Comments

“I had to contact you to thank you. Last night, my spouse and I brought two of our grandsons to church with us. Our youngest, ten years old, was riveted during your sermon. I have never seen him sit so still for so long. He was focused on everything you said. Then, on the way home, we talked about your sermon. He understood your message and especially liked the tomato trivia you incorporated. What a blessing you are for young people. God bless you and your family.”

“I’ve seen more than my fair share of sufficient church services. This doesn’t describe you. Praise is more than mere words strung together.”

“You almost had the perfect sermon, that is until you used “dead-dog” as an adjective. Couldn’t you have used a different descriptor?”

“Thank you, thank you, for helping me to be a better young man of God.”

“You pray in an unusal way…like you mean it.”

“When you said crying babies is the ‘music of angels,’ this struck me as peculiar. Another week you said it was ‘joyful noise.’ Again, these are odd remarks. So, I went home and googled those terms. Nowhere on the internet does it say anything like that. Nowhere! I think you must make this stuff up. You can barely keep the smile off your face when a baby is fussing. That just ain’t right.”

“You are an unusal combination of folksy and thought-provoking.”

“About your preaching, right when I start to get comfortable…you’re done.” (I told the fella, “This ain’t nap time!”)

(Embarassing!) [After patting me on the belly] “In some cultures you would be considered very wealthy.”

“You can write, you can speak, and your voice and manner of speaking are warm and engaging.” * (Awww, shucks)

First Grade: “God loves you. You are the best in the word.” [sic] — (but I loved it).

Adult: ”You brought the smile back to church service.” (who knew it ever left?)

Second Grade Depiction

Fifth grade child: ”Thank you for always smiling to us. It makes me feel good when you smile. It also makes me feel secure.”

“I had to write and comment on the wonderful service and sermon. You put a lot of time and thought into it, no doubt. Both were so heartwarming!”

Twenty year old young adult: “I hope you know that your witness was intregal to my story.”

Kindergarten “You are the best priced [sic] ever.” (Again, who can argue?)

“You make me a better person. I hope and pray all these homilies keep lifting us up!”

“I am going to try harder to be kind in traffic.”

“Another fine example of the intersection of psychology and theology.”

“You had me completely convinced you had known who you were preaching about all your life. I tell you in a good way, you are a good liar. Perhaps that is not the right word, but your portrayal was so accurate and sincere that it seemed like it was a part of your shared history.”

Teacher: “You remind me so much of my grandpa in your mannerisms and how you talk. Sometimes, I look up and think he is with us. He is no longer with us.”

“How you choose to use what you’ve been given as a gift, matters in my life.”‍

“I’m running out of superlatives. I guess ‘good’ is gonna have to do.”

“Your content is good, but the delivery takes it to the next level.”

“Even though you backpedaled on your sermon before service, it met your standard of excellence.” (Me: shrug)

“If you were a professor instead of a preacher, that one point you made today would be celebrated around the world.” (Me: blush)

“You remind me of my favorite Bible verse, Nehemiah 9:20; it just radiates from you.”

Questioning Cat

Seventh Grader: “I’ve come to church here my whole life, but I have never known a preacher the way I know you.”

Eighth Grader: “If you ever fall, I will come to take care of you.” Moved to the point of tears, I said, “What would make you say such a thing?” Pausing a half a heartbeat, he replied, “Cause you’re getting up there.”

“How does one person bring such joy? Surely it is not just the smile.”

“If I knew tonight was going to mean something, I would have recorded it.”

“You love the people and that’s easily seen; the Spirit is upon you.”

“Your smile brings joy with it.”

“Proclaiming the Truth is so much more than writing the words; it is tone, inflection, pauses, timing, rhythm, emphasis, and tenderness.”

“It's not easy saying yes to the life you chose. Thank you for taking such a leap! May you have many more happy years in the service of Our Lord, and to us, His wealth of sinners.”

“I’m so happy you follow the book.”