I'm coming up on my ten year anniversary as a pastor, and the day will be marked by my official start at a new appointment in northwest Kansas.
Thinking back, I've had lot of ups and downs, shouts of joy and painful crying, celebratory hugs and sympathetic hugs.
I started out ten years ago with three funerals in my first two weeks - Opal, Carolyn, and Bob. Three saints that helped me cut my teeth, and fast.
In the funerals I've done, I can't escape the memories of Lela, a community matriarch, or Gary, known for his heroic actions before his death, or Gary, who had a goal of watching his daughter down the aisle no matter what it took, or Gladys, who died while going to help someone - something that she always did, or Harold, who no matter what differences he had, would still help someone if it was really needed, or Wade, who loved life and kept humor in everything, even if it meant taunting a teacher about football teams or clicking his wheelchair while a certain pastor was preaching.
This list is no way complete - it's only a piece of some of those who taught others about celebrating life to the fullest, all the way to the glory of God.
I've also shared in so many joys, such as the first baptism - his name is Logan, and it was on Sept 11, 2004. There was also the time I did an immersion baptism of three kids and the entire congregation coming to celebrate the event. There was also times when I was baptizing a child and parent, or siblings. There is even the time I baptized Rich, fourteen hours before he passed away.
Each wedding has been a joy in it's own self. The mom who had her children walk her down the aisle, or as I mentioned before, the dad who successfully walked his daughter down the aisle, or the couple who faced adversity to make their day an even more special one.
I've seen lots of love in my churches, and of course, there have been some downers - folks who have let anxiety or rumors or whatever demons get in the way of Kingdom-building. But love always prevails - the love of some colleagues who have helped me in some dark days, or the love shared with cancer fighters, or the love of my child in the congregation who has helped everyone remember what Christmas is all about.
Looking back, it's has been a long ten years, and a quick ten years. It has been a time of loving and caring, bearing one another's pains and sharing in our joys.
So here's to the next ten years, and the tears and cheers that it will bring.
