19 Feb Cultor House Reflection | Shelby Jenkins

When I began the Cultor House internship program in August 2014, I had no idea how much my life was about to change. I had just graduated from the greatest university ever (go Tigers!) where I studied Spanish and International Health. In my time at Clemson, I learned a lot about Jesus and walked with Him, but there were times when I wasn’t effectively shepherding my own mind and soul.

Looking back, I can see that I came into this internship susceptible in many ways to considering everything that I would hear as truth. We live in a world of many voices – each of us can listen to our family, our church, our friends, the media, etc. Not all of what we hear is necessarily true or untrue, but it is our responsibility to comb scripture and seek the Holy Spirit to validate the things we’re told, and I rarely did so. I lacked a strong and rooted discernment and would believe anything a pastor said from the pulpit or anything a friend said in the name of Jesus. Without a consistent pursuit of validation, I was left susceptible to believing things that were not entirely true of the gospel and about God.

I was unaware as I began the program, but God was about to radically mature me in this area. He had a plan to create a more solid foundation. I caught a glimpse of this on the first day of the internship when Matt Kelley shared Ephesians 4:14-16 with us:

Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

This passage made me aware of why God had me in this internship. Through His word, He was revealing immaturity in my life and a tendency to be influenced by voices other than His. He was exposing my own lack of discernment to me. This passage highlights our need to grow in sound knowledge of scripture, allowing God to transform us by it, and leading us to do our part within the church; this internship has created the opportunity to do just that.

Cultor House has been a whirlwind of experiences; there have been days in which I feel worn out and other days in which I feel so energized that I could finish out the day with a 20 mile run (not literally… I’m definitely not a runner). The responsibilities I have been trusted with in student ministry have challenged me to manage my time better and work more diligently. Through developing relationships within the church and being a part of Cultor House dinners, families have taken me in and provided opportunity to learn from them. We are given valuable time to learn from church leaders in our morning classes. We have learned ways to study scripture and how to apply biblical truths to every aspect of our lives; we’ve discussed theologies of work, gender, discipleship, and humility, learning how each of the areas is shaped in the context of the gospel.

Saying that I’ve arrived where I need to be because of this internship wouldn’t be true. But I can confidently say that I have been given tools to continue the journey of faith armed well for whatever may lie ahead. No longer will I be swayed by “clever lies.” Cultor House has equipped me to recognize truth, grow from it, and serve and love the church in a greater way.

-Shelby Jenkins

About Cultor House: Cultor House is our 9-month residency program for young men and women who have recently graduated college and desire to grow in their faith and mature in their ministry capacity. Application deadline is March 15th. For more information and to apply click here.