I’m a Pastor, Tech Instructor, Writer–and it’s not a side-hustle
People often ask, “What is your real job?”
I usually smile before answering.
Because I get it.
We live in a world that loves clean categories.
You’re either this or that. Not both. Not all. Not in-between.
But here’s the truth:
I’m a pastor.
I’m a tech instructor.
I’m a writer.
And none of them are side hustles.
They’re callings—distinct, but connected. And together, they form one integrated life.
The Myth of the Main Thing
There’s this pressure—especially in ministry or creative work—to prove that you’re “all in” by doing just one thing. Anything else is a distraction, or worse, a sign that you haven’t made it yet.
But the kingdom of God doesn’t work like that.
Jesus didn’t just teach. He healed. He touched. He rested. He withdrew. He cooked fish. He rebuked storms. He told stories. He walked. And then walked some more.
Even Paul, the apostle we often associate with singular devotion to ministry, worked as a tentmaker to support his work (Acts 18:3). He wasn’t “less spiritual” because he had a trade. His labor made room for his ministry.
Frederick Buechner once wrote:
“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.”
For me, that intersection doesn’t land in just one place. It flows between the pulpit and the classroom, between a blank page and a conversation over coffee.
It’s All Discipleship
When I’m in front of a classroom teaching network security, I’m not clocking out of ministry.
I’m living it.
Every lecture, every one-on-one, every resume review—it’s a chance to affirm worth, call out potential, and remind young adults (many of whom have been written off) that they have what it takes.
Colossians 3:23 says:
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”
That whatever is big.
It includes sermons and spreadsheets.
It includes altar calls and email threads.
It includes job coaching, debugging printers, and staying after class to help someone write a cover letter—because that moment might be sacred too.
My calling isn’t divided. It’s distributed.
Faithfulness Doesn’t Always Look Linear
There were years I thought I had to pick one lane. That real calling would require me to give up everything else. That somehow, to be faithful to God, I had to deny how He actually made me.
But over time, I’ve learned that calling isn’t always linear. Sometimes it branches. Sometimes it weaves.
David was a shepherd and a songwriter before he was ever a king.
Lydia was a businesswoman and the first church host in Philippi.
Jesus was a carpenter before He was a rabbi.
Sometimes the Spirit calls us to stay. Other times to shift. But often? We’re asked to steward all of it.
I’ve stopped striving to choose “one thing” to make others comfortable. I’m learning to walk faithfully in the layers of what God has given me.
Calling ≠ Hustling
Let me be clear: this isn’t about glorifying busy.
I’ve known the burnout of saying yes to too much. I’ve tasted the emptiness of working without rest. I’ve felt the sting of feeling like I had to prove my worth by doing more.
But I’ve also learned the beauty of sustainable rhythms. Of Sabbath. Of holy no’s. Of trusting that my value isn’t in how many hats I wear, but in whose image I bear.
In her book The Next Right Thing, Emily P. Freeman writes:
“Just because something is a good idea doesn’t mean it’s the right thing for right now.”
So I ask God regularly: Where are You already at work in me? And what is mine to carry in this season?
Sometimes, He surprises me.
Naming the Overlap
The world loves sharp edges.
But my life is more like a watercolor—vocations blending into each other, creating something that can’t be fully separated.
I’m not confused.
I’m called.
I’m not hustling.
I’m stewarding.
And if you’re reading this and feeling like your story doesn’t fit into a single job title or ministry category—let me encourage you:
You’re not disjointed.
You might be living more integrated than you think.
Let your teaching inform your writing.
Let your parenting shape your pastoring.
Let your tech skills become a blessing to the church.
Let your calling spill.
Ephesians 2:10 reminds us:
“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Some of those good works might look like preaching.
Others might look like coding.
Others might be folding laundry while speaking truth over your kids.
It’s all sacred ground.
Final Word
So no—this isn’t a side hustle.
It’s my life.
It’s my offering.
It’s a multi-vocational calling I didn’t plan for—but God did.
And I’m learning to live it fully, without apology.
Want to reflect a little? Try this:
What parts of your life feel like they don’t “fit” together—and could God be weaving something sacred in the tension?
Where are you living under pressure to pick just one thing, when you may actually be called to a faithful many?
Thanks for reading. If this resonated, share it. Or let me know how you’re navigating your own calling across the spaces God has placed you. This blog is a space for the in-between. For the bivocational, the creative, the weary-but-willing. You're not alone.
