God's Ladies in the Workplace
Dana is one of those wonderful people God adds to your life to show you how He can mold a person in the likeness of His Son, while they retain joy through the trials.
I have had the privilege of attending the same church as Dana while our children attended the same Christian School. She is such a blessing to so many.
It is my prayer that you will be motivated and encouraged through your trials of life as Dana shares the joys God gives her as she stays close to Him.
Thanks for sharing Dana, I love and appreciate all you do for our Lord and your family!
In Christ
Theressa Lindsey
My Friend, Miss Dana Spencer
Dana Spencer, the heart of dedication!
My name is Dana Spencer. I am a single mom. My son, Justin, is a sophomore at The Crown College of the Bible in Powell, TN. I attended a church service in July of 2003 where I heard the most convicting message of my life. I believe the Lord wanted me to put Justin in Christian school. I attended a public school and knew nothing about a Christian school. I knew that my best friends’ daughter attended a Christian school, but that’s about it. At the time, I was in the worse financial situation. My house was about to be foreclosed on. I went down to the altar and “told God”…. “If you want Justin to attend a Christian school, then you’re going to have to pay for it. AMEN”. That very next Monday, I completed an application to enroll Justin at Northside Christian School. He was denied enrollment due to the fact that my church of 25 years was not of like faith. I met with the principal so that he could tell me what my options were. All I knew was that I had to obey God. When I met with the principal, he gave me some suggestions of other schools that would accept Justin. I asked the principal if we joined the church that was affiliated with the school (Shawnee Baptist Church) could Justin attend Northside. The principal said yes. I had to tell my family that the Lord wanted Justin to attend Northside Christian School, which meant that we would have to attend Shawnee Baptist Church. We started to attend Shawnee. We were very active in the church and school. However, on Wednesday night, October 15, 2003, I realized that I hadn’t accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. I walked the aisle and got saved. That following Friday after picking up Justin from school. I asked Justin if he died, did he know where he would spend eternity. He said no. I pulled the car over and led Justin to the Lord. That following Sunday, Justin and I were baptized.
I prayed to God and told him that my desire was to keep my house. The Lord blessed us with the money to bring our house out of foreclosure.
I was a real estate agent at the time. I loved the flexibility of the business. However, it just wasn’t enough to pay the bills. I currently have a full time job. However, the full time job was not enough to pay for my home as well as Christian school. Therefore, I picked up a second job that Justin was able to go with me so that he didn’t have to stay home alone. (Proverbs 29:15)
It can be challenging to take a stand in the workplace. A lot of people are against God. All I can do is just spend time praying for my coworkers. As well as be alert when coworkers reach out to me wanting prayer for a special need in their life. I play the clarinet in the orchestra at church. We are playing “Carol of the Bells” next Sunday. I was just talking to one of my coworkers and invited her to come hear our orchestra. Her boyfriend plays the piano for his church. So that was a subtle way of inviting her to come and hear the Gospel. The Lord will give us this kind of opportunity. However, we must be alert and willing to obey the Holy Spirit.
It was difficult raising a son without his father in the home. I realized that I needed wisdom for the task. Since Proverbs is the book of wisdom, I began to read a Proverb a day for many years. I co-teach a Sunday school class where I share a thought from a verse of Proverbs every week.
Spending time in the Word of God truly has changed my life. You can’t begin to accomplish His plan and purpose for your life without following His instructions. I honestly believe God has blessed me the way he has because of my faithfulness to tithing. (Malachi 3:10) When my house was in foreclosure, I had to accept public assistance. I can remember having to live off of $228 a month. I remember tithing $30 a month. God’s Word teaches us to be faithful in our giving. I just believe the promises from God instead of the lies from the devil.