Tomorrow we get to celebrate Tom and Beth Hendrikse’s 25th Anniversary of being called to Rio Vista Church!
Hebrews 13:7 says, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.”
Good leaders are great, and that is all well and good, but leaders who are faithful to the word of God are truly gifts from God. Leaders who lead out of the word of God are the ones the Lord tells us to imitate in this life, not because they are so great, but because they have made the word of God their life. Thankfully, God has given us Tom and Beth to do that. Over the past 25 years, Tom has preached thousands of sermons. Sermons that have taught us who God is and who we are because of what he has done on our behalf. In every sermon, he taught us more than just the content. He created in us a love for the Word that overflowed from his love for the Word. He taught us how to read the Bible for ourselves in a way that doesn’t just seek information, but transformation. He hasn’t done this only from the pulpit; he has spoken the word of God in all the moments in between. At weddings and funerals. During the countless phone calls and meetings. Wisdom on making big and small decisions by doing the next right thing in God’s eyes. Beth has done this as well, not from a stage, but from a prayer closet. Her deep passion to commune with our Father in prayer and to see our church become a House of Prayer has transformed us by letting us experience our Father’s love in a tangible way.
We remember it all, consider it all, and imitate their faith, while giving thanks and glory to God for all the blessings he has given us. Give Tom and Beth a hug tomorrow and say thanks, because 25 years of faithfulness to our church is no easy feat.
Your brother,
Will
1 The strategy called “habit stacking” comes from James Clear’s book Atomic Habits.