Of course, I saw in my inbox "Steve Benedict added you as a friend on Facebook" and quickly felt nostalgia whooshing in... and a couple tears escaping...
for those of you who don't know...
Pastor Steve ("Pastor" is his first name on his birth certificate, it must be) was my youth pastor from the time I was in @7th grade until...well, now.
He's an amazing man of God who poured his life into a girl who had no idea how much she needed it at the time, but has been forever changed by his unconditional love and constant example... for the past 15 years.
After high school, I went to Liberty and while I was there, he had the nerve to leave our church and move to some little church in Manassas, Va. What kind of name is Manassas, anyway? :o)
After I graduated college, I stayed at Liberty and worked as an admissions counselor for almost a year. That March (2003) I got an email from him telling me his church was looking for a summer intern and was I interested? [in my mind, no I was not] But God would not let the matter rest. VERY long story short, I got the internship in March and was planning to begin the first of June. In May, the church's Ministry Assistant notified the church she would be retiring, effective June 1... Coincidence? I think not.
So, you guessed it. The internship turned into the last 5 years of my life... and through it all, the church changed, friends came and moved, i lived a hundred different places (ok, 4), staff changed, lots of changes... but what always remained the same... every day I got to go to work for Pastor Steve.
As time went on, I got to branch out and be involved in many other areas of ministry at Old Dominion, but I was always his assistant. And every week, we'd meet and talk about tasks, blah blah blah... but the first thing he'd always ask, always... in sincerity--because he'd wait to hear the answer... "So, how are you?"
He's such a good guy. God's hand-picked mentor. Treasured friend. "My hero."
1 comment:
For anyone who happens to read this blog, you ought to know that it is EASY to invest your life in another when it is obvious that God has hand picked them for great things. Kathie (and her younger brother Matt) were always a huge blessing to me. Ok, so they drove me nuts too! But they both clearly have a huge heart for God- not just to serve Him, but to know Him. And that has made all the difference in their lives.
GO KATHIE!!!!!!!!!!!
Steve Benedict
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