Firm Foundations

October, as you may or may not have known, was Pastor Appreciation Month. (Maybe it's clergy appreciation month now...I cannot keep up with all the official title changes.) Right at the end of the month, one of my Facebook friends crafted the most beautiful tribute to people who had been pastors to her (officially and unofficially) throughout her life, and I thought it was lovely to read. So lovely, in fact, that I thought I should do a similar post here...but then I got busy telling you all about our trip to Georgia...and then I was gone to a conference...and I never wrote it.

But while I was at the conference, I found out one of my childhood pastors died just a few days ago, so I've decided I really must write this post.

This is the first pastor I ever had, though I do not remember him at all.  Ralph Smallwood was the pastor of our church when I was born, and he was already gone from the church by the time I have memories, but I count him as pivotal in my story, because he dedicated me to the Lord when I was just a couple of weeks old. And so began my foundation of being raised in church and at home to know the Lord.

This man, Paul Enyart, was the pastor I remember from my early childhood, and he's the one who just passed away a few days ago. (The photo is his obituary photo...I didn't have one of him from back in the day. I wasn't the Bekah-razzi then.) My parents kept me in the main service rather than sending me to junior church, so I grew up on Paul's sermons. And isn't it interesting the things that particularly stick out to you in the grand scheme of memory? One of the clearest memories I have of him as our pastor was toward the end of his time with us. He had turned in his resignation but was still our pastor, and our church was sort of flailing in an attempt to find his replacement. I was too young to fully understand all the difficult things that were happening, but I remember seeing him stand behind the pulpit one Sunday morning and do his best to guide us back on course (with this beautiful blend of love and discipline that I'm sure is excruciatingly hard for ministers to find). What I remembered from that moment was that even though he was leaving, he still loved us and wanted us to do well.

The pastor of my late elementary, and junior high years was Fred Littlefield, and I think he was the first pastor I really made a deep connection with as a person. Pastor Fred was just a delight. He could have been my grandfather, and he just loved all of us in our church. I'm pretty sure he walked into a messier situation than I could even have known at that time, but he came in with joy and loved us well. I still have notes in the margin of my Bible that came from his sermons. Fred retired and ended up living not all that far from my sister in Kansas. One year when we went to visit her, we had the chance to see him and his dear wife, Naomi. I will treasure this picture forever, because Pastor Fred died just a few weeks later.

After Pastor Fred retired, we had two more pastors at the church I grew up in...first Rick and then Dave. Though I didn't have as deep a connection to either of them as I did to pastors Paul and Fred, I appreciate their role in my story and the ways God grew me through that time!

By the time I was a freshman in college, the Lord led me to another church, where I stayed for eleven years, and during that time, I sat under the teaching of Pastor Steve Colter. He had been established at that church for a while when I arrived and he is still there, which I think is an amazing tribute to his heart for the ministry and the people of that church. I learned so much from Pastor Steve - and only part of it was from his sermons. I have pages and pages of notes from those, but he did so much more for my faith journey than just preach to me. I remember the evening he found me in the bookstore, searching for something that would help me find my way in a lost season. He paused to talk with me, didn't judge me for my confusion, and then bought and gifted me a book he thought would help. (And it did!) I remember a time when someone in the church was treating me hurtfully, and he sat down with the two of us to talk it out - and though I figured I would come out the "loser" in the conflict because I was young, he came to my defense. I have never forgotten that. It was possibly the most meaningful thing a minister ever did for me. It was under his ministry that I served on the church board and did a lot of blossoming as a person and believer. When God called me to move on to another church eleven years after arriving, I was not sure what He was up to, but I was so sad to leave Pastor Steve's teaching. I am forever grateful for him. (Also - how do I NOT have a photo with him???)

The church God led me to was a little church outside my hometown, and the first day I walked in, I was absolutely TERRIFIED. I happened to immediately run into the pastor, Jesse Vore, and he welcomed me warmly. He ended up becoming a really good friend to me, in addition to being my pastor. We were near the same age, and I appreciated all that I learned from him and the heart he has for the Lord and for the people of the church. He was one of the first people Ryan and I told about our relationship, and I remember the joy on his face when he found out we were dating. He did our marriage counseling for us, and I will never forget the affirmation he gave us as a couple. It was such a gift!!

Ryan and I attended a church near our home in Marion during a transition period, and though we didn't get terribly involved there, we sat under the teaching of Pastor Steve DeNeff, who has written a number of books and is way smarter than we'll ever be. He taught us many things, and we are grateful.

And now at our church, there are so many pastors who have fed into our lives in so many different ways. When we first started attending, one of the staff pastors took us under her wing and saw something special in us. She stepped away from the church this summer at the Lord's leading, but I still consider her one of my pastors, and I am so grateful for her wisdom and gentle spirit. (And Ryan and I wouldn't be the part of our church that we are today if she hadn't found a place for us!) Pastor Cindy has counseled us and helped us find our place - and we just love her so much! (She was at the conference I attended this weekend and I just loved seeing her!)

I'm grateful for all these. I'm grateful for the pastors who shepherded me for years and for those who were part of my life for just a short time.

And how can I close my thankful post without mentioning Pastor Brian Holland, who was on staff with Pastor Steve when I attended that church, and who baptized me back in 2011? He was the youth pastor of the church, and I was far from youthful, but he invested in me and I loved it that he was part of this pivotal day for me!

And of course, my own personal pastor, who has listened, advised, counseled, and taught me a hundred million things over the years. And he presided over the most important day of our lives. My brother-in-law, Jeff Blackburn, has meant (and still does mean) so much to me. Picking his brain and talking Scripture with him is one of my favorite things to do.

These men and women are just a sampling of the many who have given me a beautifully firm foundation in the Lord. I am grateful for each of them and for all the rest. (I should probably write many more posts.)