The little boy often told him, "You're my favorite pastor."
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That's cute and all, but what do little kids know about it? Seriously. What can a little kid know about the fervency with which this man prays. About the integrity to biblical text, hard studying and deep richness of his expository preaching. Meeting the needs of the poor. Racial reconciliation. What about the passed-up opportunities for a bigger church or cushy (well-deserved) living? All these things and more. I expect that there's a lot that the little kid didn't know..
Me? I don't care to list favorites among my mentors and brothers, but I'll tell you this: You'd be hard-pressed to find another man of the same caliber. (His wife is also exceptional, but I'll let him do all the bragging about her.).
We were blessed to be under his shepherding for a while, and Sunday night we said goodbye as he is being called to a different ministry location. We held a great event in his (and his wife's) honor, thanking them and telling them how much they mean to us.
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Who knows? Maybe that little boy showed wisdom in that he openly expressed his appreciation in the pastor's regular, daily life. (By the way, October is "Pastor Appreciation Month.").
Who do you appreciate? When and how do you intend to express it?
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9 comments:
Craver,
Great post and great pictures! You hit the nail right on the head (so to speak) when you said that you'd be hard-pressed to find a man that is of the same caliber as Pastor Marty.---> I agree. Even though I only knew him for two years, he has had a huge impact on my life and am sure the lives of many others as well.
-Rachel Algernon
what a blessing
Lucky - to have, to recognize, and to appreciate - good leadership and shepherding. What a demanding and stretching position that is! It's hard to say good-bye, but God knows what we need.
It's so nice to have the right pastor at the right place at the right time. I hope you are equally blessed in the next one.
I appreciate so many people. I'm the queen of heartfelt thank you notes. I'm slightly famous for it, which is a bit embarrassing, but I was raised that they are important, and I now raise my children the same way.
Oh, and I love to share garden produce with people I appreciate, and in the winter when I bake more, the extra loaf of bread.
The Lord is pleased with that post Craver. Honoring His pastors is always a good thing.
In one sense they are the same as all god's children, and in another sense they should be honored doubly well with our encouragement and generosity.
i plan on honoring my pastor this month. he is a fine servant of Christ, and he is a preachin' machine!
I wish there were more preachers, and less speakers.
ah yes pastor appreciation month- sounds well oxymoronic for me. we should appreciate our pastors all the time. I even send notes to the pastor when I especially like a particular message. there is always a big smile on the face of the one I've sent a message to. they always say "it's good to know when you've been effective
That's one of my favorite pictures of the pastor at the bottom, the one outside with the hat. I didn't snap it though; my wife did. It's a good example of how she just has this knack of doing thing well without even trying. At least not "trying" the way I do... being consumed with proper form, studying, etc.
ah you are blessed to have had such a fine shepherd. our youth pastor is a rare gem and i have thanked him on many occasions for the way he ministers to our children. they know they are loved by him.
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