30 Days of Thanksgiving, Day 21: My "Job"

Today, I am thankful for my "job." I put the word in quotes because I don't think of my work as a job in the normal or traditional sense. As a pastor, I think of my work as a "calling" or an "assignment" from God, who is my "Boss." I don't mean to reduce God to the mundane by saying this. Everyone would not agree with how I view my work as pastor, but in my mind, I signed up for God's team back when I was a teenager and I made a decision to "dedicate my life to God." Back then I told Him that I would do whatever He assigned to me (though inwardly I was putting certain conditions on that), little imagining that He would accept my offer.

Anyway, God has given me a number of assignments along the way, and I've enjoyed them all in varying degrees. My current assignment, though, is my favorite so far. I am really enjoying the work God has given me to do among the First Family at First Baptist Church in Newburgh, and I am very thankful to God that He has given me this particular assignment.

30 Days of Thanksgiving, Day 19: My Pastors

Today in my thoughts of thankfulness marches a squad of remarkable men. These men have little in common in their outward appearance. Some are tall, some slim, some erect, some bent over. Some are smiling and cheerful in their countenance, while others wear a grim visage.

These men are my Pastors. Each one has had the role of shepherd in my life, and I render honor and respect to every one of them. Some taught me by their words, some showed my by their example, and a few did both consistently. Some little part of each one of these men has molded and shaped the person I am today, and the person I am becoming. I liken them to the tools a master craftsman carries in his toolbox. Each tool has a particular purpose and is used to accomplish a particular task. The hammer is used to drive nails home and to tap the chisel. The file and the rasp are used to shape and smooth. The screwdriver is used to...well, anyway,  the sandpaper and polishing cloth are used to smooth and finish the job. God has used each of the men on my list to do in my life what God knew needed to be done at that time in my life. I thank God for these men, and for those who are still living and serving God, I honor them and pray for their continued fruitfulness. This list is generally organized in chronological order.

Pastor Jack Beukema, First Baptist Church, Afton, NY
Pastor Howard Carlson, First Baptist Church, Afton, NY
Pastor Louis Caruana, First Baptist Church, Afton, NY
Pastor Ken Rogers, Berean Bible Church, Greene, NY
Pastor Joseph Mugglesworth, Lehigh Baptist Church, Philadelphia, PA
Pastor Tom Rauch, Lehigh Baptist Church, Philadelphia, PA
Pastor Ken Wilcox, First Baptist Church, Bristol, PA
Pastor James Bates, Mansfield Baptist Church, Port Murray, NJ
Pastor Don Stone, Victory Baptist Church, Berlin, Germany
Pastor Mike Peper, First Baptist Church, Aston, PA
Pastor Bruce Baker, Immanuel Bible Church, Campbell Hall, NY
Pastor Cam Thompson, First Baptist Church, Newburgh, NY

And, in a unique ministry to me,

Pastor Don Ashley, Scipio Community Church, Scipio Center, NY and Highland Bethel Evangelical Mennonite Church, Fort Wayne, IN.

Thank you, Pastors. God has blessed me through your ministry.

30 Days of Thanksgiving, Day #16: My friends from Seminary of the East

Today my thoughts of thankfulness take me back to the mid-90s and my years as a student at the Conservative Baptist Seminary of the East in Dresher, Pennsylvania, where I studied and earned the Master of Divinity degree.

It was much, much different than my experiences at PCB in the early 80's. The classes were smaller, the work harder, and the friendships, in some cases, deeper. I vividly remember the first Tuesday morning class: Old Testament and Hebrew, taught by Dr. John Worgul. I was "blown away" intellectually in the first hour, and began to wonder if I had made a terrible mistake.

Later that afternoon, while sitting in another class, I glanced out a window and saw something I will never, ever forget. Dr. Worgul, the brilliant professor of Hebrew and Old Testament, who read from his Hebrew Bible as easily as I might read Dr. Seuss to my children, was carrying two large garbage bags across the parking lot to deposit them in the dumpster. How strange and out of place! He, the brilliant scholar, doing the work of a custodian? "My brothers, this ought not to be!" I cannot remember learning anything at seminary that was more important than that. No matter who you are, or the degrees you hold, or the intellect you possess, you are never too important to serve others, even if the task itself appears to be "beneath you."

At SoE, I made some great friendships--especially in our "D-Group" (small group discipleship group). Though our paths since leaving SoE have led us in many different directions, including all the way to Alaska (Kurt Habecker!) those 3 years of Seminary were some of the most important times in my life, and the friends I made there, both students, faculty and staff alike, have had an enormous impact on my life. Thank you, Heavenly Father, for giving me that experience, and for bringing those people into my life.