Those first few months of ministry were very challenging for me and, I am sure, for the church as well. You see, I entered the ministry prior to attending seminary. I was extremely candid with myself in that I had absolutely no idea of what I was doing, in a professional sort of way that is. The only thing I really had going for me was business/life experience and a personal assurance that God had placed me into this position. That being said, I was not totally lacking in Biblical knowledge because the church I attended was a teaching type of church. Also, I just could not put the Bible down after coming to Christ. I remember reading the King James Version from cover to cover in that first month after becoming a Christian. The only problem was that reading the KJV reminded me of how frustrated I was trying to understand the archaic language of Shakespeare in the eleventh grade. I would read a passage only to find out it meant exactly the opposi...
As I settled into my new role as pastor, I noticed a steady stream of new faces in attendance on Sunday mornings. One family group that stands out in my memory is of a little lady I will call Emma. She walked slowly and was bent over from years of spinal issues that required the use of a long black cane that she nurtured, much as a soldier nurtures his rifle. One thing is certain, she wasn’t afraid to use it to keep her great grandchildren in line. Jack was eleven years old and his sister Jean, was eight. These poor kids had a hard life and it was only the love of their great grandma that gave them any sense of security. Grandma Emma would look after them as best she could and see that they attended church with her every Sunday. Their parents were into drugs and alcohol so the children were left mostly to their own devices. Poor Jack was diagnosed with ADHD but I suspected that his ...