Early influences
I mentioned in my first post that a pastor is really a compilation of all who have shared faith/life with him/her. That's certainly the case for me. Naming some of my early influences assumes that there will be many I didn't name. But these are the ones that come to my 51 year old brain:
*Obviously my parents would top the list. My mom and dad made faith a part of my life from the very beginning when a month after I was born they brought me to the waters of baptism. My grandfather baptized me. At that point Jesus made a promise to be my God--a promise he's always kept. My mom was the church organist so we were always in church. My parents took us to Bible camp each year. They enrolled us in VBS. They got us involved in music and church choirs. They supported our passion for music/ministry by purchasing instruments, allowing us to practice in the house, and supporting us as we headed into congregations to do our thing. They stepped up and lead our Jr. High when I entered 7th grade when no one else in the church would do it. My dad coached our first church "Bible Quiz Team." I know my parents faithfully prayed for all of us kids every day. Their own lives of faith modeled a vibrant relationship with Jesus.
*My grandparents. Grandpa was a Lutheran pastor/evangelist. It was while watching him give an altar call (a rare thing indeed for Lutherans) at Bible camp when I was in second grade that I sensed the call to be a pastor. I had the chance to watch grandpa do ministry for years. I travelled with him a couple of times when he headed out on Evangelistic tours. When I headed to Bible College and was questioning not my faith but my theology, he was always ready to answer my questions. Grandma was a fantastic partner and support to grandpa. During Bible camps she was the "craft teacher." Because mom was the church organist, I often sat in the front row with grandma. She'd help me follow the liturgy or would make little animals with her hanky to keep me quiet (seems a bit gross now but I didn't think about where that hanky had been at that time!). I have deep memories of my grandma and grandpa praying together over meals. Grandpa laid hands on me at my ordination. He also participated in my wedding and baptized my daughter Alycia. My grandpa only got to see me "pastor" at Community Church of Joy once early on in my ministry. He was our "devotions" leader during a spiritual life week. One night after the service he asked us to pray for him. I'd never seen him weep before but he cried as he said he was having a hard time remembering things. Not long after we realized he had Alzheimer's disease. Tough stuff to make your living, so to speak, using your mind, only to lose it in later life.
*I think about pastors who served in the congregations in which I grew up and Sunday school teachers who taught me about Jesus. I remember Mim in particular. I can't remember one thing she taught me but I remember her. She loved kids. And she always gave us a "pink pill" after Sunday School (a pink wintergreen candy). Probably couldn't call it a pill these days but the point is that she, not so much what she taught, impacted me for Jesus.
Jan says I have to leave now and go to dinner to "celebrate" the second anniversary of my mom's journey from this life to her new home with Jesus. So I'll write some more about early influences tomorrow.
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