I Wanna Talk About Me

The late country singer, Toby Keith, has a song I Wanna Talk About Me – that is really quite funny. Anyway, this is my way to say, I want to talk about me today.

First, I would like to express my heart-felt thanks, on behalf of Rhonda and me, for your kindness to us. We were moved by your words of appreciation and love. Thank you for your cards, comments and generosity. Personally, I didn’t feel deserving of it and, in fact, I was humbled by it. However, I received it, along with my dear wife Rhonda, with deep gratitude.

Rhonda and I truly love this Church Family. We feel the same gratitude toward you as you have expressed to us. This has been an awesome journey thus far as pastor and people! Rhonda and I both think that this is as much about you as it is about us. In fact, interestingly, this past Sunday was not only our 20th Anniversary as pastor and people, it was the 110th Anniversary of our church. FBC Pompano is an important church in South Florida with a great legacy and a bright future.

I was so pleased that you invited my younger son, Chet, to preach on this special day. I thought he did a great job and I was proud of him. My son Chet is a third generation preacher in my family. My father preached for 29 years in the same church in Shreveport Louisiana. There at the age of 17, I surrendered to God’s call to the ministry—over 50 years ago. A few weeks later, my dad asked me on a Sunday afternoon if I would like to preach that night in Sunday evening church (which was still a big deal in the 1970’s). I said yes…and was excited and a little scared. I spent the next 4 hours preparing the sermon Four Things I Know (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). It was an expression of my faith that Jesus lived, died, arose and is coming again! It’s the gospel! Just before the worship service where I preached my first sermon in my home church, my father invited me to his pastoral office where together we got on our knees before the Lord and my dad prayed for me. When we finished praying, dad said to me, “Son, greater preachers have preached in this pulpit than you, but no one has a better gospel than you.” Those words of encouragement helped me that evening, and have carried me through 35 years of Pastoral preaching. It’s never been about me, it’s always been about the gospel.

The gospel is still what I preach! The gospel is still what we share as a church with our community and our world. There is no greater Good News than the gospel of Jesus Christ! By God’s grace, we will be faithful to this calling until He brings us home.
Thank you, dear church, for allowing me to do what I love to do—to shepherd God’s people and preach the word of God. I am so blessed!

Devotedly yours,
Pastor Ron