Dealing with The Seasons of Ministry

I just finished “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson. Here’s 20 things I highlighted. Some apply to preaching. Some apply to pastoring. Some are just interesting:

1. Apple had a 3rd partner, Ron Wayne, who got cold feet after 11 days. He was paid a buyout of $2,300. Had he stayed, his share would be worth $2.6 billion.

2. Picasso had a saying – “Good artists copy, great artists steal” – we have been shameless about stealing great ideas.

3. In the annals of innovation, new ideas are only part of the equation. Execution is just as important.

4. The empowering force of naïveté – “Because I didn’t know it couldn’t be done, I was enabled to do it. ”

5. The goal was never to beat the competition, or to make a lot of money. It was to do the greatest thing possible, or even a little greater.

6. Jobs recruiting Pepsi’s Scully – Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want a chance to change the world?

7. Jobs responding to a question about how he did market research for the Mac – “Did Alexander Graham Bell do any market research before he invented the telephone?”

8. The best & most innovative products don’t always win.

9. A colleague on how he dealt with Jobs abrasive personality “I used to be an angry man myself. I’m a recovering assaholic. So I could recognize that in Steve.”

10. What prepared him for the success he would have in Act 3 was not his ouster from Act 1 @ Apple, but his brilliant failures in Act 2.

11. It takes a lot of hard work to make something simple.

12. You have to deeply understand the essence of a product in order to be able to get rid of the parts that are not essential.

13. Gretzky – “Skate where the puck is going, not where it has been.”

14. Jobs – “What are the 10 things we should be doing next?…We can only do 3″

15. The mark of an innovative company is not that it comes up with new ideas first, but also that it knows how to leapfrog when it finds itself behind.

16. Some people say, “Give the customers what they want.” but that’s not my approach. Our job is to figure out what they’re going to want before they do.

17. Henry Ford – “If I’d asked customers what the wanted, they’d have told me, ‘a faster horse’.”

18. People don’t know what they want until you show it to them. That’s why I never rely on market research. Our task is to read things that are not yet on the page.

19. You build a company that will stand for something a generation or two from now. That’s what Walt Disney did, and HP, and the people that built Intel. They created a company to last, not just to make money. That’s what I want Apple to be.

20. Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.

So, what about you?

What got your attention?

I’ve been a Bronco fan for a long time. I remember striped socks, the South Stands, Steve Tensi, Cookie Gilcrest, Lyle Alzado, The Orange Crush, and the days when two words were enough to describe Mile High Stadium. We loved our Broncos. We filled the stadium. We cheered them on, even though they didn’t win much. We learned to endure. “Maybe next year we’ll beat the Raiders”, was our rallying cry.

Then along came a savior.

Not THE savior. There’s only been one of those. He was born in a manger in Bethlehem 2000 years ago. His name was Jesus. He came to save the world. And he did.

Our savior was born in a hospital in Port Angeles, Washington in 1960. His name was Elway. He came to save our Broncos. And he did.

And then he left us, and we’ve been looking for another ever since.

Maybe, just maybe we’ve found him. He was born in the Philippines, and like THE savior, his birth was a bit of a miracle. He came to us by way of Florida and we hope he has come to save our Broncos.

Or maybe it’s not just our Broncos he came to save. In a time when our innocence has been shattered by revelations of the sexual abuse of our children by those we’ve cheered as role models, maybe he has come to restore faith in our heroes. We want to believe. We need to believe. But, in the dark recesses of our psyche, we wonder if he’ll disappoint us like so many have. Or worse, turn out to be something entirely different than the public package.

We want to believe in the underdog. The kid that the pundants say will never make it.

We want to believe in the gifted young man who says “No sir” and “Yes sir” in response to questions at the press conferences.

We want to believe in the humble leader who “thanks my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ”, gives credit to his coaches and team mates and pledges to do his best to improve everyday.

