Day 284: The pastor

I figured him for a soccer dad, or a baseball dad. He was in his 40s and was wearing shorts and a t-shirt and looked somewhat athletic. I took him for a guy who spent a lot of time at the ball fields, watching his kids play. Naturally, those quick impressions we get of people aren't always completely accurate.

He was getting back into his little SUV when I got his attention. He spun around, attentive. So I asked him my question. His eyes widened. I can't remember exactly what he said then, but it was something like -- "Did you know?" And then, "I'm a pastor."

I've never encountered a pastor on this project. I needed it. He was encouraging. He told me about his church, which was in Salina. The pastor was taking a class at Friends University and was on the way home with his son. He's been at his church now for 17 years, right out of Manhattan Christian College. It has grown to the point that it started a second church.

He asked what I did for a living. I told him I was a journalist. "We need ministers in every occupation," he said. A church, after all, shouldn't consist of a pastor and just a bunch of members sitting in the pews. It should be filled with ministers who reach out to the world around them, no matter where they are. I couldn't agree more.

When I told him about my project -- to pray for one person every day -- he smiled. "One is a good start," he said. So I prayed for him there, asking for God's blessing and protection on him during his road trip.

But at the end of the day, he was a blessing to me. That's, after all, what ministers do: They minister. This project can be a drag sometimes. It's one extra thing to do in a day. The responses aren't always what you would hope. And sometimes I wonder whether it makes any difference. But running into a pastor like that reminded me that God's purposes are perfect. God has a plan that we couldn't possibly comprehend in full. Rather, we just do what we're called to do, faithful to Him, and he will provide the sustenance along the way. It's not such a drag then.