Im heading back to my hometown tomorrow to say goodbye to my childhood Pastor, who was also a family friend in his retirement. He was the first Pastor I remember. I always associated him with Ronal Reagan, who was President at the same time he was my Pastor. They both had black hair, were older, and spoke in front of people. When I told him that years later, he told me he was not a Reagan fan. I thought that was funny. I dont remember one sermon he preached, yet he was instrumental in planting seeds of faith and doing some watering that God would grow. He did a lot of the same kind of work teachers do. I cant remember specific things any of my favorite teachers said when I was in school, yet looking back, I learned something. My Pastor was of a different generation. He did not Facebook, Twitter, or text. He fought in the Korean War and became a Pastor in the Methodist Church when Pastors and their families did not find out if they were moving to a new parish until the Annual Methodist Conference two weeks before move day. He moved to another church when I went into junior high. I kept up with him sporadically after that. There is much to his story before he was my Pastor, and after he wasnt my Pastor, that I do not know. But when I felt the nudging to go into being a Pastor myself, he was the one I called. And when I did reach out to him in my mid 20s, the first thing he said was, I was wondering when you would call me. He may have said to everyone who sought his counsel, but it made me think that God might actually be doing something weird. One day I arrived at his house to talk in more detail about what it meant to be a Pastor - specifically what it meant FOR ME to be a Pastor. I still wasnt sure I actually wanted to do this thing. When I knocked on his door, he greeted me with a smile on his face. This was very unusual. He was pretty dry and serious minded. When I asked why he was in such a good mood he replied that he had just been reading a passage of scripture he had preached on at least 20 times in his 50 years as a Pastor and found something in the scriptures about Christ and His love that he had never seen before. He was giddy. That will be the imagine of Bob Briles that will always stick with me. I want to be giddy about a new discovery of Christs love after 50 years of ministry like that with some whippersnapper who knocks on my door. Bob made a difference in my life. I trust he is hearing the words of the Father, Well done, good and faithful servant. as he rejoices and reunites with his bride Irene. Thanks Bob.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 21:30:41 +0000
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