We want to believe. We want to hope. But the cynical pessimist inside of us is waiting for the other shoe to drop. We’re afraid he will disappoint us.

The truth is, he probably will. Hopefully not in scandalous ways. He’s human. Although they run quite well, his feet are made of clay. He’s just a wealthier, better looking, more athletic version of me. And I don’t always get it right, neither do you, and nor will he. He’s going to make mistakes, throw to the wrong jersey from time to time, say stuff he shouldn’t, and be severely tested when wins become losses and the temptations of fame are thrown his way.

If you want a Savior that won’t disappoint, you’d be better served trusting the one from Bethlehem. He proved himself divine.

Tim Tebow’s not THE savior, but he sure acts a lot like one.

I’m pulling for him. We need him to win. Not just for the Broncos, but for our hopes and dreams that the good guys really do exist and that they do well. I know he’s just beginning, but we need him to finish strong.

Honestly, I think he will. The fourth quarter at Mile High is becoming known as Tebow time.

One more thing…I just wish Tim Tebow could play for the Cubs.

If you like stories about unlikely heroes, you’ll love Ir-rev-rend: Christianity without the pretense, faith without the facade. You can read more about it and order your copies as Christmas gifts HERE

I thought I’d take a minute and tell you why I wrote it and maybe give you some reasons why you should buy the book.

If you want to skip the explanation and get right to the ordering, you can do so by clicking here: Ir-rev-rend: Christianity Without the Pretense. Faith Without the Façade

WHY I WROTE THE BOOK

One of my early preaching mentors told me that a good sermon will “make em laugh, make em cry and give em Jesus”. That’s essentially what I’ve tried to do with this book. It’s a collection of real life stories (including mine) that will hopefully make the readers laugh, cry and push them toward Jesus. The stories deal with faith, hope, doubt, love, sex, money, politics and a bunch of other real life issues that we all wrestle with. (You can read a preview chapter HERE) I’ve written it to believers, hoping that the writing will be engaging enough that, after reading it, they will want to give it to their friends who may be struggling with their faith.

I tried to keep it real.

One of my kids saw a preview copy and thought it might be a little too real.

“Dad, some thoughts are probably best kept in your head”.

He’s probably right, but I left them on the pages anyway. What do kids know?

TOP TEN REASONS YOU SHOULD BUY A COPY

1. The writing style is kind of like Ann LaMotte meets Donald Miller in a Shack
2. It cost about the same as three Starbucks coffees but it lasts longer and has greater eternal value
3. The chapter on Sex is worth the price of the book
4. My wife and children will love you forever
5. You may recognize yourself in one of the chapters
6. It’s written for people who have a hard time finishing an entire book
7. You can start on any chapter you want and create your own adventure
8. You are having trouble coming up with the perfect Christmas gift for that special somebody
9. You think a lot of Christians take themselves a tad too seriously
10. God just might use it to change your life, stranger things have happened you know

Purchase your copy: Ir-rev-rend: Christianity Without the Pretense. Faith Without the Façade

I examine that possibility in this video trailer for the book Ir-rev-rend.

You can purchase Ir-rev-rend here: Ir-rev-rend: Christianity Without the Pretense. Faith Without the Façade


You can read a preview chapter HERE

“Filled with life-changing wisdom and sidesplitting humor.”
–Craig Groeschel, author, and founder of Life Church TV

“In a world where most people think they gain credibility by hiding their imperfections, Greg Surratt turns that myth on its head with IR-REV-REND.”
–Phil Cooke, filmmaker, and author of Jolt

“To those tired of the plastic, shallow spirituality, IR-REV-REND is for you.”
–Darrin Patrick, Journey Church pastor and author of Church Planter

“Greg Surratt is really qualified to write this book. He is sincere, humble and without pretense.”
–Brady Boyd, author of Fear No Evil

“IR-REV-REND will leave you wanting more of the God behind the stories.”
–Larry Osborne, author, and pastor at North Coast Church in Vista, CA

