October is Pastor Appreciation Month!

When I was a kid, I witnessed the friendships that my dad had with his preacher buddies! It was a unique thing to see.  Those guys went through “thick and thin” together.  They attended meetings & conferences together, cried & laughed together, golfed together and loved each other life brothers! I remember hearing my dad on the phone with those guys and them laughing and sharing their “ministry stories” and they loved each other so much. I remember hearing my dad talk about the heartache and pressure his friends were experiencing and how he walked through those valleys with them.

This past week has been one of those times in my life when God used a pastor friend to encourage me and bless me. Philip Lehman, pastor of Discover Point Church in Conyers, invited me to attend his staff retreat where I could get away and prepare and plan for 2018. I jumped at the opportunity and God honored the week as I sought His face for the next year. Philip and the Discover Point Staff were so hospitable and took great care of me while I was there.

This morning as I reflect on my time away, I am reminded that I have some of the greatest preacher buddies in the world. I’m not exactly sure why I have been so blessed but I praise God for Philip, Larry, Russ, Chip, Mike, John, Wilburn, Danny, Donnie, Jeff, Tony, Terry, Richard, Stan, Neal and many more. I should not have named names because  I have a ton of pastor friends! These guys have been through “Thick and Thin” with me!

Here is the definition of “Thick and Thin”- To be able to last through and handle the good times as well as the bad times. Thick is representative of the good times, whereas thin is representative of the bad times., Here I am…  44 years old and as I look around, I have ministry friends that I would take a bullet for just like my dad did so many years ago.

October is Pastor Appreciation Month and it’s easy as a pastor to think this is about us, but in reality, it’s about those pastors that we truly appreciate! Today, I appreciate the Pastors in my life! Thanks Philip for an amazing week…

Matt