From the Pastor's Desk (June 2026)
It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. I have no greater joy than to hear that my
children are walking in the truth. ~3 John 1:3-4
One of the cutest things Nathanael does, in the sweetest voice the child can muster, is says Bye-Bye to everyone and everyTHING he encounters. Often times it’s too late, so while you probably won’t hear it, if you spent any significant time with him, chances are you can imagine him saying bye-bye to you in the car on the way home, and it’s probably accurate. When he leaves school, and we are heading home, we have to go through the list of all his friends and teachers, saying bye-bye to all of them.
Lately, he has also done that to the cross in our portico here at the church. Once in a while, especially as we are heading into the church building and we walk by that cross, he will say bye-bye cross. But what is extra special is the additional line he adds: Jesus loves you. He has heard it from us and all of you, and it makes a difference.
For another example, Rhonda used to teach our girls at Milton Hershey School that when an ambulance is going by, it’s a good idea to pray for the people they are going to help, that they would be well and safe. Being that I drop off and pick up Nathanael from school in downtown York, it is not uncommon to see an emergency vehicle at some point in the trip, and so we have begun that practice. The last time we saw an ambulance, this past week, I asked Nathanael what we should do, and he said, Pray!
As Nathanael gets older, and he continues to develop, especially in how he talks and what he says, I feel the sentiment John feels toward his friend Gaius in his third letter. As many of the apostles did, John mentored church leaders so they could properly equip and lead the church. And when this was done successfully, the apostles took it personally. As Paul would often say of his mentees, John expressed how proud he was of Gaius for faithfully and effectively discharging his duties in the church, even calling him one of his children.
Indeed, we are beyond pleased when our children pick up on what we are teaching them, especially in how it pertains to faithfully living for God, and treating the other members of our family (wives and children) with dignity and respect. When fathers begin to see their children listening to those teachings and putting them into practice, in both word and deed, it is a wonderful feeling.
And men, these words are not only directed to those who have been fortunate to have children of their own. Just as we said with the ladies last month, you do not need to be a father to be a mentor and father-figure for someone else. John, himself, was not a father. Yet here he is, mentoring church leaders, and lovingly calling them my children and expressing his pride in their accomplishments when they picked up on and executed his example.
There is no man reading this who cannot do this for someone, be it his own child, or another young man he knows who could use this teaching and direction. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to say of a young man you had the opportunity to love, teach, and mentor, “It gave me great joy when people who know you came and told me about your faithfulness to the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth”? Of course it would! So go get ‘em! ~Pastor Eric
children are walking in the truth. ~3 John 1:3-4
One of the cutest things Nathanael does, in the sweetest voice the child can muster, is says Bye-Bye to everyone and everyTHING he encounters. Often times it’s too late, so while you probably won’t hear it, if you spent any significant time with him, chances are you can imagine him saying bye-bye to you in the car on the way home, and it’s probably accurate. When he leaves school, and we are heading home, we have to go through the list of all his friends and teachers, saying bye-bye to all of them.
Lately, he has also done that to the cross in our portico here at the church. Once in a while, especially as we are heading into the church building and we walk by that cross, he will say bye-bye cross. But what is extra special is the additional line he adds: Jesus loves you. He has heard it from us and all of you, and it makes a difference.
For another example, Rhonda used to teach our girls at Milton Hershey School that when an ambulance is going by, it’s a good idea to pray for the people they are going to help, that they would be well and safe. Being that I drop off and pick up Nathanael from school in downtown York, it is not uncommon to see an emergency vehicle at some point in the trip, and so we have begun that practice. The last time we saw an ambulance, this past week, I asked Nathanael what we should do, and he said, Pray!
As Nathanael gets older, and he continues to develop, especially in how he talks and what he says, I feel the sentiment John feels toward his friend Gaius in his third letter. As many of the apostles did, John mentored church leaders so they could properly equip and lead the church. And when this was done successfully, the apostles took it personally. As Paul would often say of his mentees, John expressed how proud he was of Gaius for faithfully and effectively discharging his duties in the church, even calling him one of his children.
Indeed, we are beyond pleased when our children pick up on what we are teaching them, especially in how it pertains to faithfully living for God, and treating the other members of our family (wives and children) with dignity and respect. When fathers begin to see their children listening to those teachings and putting them into practice, in both word and deed, it is a wonderful feeling.
And men, these words are not only directed to those who have been fortunate to have children of their own. Just as we said with the ladies last month, you do not need to be a father to be a mentor and father-figure for someone else. John, himself, was not a father. Yet here he is, mentoring church leaders, and lovingly calling them my children and expressing his pride in their accomplishments when they picked up on and executed his example.
There is no man reading this who cannot do this for someone, be it his own child, or another young man he knows who could use this teaching and direction. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to say of a young man you had the opportunity to love, teach, and mentor, “It gave me great joy when people who know you came and told me about your faithfulness to the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth”? Of course it would! So go get ‘em! ~Pastor Eric
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