“IR-REV-REND is a delightful adventure.”
–Matthew Barnett, author, and co-founder of the Dream Center

“This is a book that people will be talking about for years.”
–Ron Hall, author of Same Kind of Different as Me

“Blatantly honest, refreshingly authentic, and continually comedic.”
–Pete Wilson, pastor at Cross Point Church, and author of Plan B

“IR-REV-REND will push you to a place of real, raw life-changing faith.”
–Steven Furtick, pastor at Elevation Church, and author of Sun Stand Still

“The laughing brain engages more than the bored brain. Prepare to laugh, learn, and grow by reading Greg Surratt’s true life tales of family, marriage, church and leadership in IR-REV-REND. I couldn’t put it down.”
–Dave Travis, co-author of Beyond Megachurch Myths

“Greg Surratt is one of the most life-giving and wise leaders I know. He brings that insight and wisdom to the terrific book.”
–Jud Wilhite, pastor at Central Christian Church and author of Throw it Down

“There are books and there are books that matter and make a difference. This is absolutely one that matters and makes a difference.”
–Brent Rowan, producer, musician, composer

“This book is a lot like Greg; honest, funny, and entertaining, and at the same time, powerful, poignant, and thought provoking.”
–John Siebling, pastor at The Life Church of Memphis

“This compelling book will inspire you to live your own brand of ir-rev-rence.”
–Joe Champion, author of Rocked and pastor at Celebration Church

“I can tell you this: Greg Surratt is one of the good guys.”
–Bob Buford, founder of Leadership Network and author of Halftime

“Oh my gosh! Put down everything else and read this book. Vintage Surratt.”
–Michael Fletcher, author, and pastor at Manna Church

“This book is a must read.”
–Jonathan Falwell, author, and pastor at Thomas Road Baptist Church

To see a video trailer for the book click HERE

I’m pretty sure that you have been waiting all weekend with baited breath to find out who won the free copies of Ir-rev-rend.

I promised that there would be five winners who commented on this post. There were over 2,000 readers and 190 comments. Here’s how we chose:

First, we gave Dr Jon Carlile one because he was the hero of the story and was brave enough to identify himself.

Next, we asked the computer to randomly identify four more worthy candidates.

And the winners are:
1. Dr. Jon Carlile
2. Aimee Rawlinson Lehman
3. Chris Russo
4. Gail Derreberry
5. Lorie Ferguson

Just send us your name, email, and mailing address and we’ll get you a copy as soon as we get our hands on some. Send it to PastorGreg@Seacoast.org

Congrats!!!

I thought you’d be interested in hearing his take on the story.

