We sang this song last night. Our youth praise team led us in it. I LOVED it, and it will forever remind me of last night. As we were singing I noticed my pastor looking around watching his church worship.
Brother Dan, then preached an amazing sermon on thankfulness, which I loved. He then went around our sanctuary and asked people to name things that they were thankful for. Other than family, his name came up most. Our Godly, sweet, loving, amazing, funny, handsome :), pastor! (I have another post coming about his sermon and about what I am thankful for.)
At the end of the service, our beloved Dan Spencer, read his resignation letter. He is leaving to follow the Lord and His calling! He will be the new pastor of a church in TN. We sort of thought he'd be here forever. He thought that he would end his career in ministry in Thomasville, the town that he and his family love. But God has other plans for him. We are so proud of him for "being open" and for practicing what he preaches! :) We are already planning on visiting his church whenever we are up in TN...and that makes me happy to think about!
It did feel like we were in an episode of Friday Night Lights though. I could even hear the electric guitars playing in the background. Actually, you could have heard a pin drop. Then you heard lots of sniffling, then some sobbing. We were stunned, and soooo very sad.
I gave him a hug after the service and he said that he loved me....like he always does. I told him that I couldn't really think about it yet. And I held it together until we walked out of church. Then I cried, cried, cried. I cried because I started to let it sink in. He sought us out before we were even married...when we were just visiting FBC. He called me Hollywood. Then years later, remembered me when we started attending regularly. We went to him when we joined the church. He came over to our house and hung out. He then baptized me a few weeks later. He prayed for me to get the job that I wanted so badly. He calls me Coley (just like my parents, oddly enough). And Matt loves and respects him just as much. I cried because I always hoped that he would be around when I got pregnant so we could thank God for a miracle. And that he would baptize my babies one day! I always wished that I would have really "known" him before Matt and I got married, so that he could have married us. I cried because we both have a love for random Christian music...all types. And I specifically remember waiting on him to finish reading And the Shofar Blew, so that I could check it out from the church library. I thought it was so funny that we both wanted to read the same book. Y'all know I am always overly emotional, so of course every little memory made me teary. :)
Can you tell how much I love our pastor?? :) He is just super easy to talk to, and he is not judgmental at all, but most importantly he pushes you to know the Word, and to press on in your relationship with God. I felt like his was my friend, and always there to listen if I never need him. He is a brilliant teacher. And the thing I love most about him, is that he always leads by example.
I am so thankful that we had such a wonderful leader to guide us and pastor us for our entire marriage thus far. I am thankful that the Lord brought us to FBC and Dan Spencer. I am so blessed because of his leadership. :) And Sevierville, Tn doesn't know how lucky they are!! The congregation at his new church are about to be so blessed!!!
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