dad is in the house!

I think most of you know this bit of information I am about to share but some of you won’t...do you know I am turning 60 this month?  It is a joke with the staff now I have talked about it so much.  Just this past week end I was talking with someone and Ali, our children’s Pastor overheard me and she asked, “How old are you going to be, Bill?” knowing full well how old I am going to be!  Anyway I am going to be 60 and I am good with that, really good actually...I just wish my knee did  not hurt so much:)

About a year ago a friend of mine in our church family made a comment that is just now beginning to resonate inside of me.  We had been gone for a Sunday and she was kind enough to say her and her husband missed us.  On the following Sunday she and a few others were praying for me before the Sunday service and she something to me like this; “Everything went well last week but with you back here it is like the father of the family is back in the house.”  Now I do not have that in her exact words but that was the idea in what she was trying to tell me.  I heard her but then I think I really did not hear her, if you know what I mean.  

I try so hard to make sure to not make more of myself than I should I sometimes hear things like that and I do not know how to respond...I don’t want to take too much credit for anything or ever get in the way of what God is doing.  But what if that is what God is doing? Or saying?  Could it ever be a bad thing to have a fatherly figure around?  Why shouldn’t I embrace this stage of life and the anointing God has given me to be a father to a wonderful church family?  I loved being a father to my kids, it was a real honor to be their dad.  I have great kids and kids in-law!  I loved being a dad...I can remember as I was just beginning to wrestle with the idea of being a pastor and someone asked a friend of the family if they thought I could be a pastor.  He responded by saying, “Look at his kids...yes he can be a pastor...and a good one.”  

Last week we were in California for some vacation and a conference and I am not sure what happened but during the week it became very apparent to me that this is where I am at in my journey as a leader and a pastor...I am the father of the house.  Grandfather to some!  I like the thought of that to be real honest with you, the thought of having a real affect on many at this stage of my life and it can flow from a part of my life a I so love...being a dad.  We have so many wonderful younger leaders around and I am so excited to be able to hang out with them to watch them succeed and and fail, and to be there to encourage them along their journey.  I recently had one of our younger couples, who are extremely gifted and trained look at me a tell me, “All we ask or want is to be able to hang out with you and be around you, to learn from you.”  Really? Me?  A recovering factory worker?  The really cool thing is this...I want to learn from them also so it is a win/win situation for me.  God has surrounded me with bright and gifted and hungry people and what an honor that is.  Hmmm, I am afraid my white beard and nerdy glasses make me look much smarter than I really am.  

As I finish up this blog I am thinking that what I hope happens is that when we are not there on a Sunday we will be missed but things will not miss a beat because God is so faithful and we do have wonderful people serving all around us.  But then on the Sundays we are there I hope as people see us it will be the feeling of, “ Oh good, mom and dad are in the house today. The family is all together again.”  I may have been a reluctant leader...but I was never a reluctant dad.

Bill