Well it’s me, I’m the chiropractor you met on the plane. I can’t remember exactly how long ago, I think a couple of years or so. Any way a friend Sean Tabor told me about your book tonight. I decided to read your preface and wanted to comment on what I think gave me power to be me. It’s simple with preachers like Fred Richards, Robert Spadley, truth is I was blessed to have some of Charlestons finest teach me Gods word. Boy does Gods word make a difference especially when you’re forced to believe it. I mean trials can make you or break you depending on how you choose to respond. I was told in Bible school that if you respond to trials in faith , they will make you better. If you respond to trials in fear doubt and unbief, they can make you bitter. I think life can be full of trials, it’s kind of a serendipity experience that builds your character along the way. Well any way I wanted to tell you my secret. It’s not only listening to great preaching it’s listening to Gods word. I know it sounds cliche, who cares there are plenty of versions to listen to. It works, listening to Gods word changed my life. I wish I could say I didn’t have feet of clay, but I do. Many times I honestly listen to God’s word even after knowing I just meditated on something I should not have. Guess what his word cleanses to the utter most. I’m also amazed with Gods word that I listen to the Word during my work hours over the speaker system. I want all of my patients and staff to hear Gods precious word. I go home at night and turn on my iPhone and listen to Gods word when I sleep I listen to Gods word. I currently attempt to hear the word from Genisis to Revelations about every three to four weeks and repeat the process often. I feel that Gods word is the most important thing I can give my self to. One other thing I want to say, I am very happy to say that my children are doing well. My youngest Hannah, is sixteen, she attends Fair hill Christian school in Fairbanks Alaska, my next oldest child is a senior at hutcheson high also in Fairbanks. My next oldest just graduated high school and attends Lee university in Cleveland Tn. My oldest is attending Southeastern University in Lakeland Fla. I told you this because I see Gods faithfulness and answered prayers. God is amazing. I love him and want to spend the rest of my life serving my flock at Carlile Chiropractic. I am pleased that you refer to me in your book. I’m so glad that after so many years God kindly allows me be re instated back to the lives I left over thirty years ago. I want to thank Fred Richards and Rob Spradley, Jim Kelly, Jeff Stockford, and Sue Nesmith for being there in YouthQuake. Gods word, Gods people, Gods Spirit what a combo. Now that’s a hardy meal that feeds this Charlestonian Alaska boy. I love you, thanks for sharing and allowing me to share on the plane. God bless you if you want to keep in touch I would love to take you into the wilderness. If you want pictures let me know. Thank you Dr Jon Carlile

A little later Jon’s brother Ed left a comment:

Greg, your description of Jon and his enthusiasm was perfect. He is so inspirational even in the worst of times. He would always say, “I just want to stay in God’s will”. It is because we were raised in a good Christian home. We were members of Northwoods Assembly when Sea Coast was started. So we had the good training and direction of Pastor Richards. In fact, my wife and I were married there by Doug Cotton. When Jon totally committed his life to God, he never looked back.
He has amazed me in his accomplishments, which haven’t come easy. When he was at Life Chiropractic University in Atlanta, he didn’t have tuition for his sophomore year. He was insistent that God would provide a way. I’ll never forget the day he called me in Charleston to say he was on the Rugby team. John had never played any high school sport and he really didn’t know what Rugby was. But that’s where enthusiasm, following God’s will and 285 pounds of Jon Carlile can do. I asked him if he ever scored. He said they just put me in to rough people up. Either God is a big sports fan or He wanted Jon to get that sophomore year scholarship.
I’m glad you had an opportunity to meet Jon and share his story.
I’m proud to be his brother.
Ed

As if that wasn’t enough, there was at least one more interesting comment. You may remember me referring to a girl I sat next too on an earlier flight. She was nervous about flying and releaved to be sitting next to her pastor, not realizing that he was piously praying for an empty seat. Her name is Brenda and she recognized herself:

To be fair, once the adrenaline wore off and the plane took off I tried not to talk to you because I figured you get tired of being a celebrity. But geesh you just kept yammering on and on. I said a couple of prayers of my own. I was sorry to see the editor changed the original text from “an intelligent well put together (and most likely very funny) woman” and just went with “young woman”.
I get it. You needed the space.

Great chapter. You had me at “no one should be up at that hour.”

Thank you for the times you have been a part of my story. I’m sure that sentiment could be repeated sincerely all over the world! I look forward to the rest of the stories.

Honestly, I tried to disguise the identity of some of the characters in other stories a little better than these. I changed names and facts to protect the innocent (and sometimes the guilty). But I’m kind of glad that Jon identified himself. He’s the kind of hero that everyone should get to meet at least once in your life.

I’m glad I got my chance, I hope you enjoyed reading about it.

Giveaway:  I’m giving away a copy of the book to 5 people who leave comments. (Winners will be announced Monday)

Enjoy!

Serendipity

The alarm went off at 4:00am. No one should be up at that hour. Almost no one was. Some people are happy and cheery when they first get up. Not me. Especially not at 4:00am.

