Josh Hatcher's Blog
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
October is...
Number 1. October is over... Time flies so fast. My youngest is ten months old. Where did this year go?
Number 2. October is or WAS, Clergy Appreciation month.... oops.
So Pastor Mike, did we tell you we appreciate you last month? If not, know this. The people in this church love you and respect you.
Who else does what you do for this wacky ragtag bunch of believers?
Clergy appreciation month came and went, and we didn't do the usual fare of "passing the hat" and buying our pastor something really neat, like Steelers Tickets, or Star Wars Episode Three on DVD.
How did we miss it?
I'll tell you... We've all been busy serving God. We've been busy being lights in dark places, and helping each other out when we need it. And scrubbing church floors, and planning Outreach events, and drawing closer to God with fasts and prayers, and building websites, and working our day jobs, trying to represent Christ to our neighbors and coworkers....
and ultimately, all of that, shows that we're actually LISTENING to the things that Mike's been teaching us.
And I'm sure that he sees it, and that he knows that we love him.
While I know there's been contention and conflict, we've stayed loyal, and tried to keep our eyes on God.
Sorry Mike, if you didn't get a card. I can GUARANTEE you that while you may not have felt appreciated in October, you were, and still are.
I think of the time when I called after I bounced my checkbook, and you helped me out.
Or when I needed a ride home that one night. Or when my kids were sick and you prayed for me.
And the time when you and Marne brought us pizza, and we "talked shop" for hours, while we made dinner, and cooked the pizza on the cardboard.....
Hey bro.. and that's just how you've ministered to ME.. And there is literally hundreds of other people in our church whom you've poured just as much love into....
yeah "rev", we appreciate you.
I hope you can see it in the way the people of Open Arms try to live out their faith....
because we're all following the teachings you give us.... And you do a heck of a good job at it.
Number 2. October is or WAS, Clergy Appreciation month.... oops.
So Pastor Mike, did we tell you we appreciate you last month? If not, know this. The people in this church love you and respect you.
Who else does what you do for this wacky ragtag bunch of believers?
Clergy appreciation month came and went, and we didn't do the usual fare of "passing the hat" and buying our pastor something really neat, like Steelers Tickets, or Star Wars Episode Three on DVD.
How did we miss it?
I'll tell you... We've all been busy serving God. We've been busy being lights in dark places, and helping each other out when we need it. And scrubbing church floors, and planning Outreach events, and drawing closer to God with fasts and prayers, and building websites, and working our day jobs, trying to represent Christ to our neighbors and coworkers....
and ultimately, all of that, shows that we're actually LISTENING to the things that Mike's been teaching us.
And I'm sure that he sees it, and that he knows that we love him.
While I know there's been contention and conflict, we've stayed loyal, and tried to keep our eyes on God.
Sorry Mike, if you didn't get a card. I can GUARANTEE you that while you may not have felt appreciated in October, you were, and still are.
I think of the time when I called after I bounced my checkbook, and you helped me out.
Or when I needed a ride home that one night. Or when my kids were sick and you prayed for me.
And the time when you and Marne brought us pizza, and we "talked shop" for hours, while we made dinner, and cooked the pizza on the cardboard.....
Hey bro.. and that's just how you've ministered to ME.. And there is literally hundreds of other people in our church whom you've poured just as much love into....
yeah "rev", we appreciate you.
I hope you can see it in the way the people of Open Arms try to live out their faith....
because we're all following the teachings you give us.... And you do a heck of a good job at it.
:: posted by joshhatcher, 6:07 PM
1 Comments:
Josh, thank you for all your kind words, but your faithfulness and service speak even louder. I so appreciate all of you and am full of gratitude for all that each one in the church does both in the church and in the community. My greatest reward and the biggest thank you I get is to see people walking in the truth and living whole-heartedly for Jesus!
