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Cal's Pastoral Epistles
"Someone May Remember You"
October 9, 2008
He didn't even remember me. Rev. Dick Bausman was the man who
encouraged me to take a student pastorate during my seminary days. He
was my practicum leader. In my second year of seminary he told me that I
had good instincts for ministry and suggested I think about accepting a call
to serve a small church in Rhode Island. His reference and continued
encouragement led to me accepting the call to my first church, the Cross
Mills Baptist Church in Charleston, Rhode Island in September of 1983.
Last Saturday I saw him for the first time in 25 years. I was so excited. I
had followed his career from afar, always noting where he was. We do that
don't we? There are those men and women who come into our lives and we
are never the same. They love us, encourage us and help us find direction in
life. It may be a teacher, an aunt or uncle, a neighbor or the parent of a
friend. We all have those people in our lives. Dick was one of mine.
So you can imagine my shock when I went up to him and he didn't have
any clue who I was. I may have scared him a bit and left him thinking I
was a stalker because I quickly spouted off everything I knew about him. It
still didn't ring a bell for him. He was one of those men who had been
influential in my life and that day I found out I was only a blip on his radar
screen that had long since disappeared. I had to laugh.
It reminded me how God works to get things done. Throughout the
Scriptures nameless people stroll in and out of the stories prompting men
and women to step out and do great things. Usually we identify with the
heroes. We like to think of ourselves as Moses, David, Esther, Peter or
Mary. The truth is that many of us are more like Jethro, Jabez or the
woman at the well.
God uses us to plant seeds in everything we do. God uses every word,
every smile, every bit of love and encouragement to reach people and touch
their lives. We might have an effect on somebody we meet along the way
and not even aware of it. My encounter last week brought that point home.
Dick allowed God to use him to encourage many of us back then and we
were all blessed by it.
As if to punctuate this point, God with his great sense of humor, set me up
the following day. At 6:00 a.m. I went to McDonalds for a bagel and a
coffee. As I was standing in line waiting for my order, one young lady
looked at me and said, "I know you!" She looked vaguely familiar but I
couldn't place her. She continued, "You married me in New London last
year." Fresh off my own encounter I said, "Congratulations. I hope you
guys are still going strong." She assured me they were and thanked me for
what I did.
You never know the good you will do. The key is to be open to the Spirit of
God and let Him guide you and use you. Lives will be changed and God will
be glorified.
God bless! See you in Church. Cal
October 9, 2008
He didn't even remember me. Rev. Dick Bausman was the man who
encouraged me to take a student pastorate during my seminary days. He
was my practicum leader. In my second year of seminary he told me that I
had good instincts for ministry and suggested I think about accepting a call
to serve a small church in Rhode Island. His reference and continued
encouragement led to me accepting the call to my first church, the Cross
Mills Baptist Church in Charleston, Rhode Island in September of 1983.
Last Saturday I saw him for the first time in 25 years. I was so excited. I
had followed his career from afar, always noting where he was. We do that
don't we? There are those men and women who come into our lives and we
are never the same. They love us, encourage us and help us find direction in
life. It may be a teacher, an aunt or uncle, a neighbor or the parent of a
friend. We all have those people in our lives. Dick was one of mine.
So you can imagine my shock when I went up to him and he didn't have
any clue who I was. I may have scared him a bit and left him thinking I
was a stalker because I quickly spouted off everything I knew about him. It
still didn't ring a bell for him. He was one of those men who had been
influential in my life and that day I found out I was only a blip on his radar
screen that had long since disappeared. I had to laugh.
It reminded me how God works to get things done. Throughout the
Scriptures nameless people stroll in and out of the stories prompting men
and women to step out and do great things. Usually we identify with the
heroes. We like to think of ourselves as Moses, David, Esther, Peter or
Mary. The truth is that many of us are more like Jethro, Jabez or the
woman at the well.
God uses us to plant seeds in everything we do. God uses every word,
every smile, every bit of love and encouragement to reach people and touch
their lives. We might have an effect on somebody we meet along the way
and not even aware of it. My encounter last week brought that point home.
Dick allowed God to use him to encourage many of us back then and we
were all blessed by it.
As if to punctuate this point, God with his great sense of humor, set me up
the following day. At 6:00 a.m. I went to McDonalds for a bagel and a
coffee. As I was standing in line waiting for my order, one young lady
looked at me and said, "I know you!" She looked vaguely familiar but I
couldn't place her. She continued, "You married me in New London last
year." Fresh off my own encounter I said, "Congratulations. I hope you
guys are still going strong." She assured me they were and thanked me for
what I did.
You never know the good you will do. The key is to be open to the Spirit of
God and let Him guide you and use you. Lives will be changed and God will
be glorified.
God bless! See you in Church. Cal
Pastor Cal Lord writes these weekly epistles to
help us see God in every day things.
help us see God in every day things.
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