Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Pastor (11/30/06)
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TITLE: More than Just an Office Holder | Previous Challenge Entry
By Annette Agnello
12/07/06 -
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When I was in college there was a running joke about a girl working on her M R S degree. For the first couple of years in college I laughed at the joke. As the end of college got closer I started to want a man in my life just like everyone else. I don’t remember how I met the man I was engaged to but it turned out to be a horrible thing.
I remember when he proposed, he also admitted his sexual perversion, and told me I should be honored that he asked me to marry him because most people chose their mate from the opposite sex, he choose me from all people. I had such a horrible self image I bought that foul lie from the pit of hell.
The local pastor, at school, was generally not liked. He once admitted his mother had pushed him into the ministry he would have preferred to be a Spanish teacher or an accountant. I don’t know how his Spanish was but I know he would have made a better bean counter than a pastor. Since his heart was not in the job few people wanted to deal with him in the office of pastor. There was another minister, Pastor Jim, we saw a couple of times a quarter working at the state level as the “college contact” minister hoping to recruit new young men and woman for the ministry . He made the circuit of the college campuses and those who felt they had no real pastor would have appointments lined up with him from dawn to dusk when he was in town. In every church there are some who feel the need for a pastor and they will take whoever was willing and able to serve in that office.
After I had accepted the wedding proposal I asked for a meeting when the good pastor was in town. In that meeting I told him all about my upcoming marriage and asked Him to perform the wedding. Pastor Jim’s response was the most loving of any pastor in my experience , “I won’t be party to helping you make the mistake of your life.”
I couldn’t believe Jim would refuse to perform the wedding. I wasn’t ready to give up my M R S degree so for a time plans went on for the wedding it even got to the point of ordering a wedding dress. While the plans went on I was willing to let the local pastor plan on performing the wedding. That only went on a few months every time I saw my fiancee pastor’s Jim’s words echoed in my head, “Mistake of your life, mistake of your life, mistake of your life!”
On looking back at that I know Jim was right there were several possible outcomes to such a marriage. I could have been dead, or in prison for defending myself. Or I could have been in a nut house somewhere. It is doubtful I would have ever have reached a deep relationship with the Lord in such a toxic relationship.
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Work on punctuation a bit--a minor and fixable edit. I think this would make a very touching story, written in fiction-like format with dialog, etc. Might reach a few more people that way, perhaps?
Thanks for sharing this!