I’d made a quick trip to Birmingham to be with my friend Chris Hodges the day after his father died. Now I had to be back in Charleston to celebrate my grandson’s birthday, and the only flight with a seat available was the first one of the day. Lucky me.

I packed quickly, slapped a hat on my head (if you can’t comb it, cap it), and hopped a ride to the airport. It’s not easy to get in and out of Charleston. You don’t go through our fair city to get to somewhere else. We are a destination point. Some Charlestonians would say that we are THE destination point. Many natives still believe that the Ashley, Cooper, and Wando rivers came together to form the Atlantic Ocean. Life begins and ends with Charleston. That’s great for civic pride, but it makes traveling somewhat difficult. There are very few direct flights out of Charleston. When the rapture occurs I’m confident that we will be routed thru Atlanta or Charlotte, depending on the severity of our sin and the sincerity of our repentance. Which one will serve as a sort of travel purgatory, you ask? I’d rather not say, in the fear that my Georgia brethren would be offended. Travel can be complicated, especially when nocturnal creatures (such as myself) have to take the early flight.

The final leg into Charleston is almost always done on an aircraft that looks more like a long silver piece of PVC pipe than an airplane. Even a person of my stature (5’8″ in heals and fully stretched for pictures) has to bend at the waist to keep from bumping your head on the ceiling once you enter the plane. The good news is that there are generally two seats on either side of the aisle, eliminating the dreaded center seat. The not as good of news is that the remaining seats are so tightly packed that you tend to share more intimate space with complete strangers than you really care too.

Travel too and from Charleston does improve the intensity of your prayer life. At least it does mine. I find myself praying more fervently about my potential seat mate than I did when I was single and praying for a spouse. My travel prayers basically go like this:

Prayer #1- “Lord, please let there be no one in the seat next to me.” I know it sounds selfish, but actually it’s not. The purpose is not so much my comfort as it is so that I can give myself more completely to God and his work in my life. With no one next to me there will be less distractions and more time to focus. (Okay, so it is a LITTLE selfish.) I was praying that prayer once when I spotted a young woman walking toward me. Arriving just before the door closed and the start of the fascinating instructional video, she was obviously the last one on the plane. By that time there were just two seats available and I was hoping that she would walk on past my row. As she melted into the seat next to me she exclaimed, “What an answer to prayer, you are my pastor!! I am so glad I’m sitting next to you. I’m afraid of flying so I waited till the last minute to board. I’ve been praying that God would give me a sign that everything would be okay, and here I am sitting by you!” I didn’t have the heart to tell her that her loving pastor, who was currently being used by God as a sign of his providence, was actually praying for an empty seat. I guess both prayers couldn’t be answered so God went with the less selfish one.

If prayer #1 – “Lord, please let there be no one in the seat next to me” goes unanswered, I move onto Prayer #2 – “If I have to sit by someone, make it someone small.” If you’ve traveled much, then you’ve probably prayed this prayer even though you would never include it in your Small Group Bible Study praise report time. “Praise God, there were no fat people next to me on the plane”. It just doesn’t sound right. But the truth is, no one wants to sit next to someone who flows over into the space you have purchased, especially not on a long trip. Honestly, this prayer reveals a hint of my own hypocrisy, in that I am currently overweight and was born with relatively broad shoulders, so I may very well be the object of other travelers prayers. I still pray it, none the less, because contrary to the opening line of Rick Warren’s best seller, “Purpose Driven Life”, in my own mind, most of the time it really is about me. Just keeping it real.

Prayer # 2 – “If I have to sit by someone, make it someone small” actually has a second part to it that goes something like this, “But don’t make them too small”. As in loud or unattached children. I remember being a reluctant baby sitter to a hyper energized three year old on a flight in the middle of the night, somewhere over the Indian Ocean. Her parents, whom I’d never met, were sleeping soundly in the seats next to me while I was the source of her nocturnal entertainment. My brother, who was seated across the aisle, would occasionally wake up and just laugh. I’ve never liked him much. I actually do like kids, I tell myself, just in small doses of my own choosing.

