A Defining Moment

Defining Moment

As soon as I graduated from high school, I left for Chicago to attend Bible College.  A friend of mine coordinated for me to stop in Denver and pick up a student that needed a ride. I spent the weekend in Denver and attended church with my rider and his family.  If my memory serves me well, the church sanctuary seated about 1000 people.  At the end of the service, my rider took me to the front of the church and introduced me to the pastor.  He was an amazingly gracious older gentleman that was kind enough to take time out of his busy day to spend a few minutes with an 18 year old “pastor-want-to-be”. 

I distinctly remember this amazing pastor looking silently into my eyes and saying, “Son, God has plans to bless your ministry in ways you would never believe.” 

He then placed his hands on my head and prayed a prayer of blessing. 

That my friends, was a defining moment in my life. 

To my dying day, no matter where the good Lord guides my steps, I will always remember that man of God. 

What is interesting is, I have always had a problem understanding all the reasons that I was so impacted by his actions. 

Was it a very vulnerable time in my life where I was filled with doubts about the direction of my life?  (probably)

Was it because a very successful pastor expressed a belief that I could follow in his footsteps and fulfill my lifelong dream?  (without a doubt)

Was it because an amazing man of God moved my dream of being a pastor, over into the reality category?  (yes)

I could go on for pages, speculating on why my life was so touched by this pastor. However, what is perhaps most powerful is how this experience made me aware of my ability to encourage and impact individuals into service for the good Lord. 

My ministry will touch, perhaps a few thousand lives.  However, if the good Lord guides young people into my life, and if I am faithful, much like the pastor that spent a few minutes with me when I was 18 years old, there is no telling how many 100,000’s of people that will be impacted for God’s Kingdom. 

And that, my friends, I find humbling and terribly exciting. 

There is another aspect of my experience that makes my head spin. 

That pastor only spent a total of 5-7 minutes with me.

Today, I am 48 years old.  That means, 30 years later, I am still moved to tears by the memory of what that faithful man of God did. 

Your spiritual take-away from this blog is:                                  

 “Little is much ~ when God is in it”      

When God leads a person into your life that needs to be encouraged, and you are faithful to God’s plan, God will take the seed you plant and bring forth a thousand fold beyond anything you expect. 

“He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others.

When they are troubled,
we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”    
2 Corinthians 1:4

God Nudged Me....

This is the third blog I have written today.

The first blog turned out to be a sermon that was so dry, tumbleweeds were bouncing across my IPad2 screen. I bet you don't have that app. That special feature lets me know when my writing is so boring that the computer begs me to stop.

The second blog reminded me of an airplane circling a fogged in airport. It was a nice ride but it just circled the airport endlessly, without a clue how or where to land. So in a act of mercy, I filed it under the title, "Open Never".

This third blog is a thank you to those of you that take the time to read my blogs.

Years ago, God gave me a desire to write. And to make it practical, He also called me to be a pastor. So each week, I wrote a number of sermons. I not only loved writing the sermons but it taught me how to work around deadlines, communicate difficult concepts, and refine the art of writing.

Garden Valley Community Church was kind enough to purchase me a web site to post my work on. They were very patient with me. But I didn't have a clear vision of what God wanted me to write and I didn't have my own voice. So I spent a couple years trying different techniques and methods. I needed the experience.

I found my voice and I refined my writing skills but my reader base got tired of waiting on me and moved on. So there were less than 20 people a month that checked out my web site.

When God nudged me and moved my thoughts toward writing a blog, my first impression was discouragement. I hated the thought of spending hundreds of hours writing and having no one bother to read them. God took me by the hand and led me to Blog Spot and like a child, walked me through the setup process. It only took a few minutes.

I sat and stared out the window and wondered what message God wanted me to write. If it is possible, God rolled His eyes and let out a deep sigh before placing my hands on the keyboard.

God told me, "Take a look at what I am doing in your life today and simply share it with your friends".

One of my great regrets about being a pastor is that I only get to communicate with my friends a couple times a week. My God given desire to communicate had finally found a medium.

So I started typing and a few days later, I scrolled to the bottom of the page and God lovingly provided me 1000 hits on my blog. And before you ask, no, the hit counter does not record my personal visits to the blog. To me, having God nudge my friends 1000 times to visit my blog is all the validation I need to work harder and improve the quality of the blog in 2012. God bless you and with all my heart, "Thank you".

I am reminded of one of my favorite Bible verses:
"I am the Lord your God.... open wide your mouth and I will fill it" Psalm 81:10