In the summer of 2008 I had to do a senior internship as part of my undergraduate program. I had a church in mind that I wanted to do this internship with, but it was not part of the denomination, and so I was unable to do intern with this church for credit. Time was running out, and I hadn't found anywhere else to do my internship with, and then one of my professors suggested a place and set up a time for me to meet with the pastor. We met briefly, made arrangements, and I then I got ready for what would be the busiest summer of my life to date: two internships, part time job, and training for sprint triathlon (I was 21, I could do anything).
That internship ended up being a great experience. The pastor became a close friend and for a while my mentor. We met one on one every week and discussed various topics surrounding ministry and life, and we built a solid relationship. He introduced me to Chipotle, became a constant source of encouragement, and in many ways began to build me up in ways no one else ever had.
I went back to school in the fall, but we continued to stay in touch. I'd call him and ask him about what he thought about different papers I had to write, and whenever I was home I'd stop and see him. He even began to talk about wanting to bring me on as a staff member after I graduated. Things didn't end up working out that way due to the budget, but I ended up going back to intern there again the summer after I graduated.
This pastor continued to pour into my life. When I had questions, or things I wanted to talk about, he was the one I went to. When I got turned down for job after job I talked to him. When I got a job offer in Michigan, I talked to him. When I met this girl, and when that ended, I talked to him. He began to call me "son", and though I never called him "dad", part of me really wanted to, and in all honesty that was how I saw him.
I took the job in Michigan, talked to him every couple weeks, mostly when I had questions or had something I wanted to tell him about in my life, and we would grab Chipotle every time I came home. When my time in Michigan began to draw to a close, I talked with him, and when it did end, I made arrangements to do volunteer with the church there, again, the budget didn't allow for me to be hired, although I was told if they had the budget I would have been hired on the spot.
I went back for a few months, and then got hired as a lead pastor. Because of the situation I was assigned a pastoral mentor, and because of the relationship we had, he was assigned as my mentor. He talked me through a lot of difficult situations. My second Sunday at the church I was called to the hospital where a wife didn't know if her husband of over 60 years was going to make it through the night. I stepped out of the room, called my mentor, he talked me through what to do, prayed for me, and then after we hung up I broke down and cried, then washed my face in a drinking fountain and went to be a pastor. His guidance got me through that time. A few months later, he guided me through walking with a dying man towards eternity, and then through my first funeral.
He officiated my wedding, walked with me when I left the church, and continued to be an encourager. In the process of this, he told me that he had received a call to interview at another church. He told me about the situation, all of the factors he shouldn't get the job, the reasons part of him didn't want to take it, and asked me to be in prayer with him. When we got off the phone I said, "He's going to be moving." At this point part of me got a little excited. I was happy for him, he's a great man, a faithful and loving pastor, and I had been waiting for God to do something like this in his life. I also go excited because I thought this might finally be the time where we would get to work together. The denomination is set up where an incoming pastor can bring whomever he wants to join his staff. I hadn't forgotten about the things he used to say, and part of me believed that those things were finally going to happen...
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
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