What does a “life on mission” really look like?
We hear this phrase or one like it regularly in Christian circles. But, what does it really look like? It is different for each follower of Christ, depending on your gifts and talents, but there should be some underlying similarities that we find in scripture. I also believe a “life on mission” changes as we age, grow, and follow Christ. We all know the Great Commission, but do we live it out or just recite it with our mouths? “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age’” (Matthew 28:18-20).
So, how has this looked in my own life? I share this brief testimony not to brag on myself or my family, but simply to spur on others with encouragement, ideas, and an illustration of the many different ways God can use one person over the course of time. Let God show you where and how you can live on mission for Him in your own life.
Hank and I have been married for 26 years. We have ministered in a variety of ways through the years. Early in our marriage, he was in the military and I was in school. We ministered by serving in the youth group at our church as leaders and on the praise and worship team. After he got out of the military, we moved back home to Oklahoma and started a family. He became a full-time youth minister and I was a teacher. For a short time, I ran a teen center during the day between teaching jobs.
Several years later, Hank and I felt called to start a church plant through the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. We moved to Yukon and started a church in our home with Hank as the lead pastor. We eventually expanded and settled into a storefront in downtown Yukon. We stepped out in 2016, but that church still remains active today. I became a principal and we fostered children through our church and DHS. We also started a low-income apartment ministry in the area, taking church to the people at several different apartment complexes.
In 2020, several of our friends at CRBC and the surrounding area began the OKC Unit of Hellfighters Motorcycle Ministries. We’ve been able to connect, learn, and grow with some amazing people through this ministry. I wrote about this ministry in a blog for CRBC Women that was posted in August 2022 and titled Called to Something New. You can learn more about it there!
In 2022, God called me out of education and into the unknown for a bit. Less than a year ago I was called to be CEO of House of Healing, a 25-acre Christ-centered horse ranch that works with teens to build their confidence, self worth, and hope utilizing horses and other animals. We sold our home, moved onto the property, and have focused on growing our programs here. We’ve doubled the number of teens we connect with weekly and have seen salvations, baptisms, and spiritual growth in so many during the past year. You can learn more about the ministry at www.house-of-healing.org or on our social media pages. We have a Hope and Heart Night fundraiser for House of Healing coming up on October 24, 2023 from 6:00-9:00 pm at Chicken N Pickle. If you’d like more information please visit our website or message me. We operate completely on donations from people who want to see true life change in young people.
We didn’t have horse experience when we took over this ministry, but God…He has a plan for each and every one of us. If we will trust Him with the process He will equip us for the calling He places in our lives. He is faithful to do so. I can promise that. I thank Him daily for all of the ways we’ve been able to minister through the years. Living “life on mission” has looked different along the way. Sometimes it is scary. Sometimes it is difficult. Some phases are longer than others. But they have all been a blessing. Let me end by encouraging you to live on mission for Jesus in your everyday activities. Connect with people. Share Jesus with them. Help them grow in their relationship with the One True God. As Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Meet the authors!
Twylla Hester and her husband, Hank, love Jesus, CRBC, their connections class, Hellfighters Motorcycle Ministry, and House of Healing. They have two adult children, a son-in-law, one son in high school, and over 40 animals. She enjoys working with teens and adults through their ministry opportunities at this stage of life. While she has her Ed.D. in education, she now utilizes her experiences to connect others to Christ.