Pastor Appreciation Month

As I said in my last post I have decided to take the month and reflect on those Pastors in my life that have taught, challenged and directed me as I strive to serve out my call as a minister. Since I went way back to the beginning the reflection has been a good time of soul searching and self awareness. I realized a lot of the lessons I thought I had learned, I have had to “relearn” over and over again. I also realized that I never really took the time to let these men of God know how much that have meant to me and my ministry and how much my present ministry reflects a little bit of each one of them and what the have taught me. I have been sending out cards and letter to each one of these influential people in my life, thanking them and trying to encourage them. It is so easy in today’s political environment to be critical of people and perceived mistakes made, but we never take the time to encourage each other and thank those that have made our path easier and our vision more directed.

The two men that were my Pastors when I was a teenager and college student in Baytown, Texas could not have been more different. Dr. Burt Purvis was a visionary with a heart for the lost. I never realized in the late 70’s and early 80’s that choruses on an overhead and home Bible groups were cutting edge, I just thought that was the way church was. He encouraged the church to be multi-racial, even hiring an African American worship leader in 1981 – for a majority white congregation in southeast Texas – that was BIG. He was accused of being “Charismatic” and I did not even know what it was as a high school student, I just knew he loved Christ, taught me the word and challenged me to pursue God.

My second Pastor was Dr. Pete Freeman. He was a quite, loving man of peace that sought to teach the word of God and live out a ministry of reconciliation. It was during Dr. Pete’s ministry that I was called to ministry and it was him that encouraged and helped me to go to a Christian college. He gave me my first preaching opportunity and exampled through his lifestyle and demeanor a model of grace. I was not surprised years later when he invested much of his time and energy trying to bring peace and reconciliation to the BGCT and those that sought to form a new state convention. While these men may never get recognized as giants of the faith, they were to me and they formed the foundation for my ministry and who I am today.

If you are a pastor, take the time this month to thank someone that influenced you – they might not even realize the impact they had, plus it feels good to let God bless someone through you and your appreciation.