I often write about pastors who influence me. Today, I’d like to take a brief moment to write about my pastor, Pastor Dale O’Shields of Church of the Redeemer.
Lana and I moved to Maryland during the summer of 2002. Right before we moved, a good friend of Lana’s gave her a tape of some pastor in Gaithersburg, MD. “I’ve never been to this pastor’s church but someone gave me his tapes and he’s really good,” Lana’s friend said. So we looked up the church and decided to visit it the next weekend.
Sunday morning arrived. The service was just about to begin. We sat down in the balcony. The music started and everyone started singing. Five minutes into the service, Lana and I turned and looked at each other, then smiled. Neither of us said a word but we both knew exactly what the other was thinking; this is the place for us!
It is not coincidental that I have made tremendous strides forward in my spiritual journey since moving to MD and becoming part of Church of the Redeemer. It is not coincidental at all.
Thank you Pastor Dale! Thank you for listening to God when he directed you and your family to move to Maryland in 1986. Thank you for starting Church of the Redeemer. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to Christ! Thank you for the deep love you have for this local body. Thank you for your continual investment in us.
Here is a picture of Pastor Dale and his wife Terry that I stole borrowed from the Church of the Redeemer website.
Pastor Dale deserves every bit of recognition.
My family and I have been members of Church of the Redeemer for 3 years now.
Praise to you Pastor Dale for the wonderful way you send out God’s word.
Happy Thanksgiving to all….
Kathy
Hi, Oliver B. Green, (the gospel hour) a preacher who died before I was a Christian but is still on the radio sharing God’s word.
Dr. Robert Cook – even though he is with our wonderful Lord in heaven, his message is still being broadcast over the radio waves. Got to know him personally while attending King’s College. He was such a spiritual man but was so down to earth. His message was one that helped me in every day life. He brought the Bible into realitf liy of life. He taught me to depend on God’s Word through every circumstance.
Another person, who was never a minister in a church but lived her life as an example of what we should be as a christian, was my mother. Her knowledge of the Bible would far surpass many of our pastors. Her life was an example and a message. She wasn’t perfect but she was forgiven and lived her life, walking with God.
The pastor who influenced me most was Jon Aldrich. He was our pastor at Grace Bible Church in Nacogdoches, Texas from 1973 to 1983. He was Lana’s first pastor. Jon was an incredible pastor and friend but was also a very humble person. I learned more in the first few months under his teaching than I had learned the previous 23 years of my life. He and his wife Linda taught me what it meant to live for Christ; before my desire in Christianity was to get into heaven.
When Lana was around Lauren’s age she was invited to spend Sunday afternoon with the Aldrich’s daughter Becky. She came home telling me about a movie they had watched in which a man and woman had lots of children and then got married. Out of curiosity I called Linda and found that they had seen “The Sound of Music.”
So thank you so very much, Jon and Linda, for your ministry to me and to my family. I still think of you often with very fond memories.
Love, Charlotte
I would have to thank Pastor Leslie Flynn – my home church pastor when I was growing up. Pastor Flynn was an outstanding Bible teacher. Looking back, I am awed by his ability to keep the attention of a teenager like me! He methodically went through the Bible and explained it in very practical ways. His topical studies were relevent. He taught us how to live according to Biblical principles!
Added to my mother’s daily reading of the Bible (and explaining all the big words – - we only had King James back then!!) I am thankful for a strong grounding in a Bible-based faith.
In no particular order…
Brother Andrew for his example of living completely by faith. I have not mastered this, in fact, I am terrible at it. But, I often think of God’s Smuggler and Andrew’s amazing journey.
Pastor Steve for the sermon the week we found out Carmen might have Tay Sachs. It was like he was speaking directly to us.
Dr. Pedreira for every sermon I have ever heard from him. His stories are incredible.
Pastor Dale for continually telling us to get rid of “stinkin’ thinkin”. I so appreciate that he talks about real life and isn’t an everything is blessings kind of preacher. He often says that if you aren’t having trouble, then trouble is headed your way!
Andy Stanley and Louie Giglio for Canvas. That series profoundly impacted how we are viewing Carmen’s life.
R.G. LeTourneau for living on 10% and giving away 90%. Who does that????!!!!!
Oh my gosh…. Lana, you mentioned Louie Giglio. Just this Sunday we watched the DVD, “How Great Is Our God?” at worship. Came home and immediately ordered a copy online. Oh my gosh…. Indeed Louie Giglio is profound and I, too, was truly impacted.
Hi my dear friends, thinking of you as Thanksgiving draws near. You mean a lot to me! http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/liz2008