Hello, my name is Shane Wolf. Many of you already know me. But, for those who do not, allow me to share a bit about myself and God’s work in my life. It all began when a high school friend of mine invited me to stay over at his house one Saturday evening. The only condition was that I would attend church with him the next day. Though no one in my family was Christian, none of them were outspokenly against it. Overall, I saw no benefit or harm by attending my friend’s church if it meant we got to hangout and play video games. Through my friend’s kindness and pursuit of friendship in my life, I ended up attending his church more regularly.
During this time, I began to connect truths of the Bible with my own life. I saw the brokenness of who I was and my need for Christ. Then, one day it felt like a switch was flipped and the light of my soul was lit. Since then I have never found myself apart from Him. After graduation, I would move from my small town to the Tempe area. A couple of friends who were going to ASU and I decided to try out Church on Mill. We immediately found a connection with the college group and felt welcomed by the church body. I have been going here ever since, though now I am nearly 30 and married.
During my time here at Church on Mill, God has changed me and continues to do so. Early in my faith and my time here, I left to join the Navy. As a new believer I was separated from my community and experienced tragedy that I still struggle with today. Through this time, however, I came to have a better understanding of God’s sovereignty in my life. I also found a new appreciation for my church family. Without my church family, there would have been no one to share the wisdom of their experience or scriptural knowledge.
I mentioned before that God has never stopped working to change my heart. Over the years at church, I have grown in my love for his people and in my love to serve them for His glory. I find that serving people is the most natural way in which I can honor God. Though I was not always good at this nor am I still, I trust that God uses me as He intends and that His will is better than my own.
This brings me to when I was asked to take on a role as deacon. When I was first asked, my initial thought was to wonder if I was qualified. You would think after all this time of God reminding me of His control that such a question would not be asked—yet there I was, fretting over it. Therefore, I did what any Christian faced with such a question does. I prayed and sought wisdom in Scripture and in my brothers and sisters. Through prayer, scripture, family, and the deacon class, God continues to break down my own reservations. I believe God is calling me to this position because He knows the ways in which it may allow me to honor him and to continue to pursue what it means to be Christian.
