Part of Their Heritage --- My Life

"You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to each others. " 2 Timothy 2:1,2

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When I first met Steve and Patti Antin I was a college student at the University of Rhode Island (URI). I had just come to know Christ a few weeks earlier. That was about 31 years ago. I had an opportunity to reconnect with them for lunch today in Peabody, MA (that's pronounced Peebdy for you non-New Englanders). It was a very rich blessing to have a couple of hours with them.

So, like I said, I was a brand new baby Christian. They were Pastors of a little church not far from the URI campus. For the next year and a half I was their spiritual child. I progressed pretty rapidly from baby to teenager to young adult during that time. And we spent a ton of time together.

They taught me in several ways, what it meant to be a man of God. I was with them as they struggled through some very difficult times financially. Their faith in God through these times was an anchor to me. They had two small children and had almost no income. They never seemed to question that God would take care of them. And, of course, He did.

I got to see them dealing with each other and with their children under these trying circumstances. I learned, first hand, what it meant to be a husband and a dad, and to love others unconditionally. I saw them give of what they had to needy people in the community, when they didn't know from where tomorrow's meals would come. I was certainly not surprised to learn that their sons grew up to be good solid men of God, serving in differant capacities, but just like Dad.

I learned to do ministry right along side them. I joke sometimes that I did everything from scrubbing bathroom floors in the church on Saturday to preaching the sermon on Sunday morning. That really was the truth; and more often than not Steve did that as well. They gave me ministry opportunities that were absolutely amazing. I was a Christian for such a short time, but Steve recognized my gift and calling. He often invited me to preach in the church and he and I would go over the message beforehand to make sure it was all sound. After a while, he had me filling in for him, and even sent me off to other churches to cover for some of his friends who were Pastors. We also did street evangelism, Royal Rangers, etc. It was challenging to be stretched beyond my previous experience, while I always felt safe because he was there to back me up.

He taught me the Word in a very powerful way. First, I could see him and Patti living it. Then, we did many one on one Bible studies, as well as the small group studies through the church. I know that my love for God's Word and my commitment to it were born and became rooted during that time.

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They seemed very encouraged to hear about the fruit God has born in my life. It is always great to hear that someone we invest in goes on and bears fruit for the Kingdom. One day, I believe, we will be shown the impact our lives have had on others. We will know about the people who are even touched by the people we touched. That will be a very special day indeed, if you have invested your life in the lives of others.

If you have not made a habit of investing in the lives of others in a way that makes a real difference, let me challenge and encourage you to do so. If you have, I will encourage you to continue. It is one of the most direct ways we can live a life of abundance. I am sure glad this special couple did it in my life.