Childhood Teacher or Mentor: KB

#exposemyself Day 1

[EXPOSED DAY 1] Is there something from your childhood that rings over and over again in your head - something that your mind & heart grabbed onto & never let it go that still shapes a part of your life today?

In the 70’s & 80’s, in a small(ish) town in Texas, I grew up in an extremely legalistic church community complete with fire & brimstone raining down from the pulpit. When I was in the 4th grade, another preacher arrived that mixed things up! I’m just gonna call him KB.

His preaching style was NOT the fire & brimstone. He dove deep into God’s Word, challenged us, & even dared to play devil’s advocate. He lived around the corner from me & if he was outside when I was walking or riding my bike, I would talk to him. He never missed an opportunity to impart something from the word w/ me when we did.

In one of those impromptu, driveway “church meetings”, he taught me, “Smile on your face. Finger on the verse.” Context & culture were important. He gently nudged a breaking-free, so to spea…