Maintaining a Heart for Ministry with Quina Aragon
On today’s episode of the Journeywomen podcast, I’m chatting with Quina Aragon about maintaining a heart for ministry. We talked about everything from our own fears in ministry to how the gospel encourages us in the ministry the Lord has set before us.
So you’ll know her a little better, Quina is a wife, mother, and artist who enjoys copyediting, creating spoken word videos, and writing intermittently for The Gospel Coalition and The Witness BCC. She lives in Tampa, Florida, and is a member of Living Faith Bible Fellowship where she serves as a small group ministry leader. Quina’s first children’s book is set to release in February 2019 by Harvest House Publishers, so be on the lookout for that!
I am so thankful for Quina’s encouragement to seek to glorify God in whatever ministry he has set before us. If you want to talk more about the topic of maintaining a heart for ministry, you can hop over to @journeywomenpodcast on Instagram or Facebook. A huge thanks to Chris Mann of podshapter who edited this week’s episode! It’s such a joy to get to journey with you guys. Can’t wait to see you here, next Monday! Have a great week!
Can you tell us a little about who you are and what you do?
When did you get into women's ministry? Why?
What has encouraged you in your own personal ministry? What motivates you?
How does the gospel encourage us in whatever ministry God has set before us?
What example does Jesus offer us in ministry?
Often, when things get hard, we question whether or not we're doing what we "should" be doing when it comes to ministry. Have you ever wrestled with this? What truths do you cling to in these moments?
What do you do, practically, to ensure that you are walking in obedience and that you actually are using your God-given gifts for God's glory?
How can we maintain a heart for ministry when we face extreme discouragement, betrayal, or when we feel like a failure?
What are some important checks and balances we might consider practicing to ensure that our ministry itself hasn't become idolatry?
What is our ultimate goal in ministry? What is the joy in engaging in ministry?
THREE QUESTIONS I ASK EVERY GUEST
What 3 resources would you recommend for someone who wants to grow in this area?
What are your 3 simple joys?
Who has had the greatest impact on your own journey with Jesus?
NOTEWORTHY QUOTES
“In light of the gospel, in light of this crazy amount of mercy that God has shown you in Christ, it just makes sense that you should offer your whole life to him as an act of worship.The gospel proclamation leads to action.”
“Because of the resurrection of Christ, our resurrection is sure to come. Which then makes all of our work here and now and all of our work in the Lord not in vain. It’s like a diamond with many cuts. You turn it in the light and you see different angles of how the gospel speaks to every different reality.”
“The gospel is the good news that God Almighty, this holy, perfect, righteous, eternal God, has chosen to show unbelievable kindness and love to his enemies, which is us, by punishing our sin in the body of his own beloved Son, Jesus. The gospel is the good news that Jesus, who is the holy, perfect, righteous son of God, laid his life down to make his enemies, us, his friends. And, of course, that Jesus didn’t just lay his life down, but that he picked it up again in the greatest miracle of all time, his resurrection.”
“Now, having the Holy Spirit, Jesus has enabled us to live a persevering faith.”
“I am the same as Herod when I pursue ministry as a way to be recognized or praised. Ultimately, it is a mask to steal God’s glory. Our pride is saying, ‘I would rather the son of God, the true king, die, so that I don’t have to let go of my idol of self’.”
“We love formulas. And then when we look at Ecclesiastes, for example, he just smashes the idea of formulas. Loving formulas is really to say we love being strong. We love being strong in ourselves. God is a champion of the weak. We always wrestle with that, but when we are that and we do see him be our strength, it’s something that is priceless and we wouldn't trade for anything.”
“The ultimate goal in ministry is to proclaim Jesus: his character, who he is, what he’s done. Secondly, it’s to warn and teach everyone with the wisdom of God’s word.”
QUINA'S RESOURCES FOR MAINTAINING A HEART FOR MINISTRY
Listen & Live TGCW Spoken Word Short Film
The Call by Os Guiness
Help Me Teach the Bible Podcast with Nancy Guthrie
Read Biographies (currently reading about Frederick Douglass)
Journeywomen Soul Playlist - releasing today!
OTHER RESOURCES
Spoken Word by Quina Aragon
QUINA'S SIMPLE JOYS
Dancing to the Coco soundtrack with her two-year-old daughter
Words With Friends with her Grandma
Running
IMPORTANT NOTE
Journeywomen interviews are intended to serve as a springboard for continued study in the context of your local church. While we carefully select guests each week, interviews do not imply Journeywomen's endorsement of all writings and positions of the interviewee or any other resources mentioned.
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