Prayer #3 – “Lord, please let them not be in need of constant conversation.” No conversation is awkward. Some conversation is good. Constant conversation to a borderline introvert can be draining (at least that’s how I justify this prayer in my mind).

Prayer #4 – “Lord, help me be a blessing to whoever I sit by.” That’s the prayer that I throw in so that I will feel better about myself. I’m not sure how sincere it is, but hey, this is my book and you’re probably secretly relating to what I’m talking about.

Here’s the deal, God usually answers Prayer #4 by bringing me the opposite of what I’m praying for in Prayers #1-3. In fact I’m pretty sure he ignores the first three like we ignore unhealthy requests from our kids as they are growing up. “Daddy, I’d like my ice cream before dinner this time.” He knows what we need, when we need it, and he knows what part we play in the big scheme of things. It’s easy to forget that’s it really isn’t about us, especially when you are tired, or uncomfortable, or just a little unclear about the mission he’s called us too everyday of our life.

I was all of the above on that early morning flight from Birmingham when it became obvious that the really big guy hunched over in the aisle was eying the seat next to mine.
“I’m in seat A”, he said as he rechecked the number on his ticket.

“That figures”, I thought as I struggled out of seat B and into the aisle so he could get past.

Honestly, all kinds of negative thoughts started to vie for a place in my mind. I’m not proud of it, it’s just the truth. I wasn’t thinking about him, what God may have wanted to do in his life through me, or about why our lives were aligned in that moment, or the fact that I am to live “missionally” and “incarnationally” every day of my life because of the sacrifice that Jesus made for me. I wasn’t thinking about the power and responsibility of the good news. I wasn’t thinking like the men in 2 Kings 7 who, because of their leprosy, were forced to beg for their food daily, and then one day found a stash of goods so large that they could never consume it in a lifetime. They were tempted to keep it to themselves until one of them came to his senses:

2 Kings 7:9a (NLT) Finally, they said to each other, “This is not right. This is wonderful news, and we aren’t sharing it with anyone!”

I was just thinking about me, and my comfort. I thought I knew what I needed, but the next 38 minutes proved to be highly instructional to this tired, grumpy, and out of alignment pastor. It was a divine appointment. And I almost missed it.

Prayers #1, 2, & 3 died quickly on the tarmac in Atlanta. There was someone sitting next to me. He was big. And he was definitely a talker. As he settled into his seat (and maybe one quarter of mine) he apologized for my discomfort and asked if I lived in Charleston.

“I do”, I replied. “How about you?”

“Oh no,” he responded. “I used to, but that was nearly thirty years ago now. I loved this place. I grew up here. I live in Alaska now, but it’s always good to get back for a visit.”

“Visiting family?”, I asked asked as he shifted around in the narrow seats, trying to get comfortable. When he moved, I moved also. Not because I wanted too, but out of necessity. We were a team now.

“Yeah. Cousins. My parents both died about two years ago, but I’ve got cousins I’ll be seeing”, came the response from my new dance partner. “What do you do and how long have you lived in Charleston?”

I measured my response.

“23 years…and I’m a pastor.”

“Really?” He asked. “What church?”

When I responded with “Seacoast”, he lit up like a thirteen year old girl at a Justin Beiber concert. “Then you know my cousin Sue.”

Seacoast is a fairly large church and I’m honestly not too good with names. Sometimes when people will ask, “Do you know _____, they go to your church?”, I’ll get a glazed look while the search engine in my brain tries to find a match. More often than not, I’ll nod politely and hope that they don’t ask for details, because I’m coming up blank. That wasn’t the case when my seat partner mentioned the name of his cousin. She and her husband had actually been apart of the group that started the church. They had been in a successful student ministry years earlier in our mother church, Northwood Assembly. Many of the leaders in that ministry had been a part of the founding of Seacoast. “John”, who was currently occupying both his seat and an increasing portion of mine, had been one of the leaders of that group.

