Spiritual Heroes

There are many men who have been spiritual fathers and heroes to me over the years.

One living spiritual father/hero of mine is Otto Sather, the Norwegian pastor, who has prayed for me since I was born, who gave me my first job as "youth pastor" at Sammish Island Memorial Chapel (where, at age 18, I preached my first sermon). Otto is an example to me of faithfulness to God. Over his sixty years of ministry, he has been the pastor of two congregations (the first in Plain, WA; the second on Sammish Island).

Another spiritual father/hero is Dr. Miller. Dr. Miller was the professor of theology at Western Baptist College (now Corban College, Salem, OR) which I attended from 1987-1991. Dr. Miller was everyone's favorite professor. He made the Bible and theological truth come alive. I became best friends with his son Scott (we played on the same baseball team in college). It was Dr. Miller who introduced me to the doctrines of Grace and has been, for me, a living model of a grace-centered life. Dr. Miller and his wife, Koyce, took me in as an adopted son and have remained in my life over the years.

In seminary, Dr. Harold OJ Brown was a spiritual father/hero. Not only was he a world class scholar, and not only did he give me a deep and rich appreciation for unitive Christian orthodoxy, but he took time with his students, developing relationships. He took us skiing and rock climbing. His life demonstrated the "hilaritas" - joy and laughter - that are part of the life of grace. Dr. Brown passed away a number of years ago, but his memory lives on in his students lives.

Another spiritual father/hero was Peter Deyneka, Jr. Peter, and his wife Anita, were old family friends. They were also world-class leaders of missions to the Slavic people: first with the Slavic Gospel Association and then with Peter Deyneka Russian Ministries. But, in spite of their significant roles, Peter and Anita took me in to their lives and family (I lived with them in Wheaton, IL and Moscow, Russia). And they gave me a model for partnership in the work of God's kingdom. Peter has passed away; I'm currently honored to serve on the board of Russian Ministries and contribute in some small way to their ministry to Russia.

Another spiritual father/hero was Rev. Jack Davidson who pastored Cascade Presbyterian in Eugene, Oregon. It was under Jack's preaching that I began to see that the gospel is not just the way you begin the Christian life but they way you grow as a Christian. Jack's preaching pounded the gospel into our heads and hearts... After two years of this pounding I came to realize that to be a Christian was to "glory in Jesus and place no confidence in the flesh."

All of these men - and others - have had a huge impact in my life.

One aspect of my sabbatical is to take some time to reflect on the life and urban calling of a few of my other heroes: the baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon, the political leader William Wilberforce, The Scottish Presbyterian Thomas Chalmers, the professor and writer C.S. Lewis, and the Welsh Preacher Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones.

I hope to reflect on their lives and ministries in future posts. But today I wanted to pay tribute to the other spiritual fathers/heroes who have had an impact on my life.

- Jason