“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” – Proverbs 17:17
Dr. Mark Harrod and me
One thing I’ve learned in my 44 years of life is that true friends are hard to come by. Oh, sure, we have many companions, associates, and acquaintances–there are many buddies along the way that we hang out with and enjoy one another’s company–or friends on Facebook and Twitter who we engage with and talk to. But, at the end of the day, we are genuinely fortunate if we can name more than two people in this world who are true friends.
I am blessed to count Dr. Mark Harrod as one of my true friends. Not only has he been my pastor for the past five years, but he has also been a dear friend, confidante, and mentor. He teaches the unadulterated Word of God every Sunday, without reservation, realizing that he is accountable to God first and foremost. Mark takes his calling, his flock, and his family very seriously. I truly respect him as a man and as a pastor (and as a geek, too!). The times that Rebecca and I have spent with him and his wife, Jodie, are precious moments that we will cherish as we follow the Lord’s leading to Florida. And it has been such an amazing gift to teach and become friends with his eldest daughter, Ellen, in our Sunday School class (and his daughter Emma and son Samuel through Instagram). They truly are a marvelous family that we love dearly.
Our weekly or bi-weekly times of fellowship and Starbuck’s coffee have been extremely beneficial to me, and our conversations will be remembered. There are very few people in this world that I can talk about everything with, from our families, to Theology, world events, literature, the church, comic books, archaeology, the “paranormal,” pop culture, movies–you name it. Honestly, there aren’t many godly geeks out there who can keep up with this writer’s fevered brain, but my wife and Mark are two of them!
I‘ve often said that one of the (many) great things about being a Christian is that we never tell our brothers and sisters goodbye. We know with certainty that we will eventually see one another in glory. And, though we will be geographically separated, my thoughts and prayers will be with Mark, his family, and Trinity Baptist Church. I’m sure we’ll also text, call each other, and e-mail, too. That’s one of the great things about this digital age…. though we may be half a world apart, we can still have close fellowship with those we love. And that gives me a great deal of peace.
In Christ’s perfect love,
Dwight
The Parson
