Happy Pass-it-On Saturday, friends!
I missed writing last Saturday, but I had to choose between writing my Saturday Pondering or going to my 7 year-old grandson’s first baseball game.
So, it really wasn’t that hard to choose.
His game has a later start time today, so I can manage both.
This evening, Mrs. Sweetie and I are attending her 45th high school reunion, so there will probably be a lot of old people talking about their grandkids.
(I wonder if the kids at school ever sit around talking about—and showing photos of—their grandparents).
I had a cool experience last Sunday.
My friend, Pastor Nathan Adams, invited me to come and preach, sing, and talk about the ministry of Texans on Mission at the First Baptist Church of Hereford.
He let me know a few days before that their youth band would be leading worship that day.
As Sunday approached, I did some pondering and reminiscing about the past 49 years of “church work” that started in 1977 when my church (Immanuel Baptist Church in Monahans) asked me (at age 15) to be the Music Director.
Those precious saints could never have imagined what that investment would bring about!
I shared a bit about that right before I sang—as an encouragement to the youth band and to the congregation.
(Note: I trusted my memory instead of doing a 30 second google search and misspoke about the year the song was released. It was 1979, not 1976).
This morning, I read 1 Thessalonians 1.
In verses 5-7, I noticed a sequence that has been repeated for millennia:
Observe. Imitate. Model.
Watch how someone does it. Imitate how they do it. Model it for someone else.
The process has various names:
Apprenticeship.
Mentorship.
Discipleship.
Every stage in my life has benefited from those I could observe and imitate. (I just got my notice this week that my Medicare coverage starts in December, so now I’m observing how my mentors are navigating this life stage).
And I’m praying that my life is something that is worth imitating for the generations that follow.
Especially my kids and grands.
Time to get ready for that next baseball game.
Be amazing today, my friend.
