The members of Nelson County Baptist Church are quite familiar with their pastor. After all, he is the one who started the work and no member of NCB has sat under another pastor in this church. He is truly beloved as a pastor. However, in honor of father’s day, I would like to talk about our pastor as dad.
It is clear that God wants men to be spiritual leaders, caretakers, sacrificial lovers, teachers, and providers. My dad has been all of these things. But the way he has most honored Christ and our family is to sincerely put every one of us before himself.
Our dad never had a hobby. Of course he fished from time to time and even played golf a few times. But no boats, no golf carts, no expenditures besides some night crawlers and a Zebco 33. I can’t remember him ever having anything that was nice and just for him. He drove whatever kind of car he could get. He wore hand-me-down suits and hand-me-down shoes. He had one double barrell shotgun that was an heirloom. No treestands, no rifles, no fancy hunting equipment.
Our dad delivered furniture, tuned pianos, did janitorial work and anything else he had to do. All of this in addition to his very full time duties as pastor. Now that I am a middle-aged man I am beginning to understand just how wonderful of a dad I have. He worked and did without so that us and our mother could have whatever we needed and most of the time whatever we wanted.
Our dad loved us unconditionally. When I was a terrible person he still did anything he could do to help me. What a picture of the Gospel! More wicked than I could ever understand but more loved than I could ever believe!
Now don’t think for a minute that he has ever felt sorry for himself because he had no time or money for hobbies and nice things. You see, he has fully embraced the Biblical instructions to not love the world or the things in the world. What freedom! Paul told us that Godliness with contentment is great gain. I believe my dad has experienced this great gain.
So happy father’s day to Lex’s, Staci’s, Beth’s and Shane’s dad. Most will know him as pastor, but to us he’ll always be dad.
