The greatest blessing I have received in my long life as a Christian comes each time I am able to offer encouragement to a brother or sister in Christ. When I returned to civilian life in 1965 after four years in the Air Force, I was awarded an exhorter licence by the deacons of my church. That allowed me to preach the Gospel to any congregation in our denomination as a lay preacher. I never felt that I was called to be the ordained pastor of a church, but I enjoyed preparing and presenting the messages from God’s word. Much later, I discovered that the definition of exhorter is “One who encourages”. That has always been my calling and it is what led me to write this blog.
My first time speaking before a group was at church at age 13. Our pastor asked me to share my experiences at church camp that summer with our congregation of over 200. I began by reading 1 Corinthians 2:3 KJV; “I came to you in weakness with fear and trembling.” Then I said, “If you could see my knees behind the pulpit you would know why I chose that verse.” Everyone laughed, including me, and my presentation went perfectly. I never feared standing before any group again. I always felt connect to individuals in each audience encouraging them in some way. I doubt if my limitations will allow public speaking again, but I am satisfied being able to encourage each of you as you read my blog posts. Pass it on!