These past few weeks have been fairly reflective, emotional, and filled with gratefulness. Friday I traveled to AL via MS to train AL youth leaders and then return home to attend the 100th Anniversary of First Baptist Church, Donelson. It was was a busy weekend but a really good one.
There are four churches that have had great impact in my early ministry life and those adults and leaders who have invested in me are some real saints to be sure.
East Lynne Baptist Church - located in rural MO, the wonderful people of this church invested in a young boy who loved hunting and fishing and was pretty quiet and shy. He was always observing, learning and not willing to risk much. Some sweet people like Phil and Norma Belcher, Bobby and Margaret Ely, Eddie and Betty Deardorff plus a couple of godly parents named Charles and Frances nurtured a young boy and laid a great foundation for ministry.
Beaumont Baptist Church - an inner-city church in KC, MO where some godly folks like Mrs. Lorene Dickson, Manuel Aston, The Norwoods, Charlene Creighton, Gary and Judy Taylor and a host of others allowed a teenaged boy to listen, learn and walk alongside of them in their pursuit of following Christ. Those same parents, Charles and Frances, continued to show me what it means to follow hard after Christ.
Casa View Baptist Church - this church was located in a changing community in the Dallas/Garland/Mesquite area and the wonderful folks there put me through seminary by paying for my "matriculation" fees for six semesters. What a blessing! and they allowed a young, arrogant, newly married young man to make many mistakes and to learn from them. People like Shelby Baucum had a huge impact on my life and here is where I learned to love people more than the programs we were trying to run. There are many people who influenced me here and one of my favorite is a gal named Sue Weaver who to this day continues to love life and people. She and her friend, Rosita, are two people that everyone needs to know. Dan Clevenger was another great person that God allowed me to learn from while in Dallas. There are too many to mention, but all of their investment in me are overwhelming.
First Baptist Church, Donelson - This is the last church that I served full-time before coming to LifeWay and these dear people allowed me to make a few mistakes and loved me anyway. I worked with people like Jerry Beaty who to this day still has one of the best voices of anyone I know. W. Roy Fisher was my pastor and got me into running marathons before he left running and had to move to an elliptical. (There is a joke there that only he and I know.) Roy still has a funny accent but taught me alot about ministry. Gordon Donahoe showed me much grace as my supervisor and the office staff there were kind and gracious to me as well. It was also here that God allowed me to meet a guy named Mitch Fuller who continues to be like a brother to me. A wonderful friend that God has blessed my life with in so many ways.
This is a brief summary and in no way begins to express all the investment and gratefulness that I have for so many who have invested and impacted my life.
Here is a verse that begins to get at how thankful I am for these four churches and the people who have invested in me - Phil. 1:3-5
3 I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you,4 always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
There are four churches that have had great impact in my early ministry life and those adults and leaders who have invested in me are some real saints to be sure.
East Lynne Baptist Church - located in rural MO, the wonderful people of this church invested in a young boy who loved hunting and fishing and was pretty quiet and shy. He was always observing, learning and not willing to risk much. Some sweet people like Phil and Norma Belcher, Bobby and Margaret Ely, Eddie and Betty Deardorff plus a couple of godly parents named Charles and Frances nurtured a young boy and laid a great foundation for ministry.
Beaumont Baptist Church - an inner-city church in KC, MO where some godly folks like Mrs. Lorene Dickson, Manuel Aston, The Norwoods, Charlene Creighton, Gary and Judy Taylor and a host of others allowed a teenaged boy to listen, learn and walk alongside of them in their pursuit of following Christ. Those same parents, Charles and Frances, continued to show me what it means to follow hard after Christ.
Casa View Baptist Church - this church was located in a changing community in the Dallas/Garland/Mesquite area and the wonderful folks there put me through seminary by paying for my "matriculation" fees for six semesters. What a blessing! and they allowed a young, arrogant, newly married young man to make many mistakes and to learn from them. People like Shelby Baucum had a huge impact on my life and here is where I learned to love people more than the programs we were trying to run. There are many people who influenced me here and one of my favorite is a gal named Sue Weaver who to this day continues to love life and people. She and her friend, Rosita, are two people that everyone needs to know. Dan Clevenger was another great person that God allowed me to learn from while in Dallas. There are too many to mention, but all of their investment in me are overwhelming.
This is a brief summary and in no way begins to express all the investment and gratefulness that I have for so many who have invested and impacted my life.
Here is a verse that begins to get at how thankful I am for these four churches and the people who have invested in me - Phil. 1:3-5
3 I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you,4 always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
1 comment:
Well thank goodness we got ya after all that so you wen't so green! :) ha ha Think of you often brother. Thankful to know you...wish we still had face to face times.
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