The Family

The Family
The extended family

Monday, December 29, 2008

I know I've been missing lately

It's ok. I'm still alive and kicking. I kinda got hooked to the latest non-new phase -- facebook. Sorry for not writing.

Anyway, Christmas was very good. The kids all got homemade toys from us (babydolls, a notebook full of Lego designs, "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" movie... ok, that's not homemade) but got all the good material goods from my parents and family. If you want to see more of what they got, check my wife's blog. She's supermommie to the right.

I got a call last night on the way home from church from our pastor. He informs me that he needs to meet with me and Brian, our assistant pastor, on Monday morning about plans to hold an ordination council next Sunday for the purposes of ordaining Brian and I to the gospel ministry. Now ordination council is no walk in the park. I need to read the Baptist Faith and Message real quick-like -- although it is what I have been taught pretty much my whole life as Biblical doctrine but now I have to read it straight through. It was written by theologians and not novelist so it is not the most exciting read.

If I pass the ordination council on Sunday, the following Sunday, January 11th, will be my ordination. There are a few people I will need to invite. Mrs. Umble, my 3rd grade teacher, always told me that she wanted to be a part of my first sermon. Unfortunately I have already had that (it was very short notice) but I can inform her of this. She comes back to school next week (as I go back to work) and since I work for the same school district as she does, I can just e-mail her and see if she responds.

There are a few people from Immanuel I want to make sure are able to come -- and some that I would love to show up to the ordination council. John Potter had a huge impact on my life as a children's pastor. Wayne Reynolds would be great to be there. I know asking for Rob Zinn would be near impossible as he is always busy, but he will always be my pastor as he was my Biblical teacher for so many years and lead me to Christ during VBS those 27 years ago. Of course, Rob being there would make my ordination council exponentially harder, but ordination is not supposed to be taken lightly.

It is moments like this that I look back and see who made the differences in my life. Mr. Paul, Mrs. Mina, John Hargett, Gil, Chaplain Bartz, Chaplain Narvaez, Jim Richardson, Chad Acklin, Mike Smith, Mrs. Roquette, Eric Johnson, Bill Baldwin, Glenn Tamura, Chaplain Clark and his diving team, Chris Magoon, Ron Curran, Brian Simms, John Denver and Kermit the Frog, Tom Parker, Todd Gordon, Tim Dunham, Timothy Mantzey, Arlette Dunham, Paul Reed, Mr. Clem, Roger Greenwalt, Bob Bland, Gordy Grover, Brian Ayers, Avery Myers, Linda Cataldo, Chaplain Stone, Chaplain Targonski. There are so many more that I have forgotten a name or forgotten a face that have impacted me over the years and made me who I am -- both positively and negatively. Some have gone on to meet our Lord, some have moved away from me, some I have moved away from. Some I have lost track of. Some are people who our paths just crossed for a moment that changed my life forever. I am a product of those God has put into my life to make me more like His Son. I thank God for the direction He has lead me and how He continues to change me to be more like Him.

If you can make it January 11th, ordination service should start at 6:30 pm at our church.

1 comment:

Alicia said...

Just saying hi! Thanks for coming by the blog. It's great to keep up this way with people. :)