Steady Heart

-


I was very young when we lost a pastor that we loved and found a new shepherd for the flock. The new guy was totally opposite from the man that left. One was tall and the other small. One had a resonant, booming voice and a regal presence. The other was reserved in the pulpit and more approachable in person. It was a serious adjustment, and I wasn’t ready to let go of the old and embrace the new. 

Pastor Knight proved to be patient, kind, quick to listen and offer a word of encouragement in any situation. He showed up for dinner when he was invited. He showed up at the hospital when someone was sick. 


When I was a teenager, I shared my longing to write a book, and he gave me some good advice and wished me well. When I told him I felt a calling into ministry, he took me on a few hospital calls, spent time sharing some of the hard parts of the job, and told me that when God calls, He also equips. When I found the love of my life, he counseled us over a meal at the Mexican restaurant, and then officiated the ceremony. 


He was steady. I knew the work of the ministry was difficult. When things were especially tough, he was funny and real about it. Sometimes he shared hard things with tears. I’ll never forget him pulling a hanky out of his back pocket and wiping his face with it as he preached behind the pulpit. I loved his transparency. It helped me to trust him. We all grew to love him and Jan, and they were ours for a very long time.


He used to say, “Don’t forget in the dark, what God told you in the light.” Those words have stood like a lighthouse for me in dark times. A precious reminder that God never changes. His words never fail. He is always good, no matter how bad things are. I’m so grateful for the years these two spent pouring into my life by steadily walking the paths of righteousness. 


Godspeed, Pastor and Jan. You continue to run the race as faithful servants in the kingdom. May the favor and blessing of God continue to cover your ministry as Advocates for Africa! ❤️ http://advocatesforafrica.org/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mercy

-
I woke up this morning Fully realizing that He is gone. There is nothing I can Think Or say Or pray That will undo that. Now we have to Navigate through another day Without him. Like learning how to walk On new legs. Pray for my strength To come only from the Him. Mine is faulty. May the comfort of our Lord Come to those around me Through these two arms And these two ears And this trickle of tears. Lvb
Read more

guard dog

-
Image
  This dog is a fierce opponent of mine. For over a year I have avoided the last leg of my two-mile walk because of his ferocious bark. I have a fear of dogs from childhood that is pretty irrational, but I am able to reason myself out of running scared, sometimes. Instead of walking to the end of his block, I would just retrace the distance over an area that was dog-free. It felt silly, but it kept me safe. Then one day there were two walkers ahead of me that managed to get to the end of the block with no sign of attack. I could hear the dog barking, but he didn’t approach, so I assumed there was an electric fence. Oh the joy I felt at this discovery! I began to shed my fear and walk freely to the end of the trail.  I was so happy about my newfound freedom that I decided to write about it. So one day, I stopped on the sidewalk in front of the dog’s house to take a photo of him. Before I knew it he was charging at me, barking viciously. He got closer and closer and I walked quickly down
Read more

Better days

-
Image
Hi, have you met Dale? Than you know why this picture shocks me everytime I look at, it's like I'm seeing it for the first time. So I'm praying that I'll have at LEAST one writing project done by next spring. With the new home schooling goals, I don't know how practical that is, but without a forty hour commitment to working every week, starting in October, I'll have a little free tiME! WE GOT THE JOB!!! Dale interviewed today. We should have a reporting date in October. Thank you all, with all sincerity, for your prayers for us and the timing on this crazy thing. It has been worth the wait- for this. If we had not been forced to wait the past months, Dale would have gone into the interview totally unprepared, overweight and out of shape. But God... For years we have lived our lives like Mario- when he's invisible and the fast music is playing- invincible. (my first big word as a kid) When we first got married, Dale worked at Blockbuster as a manage
Read more