grace.
Five years of growth.
Five years of God’s faithfulness.

As I reflect on these years, I believe our story can encourage any ministry, anywhere. God works through simple obedience. He blesses gatherings centered on his word. He grows ministries that make room for new, seasoned, hurting, and curious believers. He honors humility, faithfulness, and love.

Other ministries can take heart in these reminders:

Keep Scripture at the center. God honors his word.
Stay humble and flexible. He will provide the place, people, and timing.
Let relationships grow naturally. Ministry often grows through quiet friendships.
Expect God to work behind the scenes. Much of his work happens where no one is looking.
Trust him in hard seasons. Loss, change, and challenges do not stop his work; they often deepen it.
Make room for all kinds of people. God brings exactly whom he wants to bring.
Let God set the pace. Ministry grows best when we follow his lead rather than forcing our own.

If our story says anything, it is this: When God begins something, he sustains it. When his people gather around his word, he does more than we could plan, predict, or take credit for. When we stay small in our own eyes, he shows himself great.

This five-year story is not about us. It is about him—his kindness, provision, wisdom, timing, people, word, and glory.

May every ministry—large or small, new or established—be encouraged to trust God with the unseen, the unexpected, and the ordinary. He delights in taking simple beginnings and turning them into testimonies of his faithfulness.

To him be all the glory.

Patti Greene is a graduate of Baylor University and Dallas Baptist University, a member of a Texas Baptist church in Houston, and the author of several books. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.

Bible Verse: You are my friends if you do what I command. John 15:14

Prayer: Lord, help me to be prepared to hear Your voice when You speak to me. May Your wisdom guide me into all truth, and make me honor You in all I do.

Feel free to repost, forward, or save. And please subscribe to GreenePastures.org to receive blogs by Patti Greene.

Books by Patti Greene