That really got him going. He became as animated as a large man could in the cramped quarters of a flying toothpick. His voice picked up both volume and pace as he recalled what had obviously been one of the highlight seasons of his life. He teared up as he recalled the night he really dedicated his life to Christ, and the joy of following him with the abandonment that only the idealism of youth can truly appreciate. He asked me about various other people he’d known from those days. With each name came a story, and then a story on top of the story. I knew many of them and it was actually fun to listen to my enthusiastic new best friend recount some things that might be useful to me in the future.

“So, what took you away from Charleston?”, I asked.

“Well, originally it was school”, he replied. “I followed God’s call to a Bible College in Florida. My dad was a pastor of a small church for a while when we were growing up, and I so enjoyed my youth ministry experience, that that just seemed like the natural next step. I stayed there for two years and then transferred to another school in Tennessee for three years and then on to seminary for two more years.”

“So you’re a pastor now?”, I asked.

“Well, not exactly. At least not the way that you see the word ‘pastor’.”

I shifted around in my seat, trying to get comfortable because I sensed a story coming, I was actually somewhat intrigued.

“I’m a Chiropractor now and I see my patients as my congregation. I attend a local church on the weekend, but my work is my ministry. Everyday I go to my pulpit. See, everybody is hurting somewhere. Your job is to bring wholeness through the scriptures. I just get to their hearts through the adjustments I make on their bodies. I feel God’s hand in everything I do. I love my job.”

“So”, I asked, “how do you go from preparing for ministry to being a Chiropractor? I mean seven years is a long time.”

“It is a long time”, he responded. “But if you mean, do I feel like I wasted seven years and lots of money and never became a real pastor? Definitely not. It was preparation for ministry, and I’m in the ministry now. So I can see God’s hand in it all the way.”

“I can see what you mean”, I said somewhat apologetically. “But obviously you went into school thinking that there would be a “traditional” pastorate on the other end. Wasn’t it frustrating at times? Where did you make the switch?”

“It’s all about trusting God,” he said. Now I sensed that he was preaching a sermon to the “real” pastor, and I wasn’t offended. In fact, I was beginning to realize that maybe this was the reason that the two of us were squeezed into this small airplane for the next few minutes. God had something he wanted to say to me, and the only way he could get my attention was to seat belt me into a sardine can next to a rather large authentic “pastor”. “Fire away”, I thought. “I’m all ears.”

“Like I said, I felt a call of God on my life so I naturally thought of Bible College. With my dad being a pastor and being around some great role models in ministry it just seemed like the right thing to do. We prayed about it and decided to pursue ministry training.”

“When did you decide that pastoring a church wasn’t in the cards for you?”, I asked, still fascinated that a guy would invest seven years in ministry preparation without any apparent regrets.

“It was while I was in seminary”, he answered. “It just seemed like everything I tried was harder than it needed to be. It just wasn’t clicking for me.”

“Wasn’t that discouraging?”, I asked. “How did you handle it?”

“Discouraging?”, he stopped to think about his answer. “Yeah, I guess so at times. But how can you be that discouraged when you know you are where you’re supposed to be.”

“Interesting“, I thought. “Things are not working out, you’ve just invested seven years of your life in a dream that’s not happening, and you’re not discouraged, because you are confident you are where you’re supposed to be?”

“Tell me how you can be in the right place, but it’s not working out, and you’re not worried about it”, I asked.

“God’s in control. It’s his job to figure that stuff out. I guess my job is to keep my attitude right and just follow his lead.”

“Cool idea”, I thought. “Sounds like something Jesus would say (if he were here today, occupying an oversized body in a very small plane, sitting next to a whiny pastor).”

“So how’d you get into being a Chiropractor?”

