See You Later, My Friend

The following is an excerpt from a blog I made on my YD web page, where I had a blog page for a short time. This is dated Nov. 10, 2005.
One aspect of EMS/Law Enforcement/Military that I have been drawn to is the camaraderie amongst the men and women who work there. Some of that is because nobody else understands their pains, struggles, or joys. Another reason is that those kinds of experiences breed close relationships. I was reminded of that again as we just finished, "True Honor," and, as I thought about that, I heard the Lord speak to me about ministry. There are seven full-time youth pastors in Moses Lake besides Dave Oliver and I. On top of those men, there are five volunteer youth pastors. Then you have the volunteer team at YD, as well as the full-time staff of YD. What if we saw each other, not as youth pastors (only), but as lead soldiers in God's army? What if we took seriously the fact that we are in a battle for the souls of these kids? What if, in the course of ministry, we put a premium on building relationships with these men and women in order to truly "fight" side by side with them? I have chosen to take that mentality, and it has changed my attitude towards these men and women. Of course, thankfully, I've always had a good relationship with the youth pastors, but lately I've been taking more seriously my call to love them and our volunteer team. I have been treating them much like I understand those in those "rescue professions" treat each other. One of the quotes from "True Honor" is, "I've got your six," or, "I've got your back." That's really what I want to do for these guys and gals in a spiritual way. I want to watch their back in prayer. When they have an event, or a volunteer has a meeting with a student, I want to be praying for them, even if that means a sacrifice on my part.
Wow! I have to admit that, during the months around the auction some of those genuine actions and intentions went a little south. Still, in general, especially with the youth pastors, we've been watching out for each other... and that's the point of this post.
Brent and I became good friends over the past couple of years. He was the youth pastor at Immanuel Lutheran, and a good one. He's a Godly man, has a wife and three boys close to the same age as my younger three, and he loves students, whether they're church kids or not. He was one of the youth pastors whom I met with every Wed. morning to chat over an espresso drink (choose your poison), encourage one another, and pray for each other. Our families became good friends. In January he had what was thought to be a heart attack, but was, instead, a diabetic attack. What a way to find out your diabetic. The following month he lost his job a Immanuel. Yesterday Dave, Raul, and I, along with several students, helped him pack the U-Haul to move to Anacortes today. He starts his new job as the youth pastor at Anacortes Pres. on Monday.
It was hard to say goodbye yesterday. No, I didn't cry, but it was still hard. Brent and I, along with some others, have developed a real friendship, the type of camaraderie that I was talking about back in Nov. As Brent went through his health issues and job issues, we were there to watch his back in prayer. We were there to listen. Sometimes I felt like one of Job's comforters - that is, I didn't encourage a Godly response to people well at times. Still, all of us endeavored to care for Brent as he went through this time. So, you can imagine how excited we are for him, yet sad, too, as we see him go out of our lives. Oh, we'll stay in touch, visit, send Christmas cards, and all that. Still, when you're not seeing each other often, especially as often as we were, the friendship changes. The camaraderie, though, won't change, and that's what is exciting to me. I know that when I e-mail Brent about something, he's going to respond (prayer, encouragement, even rebuke). When he e-mails me, you can bet I'll be right there to stand with him, even if I can't make it in person.
I'm convinced this type of friendship is what we're all searching for. It has to start with God, but He created us to have it with our fellow man, too. The Fall ruined it, and our repentance and submission to Him is the first step towards restoring our ability to have those relationships. So, see you later, my friend. I look forward to hearing what God does through you on the other side of The Hill. May you find deep friendships over there - youth pastor/worker friends who will stand by you as you fight the battles of life, and as you fight the enemy of our souls for the souls of the students we love and serve. May God bless you with somebody, and may you continue to be that somebody, who's "got your back."