"Why don't you go with us to the Holy Land?" My pastor/boss was standing at the door to my office.
I was adding up the cost to attend a Christian Education event in New Orleans. The cost, if I drove and didn't fly, was going to be around $800 by the time I figured in the cost of the event, lodging, and meals.
"For that amount you can go to the Holy Land on a partial scholarship since you are working on your certification in Christian Education," he offered.
Count me in! Holy Land here I come! (Not by the car pictured! There's another reason for that picture).
I was serving as the church Business Administrator and Program Director, which meant I did just about anything the pastor didn’t want to do. I had also started my Christian Education Certification process, so the Holy Land was a dream trip - until I discovered that the Holy Land was in Israel! Yes, embarrassing as it is to admit, as an adult I did not realize that the Israel in the Bible was the Israel that was the same country called the “Holy Land”!
“Isn’t that the place where there is all the unrest between the Palestinians and the Israelis?”, I innocently inquired.
“Yes, that’s the place”, he answered.
(Hmmm. Second thoughts seriously racing through my mind.)
Bob was a very smart man. His preaching was very educational, however most of the congregation seemed to get lost in his detailed explanations (which I found fascinating). His intelligence seemed to affect his personal relationship skills. He could be demanding and frustrated easily. When he first came to serve the church, I was asked to attend all “Cottage” meetings held in members' homes . Cottage meetings were held in different neighborhoods surrounding the church. 8 to 12 adult members were invited to come meet the pastor and talk about the things they liked about the church and things they wish the church would change or do better. I was asked to attend all the meetings to help him with meeting and talking to the people who attended. “Mediator”would be my role in many other situations that were to come while I worked with Bob.
I met Bob while he was serving at another church. In his office one day I noticed he was a bit gruff and demanding of his wife who just happened to stop by. After he came to the church I was serving, he was also a bit gruff and demanding of me. His social skills needed some work.
Here is where the lime green roadrunner pictured comes in. One of the many interesting things about Bob was that he rode his motorcycle to church (with his comb-over blowing in the wind). When he wasn't riding the motorcycle, he was driving an old Lincoln convertible that looked the size of a 17 foot boat. I took a ride in the "boat" to a barn that was filled with collectible cars. Yes - FILLED with collectible cars! They all belonged to Pastor Bob.
"This car", he said pointing to the lime green Roadrunner, "goes from 0 to 160 mph is 10 seconds. Wanna try it out?"
"No, thank you, " I replied thinking about my second grader at home and how important it was for me to continue to be his mom. (The ride in the "boat" had been pretty fast, so I was still catching my breath). "Where did you get all these? And how can you afford to buy them?" I added in amazement.
"Buying and selling rare coins and stamps is my hobby", he explained. "Then I use some of the profit to buy cool cars."
I told you he was a very intelligent man! Collecting and selling coins and stamps sounds fascinating to me. It can also be a lot of work. Then using those profits to buy a barn-full of cars, just for fun, is was also interesting to me. It was like a museum that very few people knew about. It is amazing what people find to value and invest in their lives. Some people buy diamonds, some people donate to causes, and some people just store their savings away for a rainy day. I imagine when and if he ever sold those cars, he may be able to do all of those things and more.
We made it back to the church safely. And not long after that, we did make that trip to the Holy Land. Bob had studied in the Holy Land so he took our small group to many places that we would not have seen if it had not been for his knowledge and experience. After that trip I made two more trips to Israel, two additional trips called "The Journeys of Paul" to Greece and Turkey, and a trip to Italy called "History of the Early Church in Italy".
That first trip took me out of my comfort zone of doing safe educational trips in the United States. I am so thankful for Bob. His encouragement to try something new enriched my life. However, his social challenges lead me to look elsewhere for future employment. Another church, another pastor, and more experiences.
Have you dealt with challenging people who encouraged you to try something new and out of your comfort zone that lead to life-changing results? Think about what they taught you. Let me know what you learned by commenting below.
