Hi, I'm 28.: As a teenager I remember reading 1 Timothy 4:12 (Paul giving instructions to young pastor Timothy) Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in life, in love, in faith and in purity. I remember is so well because I figured it would come in handy as a young pastor.

If I'm honest I can't say that one time someone's behavior has indicated that they look down on me because of my youth. In fact sometimes I'm uncomfortable with the opposite. I remember as a youth pastor I would get calls from parent's asking me what I thought they should do about their misbehaving teenager. I remember just laughing in the inside. First of all because I was only a few years older than a teenager myself, second because I wasn't the best behaved teenager so I was better equipped to give advice as what not to do rather than what do do and finally because the person asking the question was often older than my parent's. I just remember thinking, what can I offer this 50 year old person who has so much more life experience than me. But then I remember that as long as I didn't trust in my own skin and abilities and allowed God to work through me I did have some stuff to offer.

A good number of people at The Bridge are older than me. In fact many are old enough to be my parents. Sometimes while I'm up there bringing the word God has for that week I just think to myself that they are listening to someone so much younger than me. And often I'm so grateful they hear the words coming through me from God rather than words just coming through me.

I've been a part of my district's Church Health Committee which I find ironic because I have been the pastor of exactly 1 church and while I think we are a increasingly growing and quite healthy church we are also not the poster church for church health. But God in his wisdom let my superiors know that I love the Church as the Bride of Christ and that I enjoy assessing and equipping churches to be more healthy. It's perhaps one of the most humbling experiences I have.

Today I received yet another humbling thing. I've been asked to stand to be nominated to our Districts DEXCOM, which is like the district's governing board. What? I'm honored, but also baffled at this. Yet I learned years ago that God does these things to stretch me.

Finally, I was having a conversation with a man on the phone today that told me he was 57 years old. He's never met me or seen a picture of me so he has no idea how old I am and he didn't. In our conversation he said something to the effect of "Who knows that 27 year old kids are thinking these days?" I wanted to say "I do, I was just one a year ago."

Does this mean age is relative?