Visitors from home

I've been lucky enough to have all kinds of fun weekend visitors lately! Last weekend my dad came up, and this weekend I welcomed four dear friends from my home church, Bethlehem Lutheran in Vinton, Iowa.




(Better pictures on the Bethlehem website here.)


It was such a delight to see these people who have been some of my strongest supporters on my journey into ministry.

My pastor (who was among these visitors) was the one who first suggested to me, during my confirmation years, that I might consider whether God could be calling me to ministry. He and the rest of the congregation continued to nurture my faith, as they had done throughout my life, and they began to nurture my sense of call as well.

They gave me plenty of opportunities for leadership in worship, helped me get involved on committees and in other areas of church life, and generally encouraged and affirmed me through every step of the slightly winding path that brought me to this point in my vocation.

I couldn't overstate the pivotal role of these four people in particular, and the entire congregation in general, in forming and shaping me into the pastor I will be, nor could I adequately express my gratitude for all their support, which continues today in a variety of forms.

Fortunately for me, these folks also happen to be fun people, so we had a fantastic time catching up, shopping (even braving the Saturday crowds at the Mall of America), and eating. I'm becoming quite the spoiled intern with my regular trips to the Fireside, Tavern, and Hubbell House!

And they were warmly welcomed on Sunday by the folks at Trinity, where I preached and led the adult forum. It was the greatest pleasure to see my past, present, and future all represented in such a lovely way.


P.S. I asked our server at the Hubbell House to take our picture, which she did. Much debate ensued among its subjects over whether or not it was fair game for the blog. I decided against posting out of respect for the innocent bystanders in the background, but that should not be interpreted as a guarantee of such restraint in the future!