We pass out nomination forms for new elders today. It is an overwhelming responsibility to
serve as shepherds in the Lord’s church. It is also an important duty to nominate qualified and able men to serve
in that capacity.

This week, as I have ruminated over the intricacies of this
process, my thoughts have turned to many godly men who have blessed my life and
truly been shepherds to me through the years.

Forgive my personal reflection but maybe the legacy of these
individuals in my life may help spur your thoughts to holy men who would
faithfully fulfill the role of elder in this place.

I owe a great deal to:

–My father, for first showing me what an elder truly
is. For raising me in a godly home and
instilling in me a faith that has impelled me to my own life of service.

–Bill Weeks, for teaching me that elders can be men of
great humor.

–Buck Pierce, for showing me the gentleness that is the
hallmark of a shepherd

–LT Blevins, for paying me out of his own pocket when I
first began as a youth minister intern in 1990.

–Bill Arnold, for always being a constant encouragement as
I found my way in ministry.

–Jack McGee, for showing me a shepherd who was continually
involved in the lives of the members.

–Larry Hutchings for always opening his home to me and
giving me a place at the dinner table.

–Burley Bearden for loving people and his display of
genuine sadness when I moved on to a different work

–Carlin Brooks, Mike Flanagan, Kai Grissom, and Trice
Sampson for being patient with me and never giving up. They had ample reason to cut their losses
with an immature, brash, know-it-all youth minister but they never did. I would not be in ministry if it were not
for each of their steadfast faith that I had something to offer.

–Morris Reed for getting me involved in singles ministry
when I thought that I had nothing more to give.

–David Lee for his intellectual curiosity and encouraging
me to be more of a student of the Word.

–Aaron Ellis and Larry Smith for their willingness to be
used as shepherds and desire to grow as men of God. Both of these men displayed genuine humility as they answered the
call to serve for the first time and in the process became lifelong friends.

–John Ray Smith for his wisdom and experience during the
trying first days of a new eldership. His constancy validated the work that we were doing.

–Billy Evans and James Pearson for their desire to grow and
do great things for the Kingdom in Waco and for asking me to be a part of the
process.

Each of these men has collaborated to encourage, teach,
guide and shepherd me.

There were times when I doubted my role but they showed
faith.

There were times when I was discouraged and they lifted my
spirits.

There were times when I was weak and they offered me the
strength of Christ.

There were times when I was arrogant and proud and they
humbled me.

There were times when I was wrong and they rebuked me.

There were times of uncertainty and they stayed the course.

For those examples of holy and righteous living, I am
eternally grateful.

A church is truly blessed when it has qualified and godly
men willing and able to serve in that capacity.

As we fill out our forms over the next two weeks may we do
so with prayerful reflection on the qualities and attributes that God intends
for the shepherd to possess.

Quote of the week:

The prayers of holy men appease God’s wrath, drive
away temptations, resist and overcome the devil, procure the ministry and
service of angels, rescind the decrees of God. Prayer cures sickness and
obtains pardon; it arrests the sun in its course and stays the wheels of the
chariot of the moon; it rules over all gods and opens and shuts the storehouses
of rain; it unlocks the cabinet of the womb and quenches the violence of fire;
it stops the mouths of lions and reconciles our suffering and weak faculties
with the violence of torment and violence of persecution; it pleases God and
supplies all our need.