Preachers/Pastors I have known/loved and why.

[Titus2woman]

OK... I hear that a lot of threads on this board turn into 'pastor bashing'... so... let's do something different. Name a preacher/pastor in your life who has taught you a valuable life lesson or changed your views in a good way or helped you in a time of need or anything else positive. Name them or keep it anonymous and just share the story.

As much as I dislike the line... Let's give honor where honor is due!

I'll even start.

Bro. Rick,

Many years ago Br0. Rick met us as a young couple who had not been raised in church and were pretty wild, when we showed up at the church where he was the assistant pastor trying to find God after the death of a good friend. He did not shy away from the rock band member and his wild bartender girlfriend even inviting them out to eat after service.

I am sure he had no idea how far out of his comfort zone that one little meal might take him. After all we did not know that everyone in the world did not cuss or that cigarette smoke bothered anybody and asked to be seated in the smoking section of the restaurant but Bro. Rick never looked askance.

Through the vapor cloud of our many Marlboros Bro. Rick talked about God, about the plan of salvation, about how to have a better life. His sweet wife by his side had to have been horrified by the girl with the 10 tattoos and facial jewelry back when you never saw that on anybody but the strangest kind. They invited us back the next week and then to their home to meet their kids and play games. Never saying a word about the low cut blouse and jeans I came to church in. A few days after that Sis Mary showed up at my house with a bunch of nice clothes. She said she was cleaning out her closet and I looked about the right size if I wanted them. There were pretty dresses for church with matching shoes. Not something she didn't want anymore but things that she loved. I now realize they had little and parting with some of her nicest things must have been hard but she did it with a smile.

We came back to church a few more times and Bro. Rick preached Jesus, the real Jesus, by living out an example. When the time came he married us and dedicated our sons to the Lord. He made sure we had bibles and that we knew how important it was to read them. He taught us to pray. Although I had a Catholic background and my husband Baptist no one had ever prayed with us before or taught us that we could talk to God for ourselves.

We moved away without fully understanding all God had for us but we ended our time with Bro. Rick much better than we started it. We forever more had a soft spot for the church, the ministry and the God that would one day reach for us again, in large part because of Bro. Rick. He planted, someone else watered and God gave the increase.

We found Bro. Rick three years ago on our 25th anniversary. He is an old man now but we visited and it was just like old times. We wrote him a generous check for the marriage ceremony plus interest and told him how much he changed our lives. He was beyond grateful, not so much for the money although I know it was a blessing to him but that he was remembered.