PASTOR JOHN
Good Day! Hope your Tuesday is going well. I had an early appointment in Dallas to get my radiation and am writing a little later than normal. I had a really rough night trying to sleep. It is really odd how laying flat makes my head hurt so bad. Last night created some of the worst head pain I have had during this process. I got up at 3:45 and was able to doze a little sitting up on the couch. Always some different challenges as I try to live and adjust to a brain tumor, radiation and chemotherapy.
A quick thought, that continues to bounce around in my head. I was on staff at Hope Fellowship for five years. John McKinzie is the Sr. Pastor and started Hope over 20 years ago. He is a few years younger than me and has done a great job leading Hope. He came by yesterday to visit and see how I am doing. We had a great visit!
John reminded me of a couple of things. Men and women who step into ministry, all deal with some different challenges. I do not believe the average member understands many of the real challenges of doing ministry. Ideally each of us who step into that, genuinely feel that God is calling us to that role and church. To be fair, I believe each person has to grow, adapt and figure out if the call was genuinely from God. To be called by God in no way means it will be an easy piece of cake and that there will not continue to be some real challenges and struggles. But, when we know and believe that God has called us to that role, there is absolutely some comfort and peace that helps each of us navigate the very real challenges and struggles of serving in full time ministry.
I served in that role for almost 30 years. There were times I struggled and questioned if I was serving and leading in a way that mattered to God or anyone else. I was honestly ready to step away from ministry in 2015 and focus on counseling. Hope reached out to me about starting Re:generation, I interviewed and was not completely ready to do that until I had lunch with John. There was something in my visit with him that convinced me I needed to step into this role and see how it might go.
I started this ministry and had some challenges, but it was some of the best ministry for me personally I ever did. I had at times 40-50 men and women serving in this ministry, had 100’s of people go through a weekly, 12 month process of recovery work. I experienced the reality of God’s love and grace personally and in the lives of so many different men and women. It was a very special time of ministry for me.
Now,,,,, back to John. I have been fortunate to work with some amazing men and women. John McKinzie is special. He gave me complete freedom to run my ministry. Freedom, but I always felt like he supported and believed in me 100%. He would periodically give me some feedback that was always supportive and positive. I never, for a half a second, questioned his support and belief in me as one of his pastors. He was a man committed to his wife and children, which I greatly respected. He is one of the most positive and supportive pastors I have ever worked for and when he needed to push his staff a little or give some hard to hear feedback, he did it! He always did it with grace and positivity but made it clear ever now and then of what he expected from us as his staff. John has absolutely allowed God to use him to lead, love and serve the Body of Christ.
So, today is a simple thanks to John. Thanks for your support, your grace, and your belief in me. It mattered and still matters today. I am so grateful for you, the way you have allowed God to use you to make a difference in the Body of Christ. Grateful for your leadership and the influence you have had and continue to have on so many men and women who are serving as pastors in the body of Christ.
You matter, your life matters and this world is a better place because of you. You have blessed me in more ways than I can begin to explain. I love you, you are loved by many, and your life matters!!!!
Peace,