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    The Knight Years: Stories from a Young Pastor
    The Knight Years: Stories from a Young Pastor
    The Knight Years: Stories from a Young Pastor
    Ebook102 pages1 hour

    The Knight Years: Stories from a Young Pastor

    By Dr. Blair F. Rorabaugh

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    About this ebook

    Pastors see people at their best and worst, but clergy are also human. An idealistic trust of his new congregation creates challenges for the naive pastor. Seeing his calling to be a conquering Knight, he goes forth into the Kingdom for his heavenly King, while the flock feels just fine, dont disturb us.

    Relax and enjoy the light and heavy sides of ministry from the perspective of a young pastor.

    What should a pastor not omit in premarital counseling?

    Why was reconciliation needed at a wedding?

    What happens when there is a wolf in the flock?

    The Knight Years is going to bless people. It will bring back memories for old pastors. New pastors will enjoy it, because it gives them something for which to look ahead. Nancy Tapsfield, Editor.

    Read a story each day from The Knight Years and pray for your pastor.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWestBow Press
    Release dateJul 24, 2012
    ISBN9781449759759
    The Knight Years: Stories from a Young Pastor
    Author

    Dr. Blair F. Rorabaugh

    Dr. Blair Rorabaugh has served growing churches in Illinois, West Virginia, Ohio, and Alaska. He is a graduate of Southern Nazarene University, Nazarene Theological Seminary, and earned his Doctor of Ministry at Ashland Theological Seminary. Pastor Blair and his wife, Cindy, have two adult children and four grandchildren. Dr. Rorabaugh is a search and rescue pilot for the Alaska Civil Air Patrol with several saves. These experiences add human interest to his pulpit ministry and writing.

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      Book preview

      The Knight Years - Dr. Blair F. Rorabaugh

      Copyright © 2012 Dr. Blair F. Rorabaugh

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

      WestBow Press books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

      WestBow Press

      A Division of Thomas Nelson

      1663 Liberty Drive

      Bloomington, IN 47403

      www.westbowpress.com

      1-(866) 928-1240

      Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

      and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

      Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

      Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. 

      Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. 

      Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

      Scripture quotations marked TLB or The Living Bible are taken from The Living Bible [computer file] / Kenneth N. Taylor. electronic ed. Wheaton : Tyndale House, 1997, c1971 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

      ISBN: 978-1-4497-5974-2 (sc)

      ISBN: 978-1-4497-5975-9 (e)

      Library of Congress Control Number: 2012912759

      WestBow Press rev. date: 7/19/2012

      Contents

      Introduction

      Chapter One

      We Receive a Call

      Chapter Two

      God’s Care

      Chapter Three

      Weddings

      Chapter Four

      Gossip and Blessings

      Chapter Five

      The Church Got Stoned

      Chapter Six

      Plans Can Backfire

      Chapter Seven

      Spiritual and Physical Work

      Chapter Eight

      And The Two Became Four

      Chapter Nine

      The Pastor Gets Baptized

      Chapter Ten

      The Laying on of Hands

      Chapter Eleven

      The Lost Is Restored

      Dedicated to

      Ben and Mary

      Jerry, Lyndell and Dottie

      the first to call me

      Pastor

      Acknowledgements

      My life is the result of giving myself to God as a young child. My parents took me to church and we had family devotions in our home. It is not surprising that I desired to be a pastor. I thank God that He made it clear to me that this desire to be a minister of Jesus Christ was not my own but He put it in my heart. I would never have entered the ministry without the definite call of God in my life for along with the satisfaction there have been times of great distress.

      The congregations I served have my gratitude and respect. Great churches build great pastors and my pastoral assignments have molded me as much as I have molded them. My people have been understanding and patient with me as I have learned to be the man of God in ministry. Thank you for every prayer and the many chicken dinners you invested in me as your pastor.

      This book is the result of an illness that confined me to bed after the events of this book. I have forgotten the illness but not the thoughts that poured from me and I had to write them down. They lay dormant for many years waiting for the right time. God used even that time when I thought nothing was happening.

      Cindy is my faithful companion in ministry who courageously has accepted my call as her call to serve and walk beside me in every church. Her gifts make her the model pastor’s wife as well as my friend.

      Thank you Nancy Tapsfield for editing my book, praying with me, and giving words of encouragement. Nancy, you are a gift to all who know you and God uses you.

      The staff at WestBow are vigilant workers that have guided me through the process of producing a book. Thank you for nurturing this writer in what looked like an overwhelming task.

      Introduction

      A pastor’s first church is like none other. His first assignment to minister as pastor only happens once, and each church is different. I count it a privilege to be a pastor, a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is an honor to serve my Church. For each difficulty there have been many more blessings. For each discouragement there have been a hundred encouragers.

      The stories I have written are true and as I remember. In every event there are as many stories as there are participants, and each person has a different view. These events are from my perspective.

      In the early years of ministry, some of the things that happened to me and because of me, were the result of my philosophy of the knight on the royal charger, expediting the coming kingdom. Because I have aged or matured — hopefully both — I feel I can share them more objectively.

      Where it has been necessary I have changed names to protect individuals or their families.

      Faithful members, Ben and Mary Strode, still serve the church with distinction and humility. Ben read some of my material. When our memories are not always the same he is gracious and smiles at my memory of what happened. Some things a pastor is never allowed to disclose. I have honored that trust. Confidences that were shared with me are kept and most of them forgotten.

      An advantage of the space of years is seeing how God works things out. In a recent visit to my first congregation and community I caught up with those I could locate. Many had gone to be with the Lord. They died triumphantly in the faith. Others are still faithful in one of several churches in the community. Some are not attending any church presently, but pastors always hope.

      I have refrained from adding sermon materials and moralizing in these stories. The Spirit of God will reveal His truth to the reader according to each one’s needs. Come with me; let’s walk together where God also joined me on the journey.

      Chapter One

      WE RECEIVE A CALL

      When I entered the pastoral ministry, my mind overflowed with concepts from seminary about what type a leader I ought to be. Would I be a manager, player, coach, shepherd, or other fad titles? In my heart I knew I was a knight in shining armor, going into the kingdom of my Lord to do battle and subdue alien rebels. I wanted to anticipate problems and solve them before they even came to the surface. When there was a challenge, I wanted to resolve it for my Lord. My goal was to protect the King’s interest and keep His people from harm.

      If I did well, and removed hindrances to church growth for my King, God would reward me and the church would grow.

      Upon graduating from seminary, I was eager to pastor a church. It had been my dream since high school. I considered becoming an associate pastor to gain more insight into this new job, but my preparation and dream was to be a pastor now, not later.

      Annual District Superintendent Day at the seminary is always an exciting — if not a stressful day — for the graduating seniors. They meet the DS’s responsible for finding the right person to fill an open church. Many churches had reputations as an opportunity for the right person to bring the dead to life. Sometimes the only qualification for the right person was, Is he breathing and standing upright?

      At District Superintendent Day the administrators from across the denomination meet

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