inspirational friendships
June 3, 2009 | Just thinking out loud
What is inspiring me?
Jason Fullerton.
He’s a youth pastor who doesn’t take his role lightly. He doesn’t try to be Superman (unless Pastor Rose makes him for an illustrated sermon) but i’s clear that he really loves the youth.
Week after week I see the time invested in his teaching and his plan, which is to inspire teens to become lifelong followers of Christ. This past Sunday I listened to his teaching, hearing him challenge and inspire a room full of teens.
He and Robyn are friends. Good friends. Robyn is real and funny and a little snarky, which makes me love her even more. Jason is a huge encourager and possibly the best youth pastor I’ve ever seen in action.
Richard and I have been lucky to work with some amazing youth pastors.
Eric and Juli Smith were the first staff youth pastors that became friends. They invested in lots of teens.
Many of those youth are now in their early thirties and are pastors and in ministry today. Eric and Juli and Richard and I played endless games of Nertz. We prayed and laughed and joked together.
Madison was born and I loved her like crazy. We cried buckets when they left.
Andy and Sarah Greene followed. A young couple with tons of dreams and out-of-the-box ministry style that I loved. I remember one night Andy praying in the altar and Sarah came beside him and slipped under his arm. Little Claire, only two, snuggled in between. It was a tender vision of a family who loved each other and trusted God, something that over a third of our teens had never seen or experienced. It made many of them desire the same thing for themselves. (I wish I had a pic of the Greene’s!)
Today I am inspired by the couples that touch the lives of teens, but have marked my heart as friends.
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ahhh…thanks Suzie! We feel the same about you and Rick!
June 3rd, 2009 at 4:00 pm