If I’ve not gotten the chance to meet you yet, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lori Cramer, and I’m a daughter of the King. That’s really all you need to know about me. But if you insist on having more details, here are just a few of the things that make me “me”:
- I married the most wonderful man in the world, Jordan Cramer
- I love to exercise
- I love vegetables
- I enjoy DIY crafts and projects
- I love coffee, chocolate, and ice cream
Enough about me…back to the King I belong to. Scripture tells us over and over again that our King is good and that He pours out blessings on his children. So, allow me to tell you how I’ve been richly blessed by that King.
Most recently, I was blessed to join the staff of Long Hollow Baptist Church as the Women’s Ministry Assistant. This has been a prayer four years in the works. On October 21, 2010 I surrendered to the Lord’s calling on my life to full-time ministry. At the time, I had a vague idea of what I imagined it would be like. I desired to work with adults in the areas of discipleship, relationships, and evangelism. After much prayer, I decided that my next step was to pursue my Masters of Christian Education at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. In December of 2011, after completing a semester of school, I met the man who would become my husband (who is pursuing a Masters of Divinity at Southeastern). We were married in May 2013. I chose to postpone my degree and worked full-time, while my husband continued in school and also worked full-time. At the time, I felt like I was walking away or that somehow I was letting God down by not moving forward in my pursuit of full-time ministry. Now, let me go ahead and tell you that God is not dependent on my performance. This is a lesson that I am continually learning in my adult life. A performance-driven pursuit of Christ is not a pursuit of Christ at all. In fact, it makes life about me and not about Jesus, which (turns out) is idolatry. I know that the Lord has promised to be faithful to what He says, but somehow I still felt like it was up to me to be successful in chasing my dream of ministry. But I digress…
In late July of 2014, my husband was offered a job with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention) in Nashville, TN. We moved on August 2 and started a new adventure. One of the things he told me during our move was “Lori, I want you to find a job that you want and love to do.” Naturally, I thought “Well, that’s ministry, but how on earth is that going to happen? I haven’t finished my degree and I don’t have any connections where we’re going.” Had I forgotten how big of a God I serve, and that I was certain He had called me to ministry? Thankfully, because He is faithful and good, he began to show me how the pieces of my story began to come together.
Long story short, I found out that Long Hollow was hiring for the women’s ministry assistant position and applied as soon as I was aware of it. In His sovereign plan, he blessed my socks off with this position. Not because of anything I had done or how awesome I was, but because HE is good, and HE is faithful, and HE is gracious. He answered a prayer that was four years in the making. He has blown my mind with how amazing He is.
My favorite verses in the Bible are Ephesians 3:20-21, which says, “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to HIM be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.”
I am excited to journey with you precious ladies as we discover His “immeasurably more” for each of our lives. I cannot wait to witness all the good things he will do with those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.
In His Great Love,
Lori
