I’ve been reflecting on two big storms that have occurred in my lifetime…9/11 and Covid. During both of those storms, I had a shepherd in my life who brought so much peace and wisdom in the midst of uncertainty. I wanted to share those experiences as a way to honor those shepherds, as well as encourage others to make sure you find your own shepherds to sit under.
The year was 2001. I was single, in my mid 20s, and I didn’t live near any family. I woke up that morning to hear that the planes had hit the towers. I went to work that day, but we all pretty much just sat in the conference room watching the TV. As anyone who lived through it knows, it was a very anxious time.
At this point, I had been attending Capital Christian Church for six years. Capital was blessed to be led by Pastor Ken Wilde, who was not only an incredible preacher, but also a shepherd. He stood in the foyer every week after service to visit with people. Even though the congregation was very large, he cared about each person and kept track of what was going on in our lives. When 9/11 happened, Pastor Ken happened to be in Washington D.C. That day the church sent word that Pastor Ken was safe and that we should meet at the church that evening for him to give us a message. That night the sanctuary was packed full. Since Zoom calls didn’t exist yet, the media team had arranged for our pastor to call in and the call would be broadcast through the church sound system. I don’t remember what was said that night, but I do remember the collective sigh that went out across that room as soon as our pastor began to speak. The sigh was audible from so many people. There was something about hearing our shepherds voice, that told us it was going to be ok. We had someone we trusted, that could help guide us through this scary time.
In 2019 God led our family to start attending Christian Faith Center. They were an established church that was just starting a new campus in Boise. We believed strongly in their vision for the church, and were exited to partner with them. At that time the Boise campus was led by Pastor Jordan. He is a godly man who is completely genuine and full of wisdom. One of my favorite things about him is his authenticity. With Jordan, who you see on Sunday morning is the same person you see on Monday in a staff meeting, or on a Wednesday night group in his living room. We were so blessed to have him as our pastor for a year, and we were sad when we learned that he would be heading back to the Nampa campus which meant that we would be getting a new pastor. Fortunately for us, that sadness didn’t last long.
In 2020 Pastor Nathan Schraner and his wife Jamie took over as the pastors for CFC’s Boise Campus. We knew we would like them, but we didn’t know how truly incredible they would be. Pastor Nathan had been a worship pastor for the church for many years, but he had never been a preaching pastor. He accepted God’s call knowing he had some big shoes to fill. Then came Covid. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be a brand new pastor in the middle of a pandemic. Churches had so many huge decisions to make. Do we stay open or closed? Do we wear masks or don’t we? No matter what pastors decided, people would be offended. People were also very scared, and they needed reassurance and guidance. I’m sure that wasn’t exactly the role Pastor Nathan was expecting when he took over, but he handled it beautifully. Not only is Pastor Nathan a gifted preacher, he is also a true shepherd. When Covid hit, he started going live on social media from his house each evening. He would play the guitar while he and his wife would lead us in worship. Then he would share a message from the Word and pray. He had so much wisdom and peace to share on each of those videos. These online gatherings were the calm in the middle of the storm, and such a blessing to me and my family. It was exactly what we needed.
As the national storms have calmed some, Pastor Nathan has continued to be a voice of peace and wisdom even as we have walked through personal storms. He is someone we know we can always call when we need direction or encouragement.
We never know when these storms will come, but in life storms will come. They may be a national crisis, or they may be a personal crisis, a financial crisis, or a family crisis. No matter what type of crisis you face, it is so important to have a trusted advisor you can turn to. It may be a mentor or it may be a pastor. I would encourage everyone to have someone in your life that you know will be there with wisdom and peace when needed, and when they help you weather a storm make sure to let them know how much you appreciate them.