I’m excited for you to meet my friend, Pastor Lamar Ard, who recently became the pastor of the Woodin Valley Baptist Church in the Seattle area. He had been an Associate Pastor for several years under his father-in-law, Pastor Rich Farinella, and I admire the way they transitioned roles. I believe Pastor Ard’s dream is like mine—we just want to see churches continue to stay strong and honor the long heritage that has come before.
Pastor Lamar and his wife, Rebekah, have their newborn baby with them this trip. I asked Pastor Lamar to come for a few reasons:
1) I like his preaching. He and I have texted off and on for the past year as we’ve been preaching through 1 Samuel together. I have watched his livestream many times and have learned from his preaching, and I am excited for you to hear him declare God’s Word. He came in this weeked to preach our Saturday Preaching Rally for the teens and all the services on Sunday.
2) I like his spirit. I want to be friends with people who have a good spirit. I like his enthusiasm for the Lord. I don’t know him well, but meetings like this give us an excuse to hang out and get to know one another a little bit better. I want to deepen my friendships with people that will draw me closer to Jesus. And, I like crazy people, and Pastor Lamar is that, too!
This week and next we get to hear from both ends of the spectrum. Today we’ll hear from a young pastor just starting, and next week we’ll hear from Pastor Frank Wood who recently retired from pastoring for 40 years. I love that God uses so many different tools to help us grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (see 2 Pet. 3:18)
God bless you church.
-Pastor Ryan