My Heroes
 

I’ve been trying to think back to who my super hero's were when I was growing up. We didn’t have TV in Belize when I was a kid – that came the year after I left for university in the U.S.  I know, how unfair, right? So, all the TV superheros were out. I wasn’t that big on sports. So, that ruled out any athletics. Music! Yes, that was my passion, and Andre Crouch was the big thing in Gospel Music back then. I remember the first Andre long playing record we owned – “Andre Crouch and the Disciples, Live at Carnegie Hall.” I had never heard Christian music like that before. Andre quickly became my favorite. But hero? Not really.
 
I’ll tell you who my hero was growing up. It was my dad. I know, you’re thinking that’s every little boys hero. Well yes. However, my dad wasn’t my hero only as a father. That alone was enough to do it, but it went beyond. Dad was a Pastor, and he was a great Pastor. After serving in World War II, Dad dedicated the rest of his adult life to the service of The King. He was a caring shepherd. He was prophetic preacher. He was an effective leader. Dad was bold, standing up to even global church leaders when it was necessary to let them know it was time for them to release local pastor and lay leaders to lead the church in Belize. After all who better to reach  Belizeans than a capable Belizean. 
 
This coming Thanksgiving weekend will be a year since my hero passed into eternity. I’m sure a year later, Dad is still encountering the many souls who are in heaven as a result of his ministry. Now that’s the making of a hero in my books.
 
October is Pastor Appreciation Month. As I think of our pastors across this Canada Central District, I picture a sea of hero's. Dad never had to minister and lead through a Global Pandemic. I’m sure he would have led well. For the past 19 months, our pastors have led our churches through lock downs and re-openings only to be locked down again. They found innovative ways to minister and spiritually feed parishioners, sometimes using technology they didn’t know anything about – but they learned. Many of them did so while working a second job as co-vocational pastors do.
 
These women and men are my hero's.
 
Pastors, thank you for your faithful service to the Lord. I’m sure there have been days during these 19 months when you’ve thought, “There’s got to be some other job I can do. This is way too hard.” You may even have written your resignation letter a time or two, maybe it didn’t make it to paper, but you thought about what you would say. The reason you keep persevering is because the Holy Spirit keeps reminding you that this is not a “job”, it is a calling. That’s the only reason any pastor would go through what pastors have experienced during this pandemic and keep being faithful, getting up each day and keep on keeping on.
 
When Israel had wondered far away from God, He gave the prophet, Jeremiah a message for His faithless people. Though Israel had time and time again rejected God, in His love and compassion He gives Jeremiah a message of reconciliation.
 
 Jeremiah 3:12 (NLT)
¹² Therefore, go and give this message to Israel. This is what the LORD says:
“O Israel, my faithless people,
come home to me again,
for I am merciful.
I will not be angry with you forever.
 

And then God says something that speaks deeply to the role of pastors/shepherds. A few verses later God says to Israel through Jeremiah,
 
Jeremiah 3:15 (NLT)
¹⁵ … I will give you shepherds after my own heart,
who will guide you with knowledge and understanding.
 
As our country and province continue to journey trough tumultuous times, our hero pastors are men and women who are called by God to be shepherds after His heart to guide His people into the mission of God –The call to be Ambassadors of Reconciliation. I’m so thankful for our pastors who day after day, with the heart of God, shepherd the people of our churches across this district.
 
THANK YOU PASTORS!
 
Final words to our Pastors and to our lay leaders.