When I'm 80...
I wanted to share the following post "When I'm 80..." with you. It is written by Lori Wilhite, Founder of Leading and Loving It. You can find her website info listed under "My Favorite Places."
Lori's blog reminded me of my own father...
We celebrated his 80th birthday this past April.
He has always been a pastor!
I've realized it's not about the title someone can give him, it's who he is.
I spent my younger years watching him spend endless hours ministering to people in their time of need, as well as celebrating their victories along side of them!
I'm amazed that at 80 his life still very much looks the same.
Still passionate about the local church
after years of being a Sr. Pastor he has spent the last 9 years serving as the Sr. Adult Pastor in a large church.
He's still sharing God's love with people...
still visiting widows and widowers...
still dropping off goodies that my mom has prepared for people...
still making hospital runs to pray with people before surgery...
still hanging out in hospital waiting rooms with anxious family members...
still planning retreats and prayer times...
still loving God and his family.
When I'm 80...I want to be like him!
October 18, 2011 by Lori Wilhite
Posted by Lori Wilhite At Central, we have the most precious little lady named Judy. She is a former nun and former corrections officer. What a combination! She lights up rooms. She is the most incredible life giver and encourager. She serves at least five days and two nights a week in our Care ministry. Last month she made 680 personal care calls by herself. 680 calls. She serves people in our Celebrate Recovery Ministry at the church on Friday nights. She leads Celebrate Recovery groups in the jails and prisons here in Nevada. She loves the church (which she’s attended the last two years) and said that for the first time in her life she has a real, authentic relationship with Christ. She feels alive for the first time. She is 80. That’s right … 80. She is quite unbelievable. And totally inspirational. And, she’s made me start to think about what I hope to do when I’m 80. - I hope I’ll attend a church where the music is out of my comfort zone. I hope it is too loud or too quiet, too crazy or too tame. I hope it is whatever it needs to be in order to reach people for Christ, and I hope I’ll be able to put my personal tastes aside and enjoy it anyway. - I hope that I’ll have the courage and the strength to reach out to the absolutely broken and despairing (no matter where they are in life and no matter how different they are from me), humbly serve them, and show them Christ. - I hope that I’ll have the gumption and the passion to follow God’s call rather than rest on the remembrance of things done in the past. - I hope that I am life giving, positive, spunky and that I radiate joy. - I hope I can support some young pastor and his wife. I hope I can wrap them up in big hugs and fill their ears with supportive, encouraging words. I hope I can make them smile. And I hope that by just a single conversation, I can make their week, just like Judy did mine. What do you want to be when you are 80?
