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Meaninglessness haunts our hyper-connected yet spiritually adrift world. Why does Solomon, history's wisest and wealthiest king, begin Ecclesiastes with the jarring declaration that everything is "meaningless"? Our exploration of this ancient wisdom reveals a startlingly modern diagnosis of our existential emptiness.

We discover that meaning requires direction – like ladder rungs connected to sides rather than clanging uselessly in the air. Solomon's exhaustive experiment with fulfillment (detailed in chapter 2) reads like a billionaire's bucket list gone wrong: pleasure, laughter, substance experimentation, building projects, material excess, entertainment, sexual indulgence, and even achievement. Each pathway led to the same conclusion: vapor, emptiness, nothing substantial to grasp.

What makes Ecclesiastes uniquely powerful is its unflinching honesty about reality. Good people die young. Wicked people prosper. Chance happens to everyone. These observations resonate deeply with those who've found themselves "at the bottom of the glass" wondering what it all means. Solomon doesn't offer platitudes; he acknowledges the world's brokenness while pointing toward what's been lost.

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I bring up a story that hit in the spiritual gut. Justin brings one up and we discuss how the opportunity to live out for Christ can be squandered because of where we live.

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The conversation begins with vulnerable stories of each man's journey into ministry—paths marked by uncertainty, divine intervention, and unexpected turns. AJ shares how he abandoned his dream of becoming a comedian after God spoke through dreams, leading him instead to youth ministry. Justin recounts how his initial skepticism of church drove him to create something "authentic," only to discover God had been preparing him for ministry all along through a powerful vision.

Most striking is their unified testimony that ministry success isn't measured by growth, acclaim, or visible fruit. "How do you know you're called to this?" one asks. The answer comes with striking simplicity: "Because I'm still here." True calling persists through disappointment, through seasons where nothing works, through criticism and doubt.

Perhaps most poignant is their discussion of Amy Carmichael's poem "No Scar," which captures the essence of authentic ministry: "Hast thou no wound, no scar? Yet as the Master shall the servant be." The wounds acquired in faithful service aren't failures—they're evidence of having followed Jesus into the battle.

Whether you're questioning your own calling or simply seeking to understand the hidden realities of ministry life, this conversation offers both challenge and comfort: count the cost, prepare for pain, but know that in that painful obedience, you'll discover a joy that makes every scar worthwhile.

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