Fuzzy Theology

We often hear of prophets and our favorite Bible heroes “answering the Call” and venturing out into the wider world to bring the message of God’s love to all nations. This Call usually comes in the form of a burning bush or at the insistence of angels, or some divine voice from above. But those were ancient times, before the invention of cell phones and social media.

And even though God is timeless, He does keep up with the times.

So the Call I received happened via cell phone, late in the evening, and the voice I heard was not of some divine burning bush or choir of angels.

No, it was the Irish accent of our favorite pastor saying words I wouldn’t have dreamed of in a million years.

To set the scene, it was late in the evening on a hot summer night. One of my closest friends and I were sitting at a table, heads bent over the youth ministry calendar, as we plugged in dates and lessons, building our program together.

We had just recently been hired as part-time youth ministers and both of us had other full-time work. My friend was a teacher, and I was studying full-time to be a teacher. In addition, I had another part-time job working long nights and odd hours in retail customer service. When I look back at this era of my life, I wonder how I ever had the time to get everything done. Did I ever sleep during my 20s? It’s doubtful.

As we were working, the TV was playing quietly in the background. Some version of an alphabet crime show was on and it was set in Las Vegas, Nevada. I had never been to Las Vegas and as I half-watched the show, I made the comment, “I have absolutely no desire to go to Las Vegas.”

From the commercials and TV shows I’d seen, to the books I’d read that took place in Las Vegas, nothing about the city inspired me. I wasn’t a gambler. I wasn’t a drinker. And I had no intention of attending any of the shows Las Vegas had to offer. The only thing that minorly appealed to me were the restaurants – but not enough that I would book a plane ticket and jet off across the country.

That is until we got the phone call.

God’s mercy is infinite. His compassion knows no bounds. His love for His people is the standard by which all love should be compared.

And His sense of humor has perfect timing.

“Fuzz!” my pastor’s voice called out from the cell phone. “I just signed both of you up for an amazing opportunity. There’s a Catholic Youth Ministry conference I think you should attend.” And while I loved my pastor, he was becoming notorious for signing my friend and I up for experiences we would otherwise not have on our own. (For one them, it was how I’d ended up meeting my husband, but that’s a story for another day.)

My friend and I were suspicious of this opportunity already – we’d only just barely survived the last adventure he’d sent us on. (For more about that story, click here!)

But he was our pastor, and now he was our boss.

And spiritual guide.

He wouldn’t lead us astray. Right?

Wrong.

“The conference starts with an optional retreat – I’ve signed you up for that as well,” he continued. “There’s Daily Mass and workshops geared toward creating a lively and vibrant youth ministry program.”

Everything he was saying seemed too good to be true. There had to be some catch. “The Sisters and I might fly out and join you as well!” Wherever he was sending us couldn’t be that bad if the Sisters were coming with us.

But, as I said, God’s humor has perfect timing and as the alphabet crime show was wrapping up on the TV and the final shots of the Las Vegas strip were being shown, my pastor let the last nail drop. “The conference is in Las Vegas, Nevada!”

Thanks, God.

Welcome to my Jonah and the Whale moment.

“I’ve already booked your tickets and your hotel room.”

Like Jonah, I’d been on board with answering many of God’s Calls already. The Call to work in youth ministry. The Call to go through college to be a teacher. The Call to continue my Catholic faith through the sacrament of Confirmation. But, also like Jonah, I was being Called to somewhere uncomfortable. Somewhere challenging.

Somewhere I never dreamed my Catholic faith would take me.

After ending the call, my friend and I stared at each other with a mix of fear and worry. And, knowing that God was clearly listening to our conversation, I called out in a loud – slightly sarcastic, mildly irreverent – voice, “I have absolutely no desire to go to Rome.”

I still haven’t made it there.

The story of Jonah and the Whale is one of faith, of trusting in God, of allowing God to lead where we’re afraid to follow. But it’s also the story of transformation. It took a lot to get Jonah to where he needed to be – spreading the message of God’s mercy to the city of Ninevah. Three days stuck in a smelly fish jail was exactly what Jonah needed to take a deeper look at himself and to accept God’s Call to action.

Yes, he still had some mega-growing to do once the whale vomited him out on the shores – there were some unresolved anger issues – but the journey changed him.

“And those he predestined he also called; and those he called he also justified; and those he justified he also glorified.”

Romans 8:30

In other words, God doesn’t Call those who have all the necessary skills, or degrees, or desired personality traits. Instead, through His Call, He transforms them, equipping them for their mission through a series of trials, or journeys, or experiences.

And little did I know, but when God Called me to become a youth minister, I would walk through a similar series of trials, and experiences, and journeys.

I can tell you, I’m not the same person I was before I went to Las Vegas. For better or worse, the journey, the experience, the conference, changed me. Just as spending three days in the belly of the whale changed Jonah, and just as Jesus’ three days in the tomb changed the course of life as we know it.

When we answer God’s Call to action, our lives will never be the same.

It didn’t take three days in the belly of the whale to get me to go where God was calling me. (It was more like months of worried anticipation.) But later, I found myself in the mechanical belly of an airplane, flying across the country to start another Adventure in Youth Ministry. Stay tuned as I share the triumphs and the trials of surviving as a Catholic in Vegas.

Thank you for joining me for the start of another adventure. I would love to connect with you! You can find me on Twitter (X) @FuzzyTheology or drop a comment below. Let’s hear those Jonah and the Whale stories!

You are in my prayers!