a letter to my pastor and his wife

Dear Paul and Karen:

Sometimes I find it hard to tell you exactly what this church means to me. Paul, you are such an amazing spirit-lifter and encourager, that when I get a chance to chat with you, I barely get an opportunity to tell you how much I appreciate this church, this dream, this home you have created for all to share. And Karen, you have spoken so much wisdom to my soul and I could never thank you enough for it.

When I walked through those Naz 8 Cinema doors those 5 years and 3 months ago, I never expected them to be the starting point of the journey I am now on. Who would have thought that a morning spent in church to appease my friend would turn into a lifetime of change and growth? Certainly not me. But I know that because of your dream and vision, that is exactly what you saw happening in the lives of hundreds through the ministry of Crossroads Church.

There are many that are far more eloquent than I am and can easily and immediately give you a picturesque description of the road that lead them to Christ. The story of my road has been told, in front of the church and in private, many, many times. But I feel like I miss so many opportunities to thank you. Paul, you have not only been my pastor, but you have been a mentor to me. At some of the lowest times in my life you have been the big brother in Christ that I never had. You and the staff believe in me and you have done so much to put the right tools in my hand to do God's work with excellence.

I chuckle when I think of all the big questions I had for you both, before I was born-again. I had them written down - they were my weapons to cling to. They were my only rationale for turning away. So, when Shannon and I met Paul at Bay Street Coffee in Fremont, I was going to tell him how the Bible didn't make any historical sense - that Noah was a different rendition of the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, except that Gilgamesh pre-dated the Bible. But then you shared what it meant to have a personal relationship with Christ, and suddenly all the scholarly articles and research in the world didn't matter at that time. I would later discover that the Bible contains more historical proof and accuracy than most other ancient books. But at that moment, all that mattered to me was that tug on my heart and I knew Jesus was holding the string.

The friends that I have made here are really family to me. They have shared in my sorrows when my dad was diagnosed with and still continues to battle cancer, when I was laid off from my job, when our family business burned to the ground and when I had to leave a long-term relationship that wasn't honoring my newfound beliefs. They have been a part of my joys when I accepted Christ, when I got married and when I started the Creative Communications team. So, many years later here I am and I get to use my talents and passions to serve God, lead a team and share His love with people around me. This has been the greatest joy in my life. Standing beside the men and women of this church, people with their souls intact and thriving, is an absolute honor and privilege. It gives me the guts to keep going and the encouragement to never stop trying to reach people for Christ every single day of my life.

I know that there will never be a letter written well enough, nor words to properly describe my gratitude. So, I will say it simply - thank you for saying "yes" to God, because it saved my life.


In Christ's Abundance,