Monday I had lunch with a local Pastor. He has been a Chaplain for Boone County for twenty some years. He has taught on a professor level for 42 years. He is connected to Greek Orthodox churches primarily. He impacted me in a great way.
So it all starts at the Chinese Buffet in Belvidere. The food was great but the conversation was better. Pastor Andrew is full of great energy and life. I look forward to continued relationship and Chinese food!
Here are a few simple take aways from my time with him:
- We both shared very similar views of the Kingdom of God. That was a fun discussion point.
- We both see current issues within the church that cause us great concern. One example that we see, Pastors at large are not taking a Sabbath. They are not resting but are actually caught up in the hype of ministry.
- Andrew asked me about The Grove. I shared the great victories we have seen but also some of the tougher stuff as well. Andrew said, "I'm not surprised, it comes with the turf. You are fighting the forces of darkness. The enemy never sleeps and he is relentless. Sometimes people leave but you must remain focused on your mission and calling."
So much was discussed, I wish I could share all of it with you. It was very cool to participate in this generation to generation pastoral discussion. Things he has dealt with over the years are things I'm facing as well. Pastor Andrew is a very interesting man and I respect him. So is Pastor Bob Kopp, I have had many life impacting discussions with him as well. I will have to write on that sometime soon.
One of the last things Andrew said to me was, "You look fit. Don't lose that in life. You will need your strength."
That was a great thing to hear. Stay fit! Yeah cause we both know that ministry can put the pounds on ya. We eat all the time and if we are not motivated we do not move much. We sit and talk, we call people, we study at a desk. So that meant alot. I have never been motivated by an older pastor to stay fit!
