mold
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| It's cool to consider the kinds of things in life that shape us; the people that mold us. After driving a car without power steering for about 5 years, my forearms are quite toned. After an extra splash of half-and-half in my morning (three) cups of jo over the last several years, my jaw is less defined. After obsessing over family history and genealogy research from 1998 - 2000, my extended family is still ready to string me up by my toes at any mention of great--great-great-Grandpa McFarland ... (Just to be sure I'm completely not kidding, click here to take a look at my family history genealogy site.) There are subtle things in life that influence us and there are more obvious and apparent things that shape and mold us. Some are positive. Some are not. Someone who influenced me greatly was a man who took an interest in me when I was in 6th grade at church. He was our Youth Pastor. And he was awesome. His name is Mike Holland. His zeal for God and his desire to expose and train up the youth of our faith community was inspiring. We learned tons. Not just through his teaching and training, but through his modeling. He gave me "legs" to my faith and showed me how I could be used by God to make a difference in my own circle of influence. My faith as a teenager became very real and accessible to me. He believed in me and gave me the latitude to emerge as a leader and challenged me to be an influencer of others for God. He exposed me to the idea of being a "servant leader" and being "sold out" for Christ. He was not only a planter of seeds, but he watered them for a while too. He even performed the wedding for Lara and I... Sometimes, just reflecting on where we've been and where we've come from, can invite us to praise God again and again for demonstrating His work in our life. It's kind of like looking at the parade of your life from the roof of your house instead of from the sidewalk. Mike Holland planted seeds in the hearts of many people over the years. There were four of us boys in the early to late '80s (who used to get in all kinds of trouble and mischief and being silly and goofy) who would eventually become vocational ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Danny, Shawn, Tim and Billy. (There's a photo somewhere of us four in 6th grade somewhere ...) I am grateful that Mike allowed God to use him to shape & mold me. I'm certain that they are too.... |
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