“Like I said, things weren’t working out. Studies were hard and there were no jobs available when I graduated, so I decided to go into the Army until I figured it out.”

“The Army’s a great place to go while you’re trying to figure things out”, I thought. “You don’t have to worry much about what’s next. They’ve got plenty of people telling you what to do.”

“Shortly after I got in I started having headaches”, he said.

“The military will do that to you”, I added, helpfully.

“No, it’s not like that”, he said. “They were migraines. A friend said I ought to try seeing a Chiropractor and I did. The headaches went away and I found my calling.”

“All in one visit?”, I asked.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that”, he replied.

I’m thinking I should be a Chiropractor.

“After I got out of the Army I enrolled in school to become a Chiropractor”, he said, completing his thought.”

“So, how long did that take?”, I asked. Not that I’m thinking about it. I just wanted to know.

“Eight years,” he answered proudly.

“Eight years,” I repeated in disbelief. “So let me get this straight: In your pursuit of finding God’s calling on your life you went to Bible College, Seminary, three years in the Army, and then back to eight years of college? And you didn’t get discouraged along the way?”

“That’s right,” he said with an oversized grin on his face. “Oh, I had my days, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I met some great people, and the process is what made me what I am. I love my job. And I love my life. I couldn’t be happier. If that’s what it took, don’t you think it was worth it?”

I couldn’t argue with that. I noticed that he didn’t have a ring, so I asked him if he’d ever been married.

He paused and looked down for a few seconds before he answered. “Yes I was, to a wonderful woman. She died in a car wreck three years ago. I guess you could call me a single parent. We’ve got four teenagers living at home.”

Now that totally wrecked me.

I thought back to my selfish prayers just before he entered the plane. I thought about my reaction when it became obvious we were going to share a portion of my seat for 38 minutes. I thought about how I sometimes complain when the smallest things happen or my plans are delayed or I have to stand in one of life’s waiting lines for longer than I think I deserve. I thought about how far I am from where I need to be. I felt as if I’d been touched by an angel, and it made me want to be more like Jesus. In a strange way I felt hope. And I wanted to hear more.

“How have you…how have you managed?”, I asked as we started our descent into Charleston. “Loosing your wife and your parents, and raising four teenagers by yourself. I have so many questions. I can’t imagine.”

“It hasn’t been easy”, he replied. “The kids have missed their mother terribly at times. They are good kids and their faith in God is strong. It’s hard to explain, but we have experienced God’s grace in some really incredible ways.”

“In fact”, he continued, “I can see where those years of being forced to trust God when things didn’t go the way I thought they would was great preparation for what we’ve gone thru in the last three years. God was faithful then and he has been faithful now.”

There was something different about this guy. It wasn’t just the words he spoke. He was pouring out his life and his hopes in those words. They were alive to him, he was living in them. They weren’t a shallow mimicking of something he’d heard or a pollyanna, “everything is good”, type of misplaced naivety. There was a kind of authenticity to his faith that was at the same time simple and profound. Life had dealt him some serious setbacks, stuff that most of us would feel justified in questioning God about. But he didn’t let himself go that path. He simply trusted God, and his life was better for it.

As the wheels of the plane touched the ground he grabbed my hand and asked if I would pray for him. I agreed to, but I felt a little like John the Baptist when Jesus asked him to baptize him:

Matthew 3:14 (NLT) But John didn’t want to baptize him. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said…

I prayed for continued grace, wisdom for his children, that his little congregation of patients would keep growing, and that he would always have a childlike awe when he saw God at work in his world.

When we finished he gave me his card and told me to look him up if I ever get to Alaska. “I’ll take you to some of the most beautiful places God ever created. We’ll go hunting, and fishing, and hiking. You’ll love it”, he said. “It’s beautiful but it can be unforgiving. You need somebody to show you the ropes. I’ll be your guide.”

What he didn’t know was that he already was. My guide, that is. Hopefully I’ll be a better traveler for it.

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