~ Jeremiah 29 : 11 – 13 NIV
Tonight at church Pastor Bob talked about God's destiny for us by sharing some of his story.
Growing up in Indiana Pastor's dad owned a service station. It was on US 20 the old main highway between Chicago and Indianapolis so it was a busy station. Young Bob learned from his dad how to identify any make and model of car as it drove by just by it's shape.
Pastor Bob had hoped one day to join his father in the business. One day they went to the diner next door and over pie Mr. Bock asked Pastor to look at his hand. Dad said "What do you see?" Bob replied "My hand." His father then told him he was all thumbs - he had no mechanical aptitude. Bob should go to college.
So while in college Bob joined Air Force ROTC with the goal of becoming an officer and a pilot. He was in senior ROTC and upon graduation would have been commissioned a second lieutenant. However he was also an English major, and because he spent many nights reading books in a dark library basement, his eyes strained a bit and he failed the final Air Force physical and was booted from the program.
Because Bob had earned two degrees and a teaching credential after graduation he became a middle school teacher. He loved the children but hated the classroom dynamics so he quit. Feeling like a bit of a failure he went home and was sitting on his family porch when their local pastor came by for tea. Having a discussion with the pastor he encouraged Bob to go to seminary. He said he could do it for a year and if he didn't like it he could quit.
After the first year however Bob enjoyed it and continued on for the full four years. However upon ordination Bob did not want to become a pastor, his passion was working with children. He had an opportunity to come to California and so he would up working for a church in LA doing street ministry to the youth hanging out on Hollywood during the hippie late 60s.
Following a few years of the street ministry Bob was burned out and he was called by his current church to be their senior pastor. He had not done sermons, he had not run a church but there he was doing just that. And 41 years later Pastor Bob Bock is still the senior pastor of First Christian Church of North Hollywood.
God indeed has a plan for us. We might have a plan for us. But ours is secondary to God's and most likely your plan will be replaced by God's plan! So we get a grip and get ready for the far greater ride the Lord has prepared for us!
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