What does it look like to practically live out the gospel life in everyday life? Darren and Tiffany Wheelock both came to know the Lord at the age of four and have steadfastly grown in their faith over the years. Darren is an English Language Teacher at a public middle school while Tiffany works at Heritage. Together, they lead our ESL ministry and serve the children of HBC in our Kids Ministry.
How would you describe what it means to live a “gospel-centered” life as a couple/ family?
Darren: Living a gospel-centered life is remembering day by day that our only hope in our relationships, parenting, ministry, and work is that because of Christ’s death and resurrection, we belong to God and He loves us and is near to us despite all of our flaws and mistakes. Remembering that our children, our neighbors, or our spouse need the exact same Good News that we do helps.
Tiffany: Day by day choosing to abide in Christ by being obedient and sharing the hope we have in him through interacting with one another. Intentionally being gracious to one another and pointing our children to Him. Seeking peace, being kind to one another, and rejoicing that He is our only hope. Being examples.
How do you intentionally live out your faith in your workplace?
Tiffany: My faith guides me to serve joyfully and intentionally build up my brothers and sisters. Our shared unity in Christ makes it less intimidating to be vulnerable, creating a secure environment where we can build one another up and point each other to our only hope.
Darren: The primary way of living out my faith is by loving the foreigner among us (Deuteronomy 10:19) by advocating for their needs and helping them feel seen in a culture that easily overlooks them. I also get to interact with fellow staff and other students from all walks of life, whether they are fellow believers, atheists, or members of the LGBTQ+ community. My goal is to live a life that dispels misconceptions about Christians in the local community and presents opportunities to share the hope I have.
Have you ever faced challenges or opposition at work because of your beliefs? If so, how did you respond?
Darren: My faith has not caused specific challenges because there are a surprising number of like-minded individuals in the local public school system. That being said, the secular cultural climate of the school system can create challenges when secular cultural values conflict with Biblical values on an individual basis.
What motivates you to volunteer or serve others?
Darren: Seeing how the Lord can use our skills, talents, and time for His honor and glory always re-energizes me to serve. Additionally, knowing that He is the One who is doing the real work and we get to partner with him in it.
Tiffany: To show others Christ’s love and to use our time the Lord has given us as a sacrifice/offering back to Him.
Can you share a story (or more) where your service to others became an opportunity to share Christ?
Darren: While we may not always be the ones sharing the Gospel, as facilitators for the ESL ministry, we love when our volunteer teachers excitedly share the opportunities they had to share Christ with their learners! One of the stories that always comes to mind is when I was checking on the different classes and popped into a class where there were two Chinese women. I happened to walk in when one woman was saying through Google Translate that she always wanted to believe in Jesus but it was hard because of growing up in China. Without missing a beat, our volunteer quoted Romans 10:9, and as the translation played, the other woman, who was a believer, was silently nodding in excitement because she had been witnessing to her friend. This was a beautiful reminder of how Christians are united as co-laborers in the work the Holy Spirit is already doing in the harvest. This is just one glimpse of many stories that aren’t mine to share because of how the Lord has used ESL as a connecting point for people to share Christ with the nations, even here in Lynchburg!
Another similar moment is when our children, who occasionally join the childcare class, were excited at the end of the night because one of the Muslim students had seen John 3:16 on the wall and asked what it meant. This and similar other opportunities allowed for even the childcare volunteers to share Christ and give our children glimpses of God’s work in His harvest.
Tiffany: Over time of faithfully and intentionally investing in a young teen, the Lord allowed me to be present in circumstances and hard times where I was able to share in His work by pointing her to him and being a voice of truth. We’ve been invited into homes where we have opportunities to break bread and share the true bread of life.
Our children being transparent and obedient has given us opportunities to share. Being co-laborers with your children is such a joy! Being unified in the same mission of living a life that points others to His goodness.
Also, living life on life with parents of those we serve with, learning more about them so we can intentionally love them better.
How do you practically integrate your faith in serving with ESL? What about serving in Kids Ministry?
Tiffany: Serving with children from other cultures and beliefs has allowed our children and myself many opportunities to share Christ’s love. The joy and excitement when the Lord gives our children opportunities to share and when they are obedient brings such eternal joy as a parent. We pray for the Lord to orchestrate opportunities and intentionally pray for the students’ hearts to be open to the Good News.
Darren: Loving the nations in our neighborhood. Trusting the Lord is the one who is working and I simply need to be obedient. When I have an opportunity to teach, I look for connecting points between the learner’s culture and the gospel.
In Kid’s Ministry, it is my heart that the kids understand what was taught on a deeper level, and that they can see adults modeling corporate worship in Blast Zone.
What are some practical ways you encourage each other and your children in your spiritual walk?
Tiffany: Being open and honest with one another and our kids about our brokenness. Being quick to seek peace and pursue it and intentionally apologizing for our mistakes. Reminding the kids we are not perfect but we serve a God who is.
We pray daily with our children and pray for the Lord to help them put Him first, give us a love for Him, and show us areas we need to repent/grow in.
Darren: Practically, this looks like bedtime theology, questions are asked while going out the door, or saying to each other, “I can’t make you feel better and I can’t help fix this, but I can take it in prayer to the one who can.”
What advice would you give to others trying to make their faith a daily, lived-out reality?
Darren: I would say that living the gospel life isn’t just about how often you share Christ with others but how often you remember that we are all broken people in need of the Good News that Christ lived a perfect life that we could never live, died a death we are supposed to die, and rose again, offering us a life we could never earn both in this life and the next. When I remember my own need and hopelessness without Him, it helps me see where others need Him and have more patience and compassion for them. Though the person I struggle being patient with the most is myself, I find I constantly need to remind myself of the grace that Christ extends to me even when I am constantly critical of myself.
Tiffany: It’s a day-by-day, moment-by-moment choice to abide! It’s never too late to start and no sin or mistake is too great. Don’t grow weary in doing good (Galatians 6:9)! Every day you have the opportunity to bear His name.