Just Thinking
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Thanks Again
It was a long lonely drive. On Friday morning, I left my house at about 10:00 headed toward western PA just to say "thank you." A three-and-a-half drive one way to say "thank you?" Yes that's right. No, it's not that I didn't have anything to do on Friday, actually the opposite is true. I had lots of plans for Friday but felt it necessary to show my gratitude to someone who was certainly worthy. Rev. Dean McIntire, a former teacher at Penn View had passed away and his viewing was on Friday. Bro. McIntire made such a profound impact on my life and in my ministry that I didn't think the long drive for a 20 minute stay at the funeral home was time wasted. The legacy he leaves behind will last for generations to come.
His classes weren't a drag for me. His insights to the Bible were profound yet his explanations were simple. He made the Bible come alive to me applying it's principles at teachings to my everyday life.
The stories he shared from days of pastoring and from his personal life were always on point and descriptive.
Bro. McIntire knew what it meant to be in love with God and with His word.
Usually when a teacher handed a term paper or test back and it had red ink all over it, it meant there was a lot wrong with your paper. Not with Bro. McIntire. He would mark your papers with lots of red ink but it was always with additional material for your work, notes of encouragement or maybe a "Praise the Lord" or "Thank God." Several times my the outlines of my sermons or papers handed in would be returned with several other possible outlines and of course they were always alliterated.
And Bro. McIntire knew how to spend time outside the classroom with his students. Many were the times I was able to talk to him after a class about a topic we had dicsussed in class or to get some insight on a class assignment.
I told him many times since his retirement that I appreciated him and thanked him for his influence in my life. But I wanted to take this one last chance and just say "Thank You."
His classes weren't a drag for me. His insights to the Bible were profound yet his explanations were simple. He made the Bible come alive to me applying it's principles at teachings to my everyday life.
The stories he shared from days of pastoring and from his personal life were always on point and descriptive.
Bro. McIntire knew what it meant to be in love with God and with His word.
Usually when a teacher handed a term paper or test back and it had red ink all over it, it meant there was a lot wrong with your paper. Not with Bro. McIntire. He would mark your papers with lots of red ink but it was always with additional material for your work, notes of encouragement or maybe a "Praise the Lord" or "Thank God." Several times my the outlines of my sermons or papers handed in would be returned with several other possible outlines and of course they were always alliterated.
And Bro. McIntire knew how to spend time outside the classroom with his students. Many were the times I was able to talk to him after a class about a topic we had dicsussed in class or to get some insight on a class assignment.
I told him many times since his retirement that I appreciated him and thanked him for his influence in my life. But I wanted to take this one last chance and just say "Thank You."
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Mixed Emotions
Mixed Emotions is when you watch your mother-in-law drive your new car over a cliff.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Youth Revival
On Sunday night our church finished a youth revival with Rev. Steve Tomek. We thank the Lord for the help He gave us during the revival. Many of our young people received spiritual help. It was really nice to have the Tomek family with us. Bro. Tomek was my pastor for a few years when I was a teenager and having him and his family here was special for me. Besides the good services, we also had a great time of fellowship with the Tomek family.
