Words aren’t adequate to describe a good example

When I was young my brother and I went to church with my Mom because she insisted we go. In order to become members of that church, somewhere around age 10, our denomination required that I attend two years of weekly religious training, called catechism classes.

The culmination of this training was that our class would have to stand up at a Sunday morning service and repeat the Apostle’s Creed and individually each of us would have to answer several questions that we were advised of in advance with the answers. As long as we memorized the answers and could repeat them we passed.

Our class was then confirmed and we became members of the church. I learned some stuff I’m sure but I can’t pinpoint what that was.

I drifted away from the church as my Mom didn’t continue to encourage me to attend and it seemed as though being confirmed was what mattered most.

I never really went back to church until after getting married and my wife developed cancer a short time after our wedding. I knew there was a God but I didn’t know how to get in touch with Him. One day I saw a sign for a church close to our apartment in Kingston, PA., and decided to go in one Sunday.

My wife came through the ordeal successfully because of the medical treatment she received and because of the prayers for God’s intercession.

Throughout the ensuing years we visited many churches of various denominations for varying periods of time. We joined many churches and volunteered at many.

Of all the people we met at all the churches we attended there were only a few men who made a significant impact on me. Each of these men made an effort to get to know me. They knew I was not always an excited or committed Christian and they knew I was sinning and struggling with my faith.

These men were respected by the other men of their churches. They were humble, they were servants, they were leaders, they worked with the men of the church, they struggled with life issues but they were examples that we all learned from and could follow. One of those men was a truck driver and two of them were pastors.

Unfortunately for me, I have lost touch with all three. My recollection is that when the truck driver died there were hundreds of people that came to his viewing. And many of those people weren’t Christians.

I have learned more from the examples of other men than from whatever words they spoke to me. I can only hope and pray that God helps me be an example that can positively influence men for Him.