HOW DO I LOVE THEE?
1. Like so many growing things, I must begin with my roots!
All do not share the privileges I enjoyed as a result of being born into a godly home! A mother who stuffed her Bible with prayer lists and brought so many faithfully before God throughout her life! A father who made certain I was in church several times every week - until I left home for college! A safe nest with no profanity, no vulgarity, lots of Christian friends, a loving, caring atmosphere, and an abundance of support to help me mature wisely and respectfully! I AM GRATEFUL!
2. I learned to love You when I was young!
There was Sunday School, Christian Life Crusaders, Vacation Bible School, Youth Group and worship in a vibrant church. Loving You was modeled by just about everyone in my life! We were always singing Your praises! I remember going down to my classroom after church one Sunday to copy the words of a new song so I could sing it at home:
My mother taught me to talk with You before going to bed every night!
3. I was taught to have a relationship with You and to obey You!
By participating weekly in the Christian Youth Crusaders [CYC] club, I was encouraged to memorize scriptures in order to earn badges. I memorized the ten commandments, Psalm 1, Psalm 23, and the entire resurrection passage – along with MANY others! I can still quote many of these passages today! The Bible was taught in relevant ways by a whole team of people! My first Sunday School teacher was my favorite. Betty Paugh made the Bible come alive to 3 and 4 year olds by using flannel graph figures and her own dramatic flare of story-telling! Every other Sunday School teacher I had – until I left for college – was a male! These men modeled the Christian life for me! I went to the altar many times throughout my growing-up years to commit my young life to God! At seventeen, I received my ‘call’ to the pastoral ministry.
4. I went to a Christian college!
It was not a terribly strict environment, but it did set up boundaries that helped me to avoid distractions that would have had a destructive impact on my spiritual focus. I dated a Christian girl – who I later married! We worked hard to maintain integrity in our relationship! I experimented with leadership roles during my college years. As a freshman, I taught a Sunday School class for junior high boys! Later, I worked in tandem with the church’s youth pastor to plan events for the youth group. I became the chaplain of the college Chorale. I also was elected to the Student Council as the Religious Life Director. I joined a Student Service Outreach (SOS) folk music group and traveled through the year and one summer representing the college and the Lord! I was hired by the church to be a summer intern upon my graduation. I was put in charge of the Wednesday prayer meeting where many who attended were my former professors and their spouses! It was somewhat intimidating!
5. I married well and we established our independence!
Debbie and I were married August 11, 1973. After one week of honeymoon, we packed a truck and drove to Wilmore, Kentucky, where I would attend Asbury Theological Seminary for three years. Being eight hours from our parents - during a time when long-distance telephone calls were very expensive – forced us to become independent immediately. We both worked to make the necessary finances to keep us afloat! The seminary environment fostered many deep and meaningful connections. I counseled with two men who I had great respect for – Dr. Don Demeray and Pastor Clyde Van Valin - and they were a huge help to me! I had a very close relationship with a couple of professors who also invested in my life: Dr. Don Joy and Dr. Gordon Jackson. These joined an already well-established group of role models and mentors. Debbie and I worshipped and served together! We taught the Joybells on Wednesdays at the Wilmore Free Methodist Church. I later became a student/pastor at the Tunnel Hill Free Methodist Church in English, Indiana for nearly two years. She worked at a large bank in Lexington and then later in the development office of the seminary. I worked at UPS, as an office-cleaner, at a gas station and as a prison guard.
6. With the help and encouragement of family, friends and enveloping church members, we learned to push through challenging times!
There were complications with Travis’ birth in 1976. Debbie had to remain in bed for several weeks to insure his safe, premature arrival. Finances have almost always been a challenge with low salaries, a growing family and my expensive educational goals! This is the area where we saw God’s provision the most! Again and again, God came to our aid in amazing ways that seemed miraculous to us!
Leading growing churches is hard work! Conflict and discontent are frequent visitors to a pastor’s work! A young pastor doesn’t garner much respect; nor does s/he have a large pool of experience to draw from. But passion and perseverance work effectively to overcome these kind of energy-drainers. Churches did grow and people did come to faith in Christ! Lifelong friends were made and a legacy of testimonies began to form!
Particularly, Debbie’s family became a faithful support system to us by giving us freedom to be us and the enveloping of love and fun regardless of where we lived or what kind of experiences we were having! They have always been our inner circle of support!
7. We gradually learned to cherish and remember the good while allowing the bad memories and experiences to eventually fall out of the bag.
As hinted above, we met and served people who didn’t seem to like us and even became oppositional to us. This is true for everyone, right? It’s what you do and how you handle these situations that contributes to your integrity and legacy! We were determined not to exchange evil for evil. We wanted to respond with godly grace as much as possible. In some cases, we were able to push through tense times and see relationships restored. In other cases, we simply pressed forward and tried our best to be fair and loving. God helped us immensely. Honestly, I don’t think about these antagonistic relationships and times. It’s remarkable how God helps us to forget the bad and recall the good! All of it forms us and if we honor God, He causes it to form us for good!
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I have many reasons to love and thank God! This concise musing fails to fully acknowledge my gratefulness to Him for His faithfulness to me! I began my walk with him when I was four or five. I made a major decision to serve Him at the age of seventeen. I have NOT done it all right. I am still not a finished product. From God’s perspective, there is much imperfection in this man! But, he has a redeeming factor in that he keeps coming back to God!
I realize as I write, how blessed I have been – I’ve tried to emphasize that here. I have worked with SO MANY over the years who have had a far more difficult path than me. Their stories have brought tears to my eyes and pain to my heart! The only reassurance I have is that the same God who guided and helped me is also available to do so for every person who turns to Him in sincerity! You can take THAT to the bank!
If you think talking with someone about your life would help, I am available. Feel free to send me a note at halinasia@psmail.net. J
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