More Than a Pastor
1 Corinthians 11:1 — Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
I was flipping through my wedding album when I stopped on a familiar signature.
I ran my thumb across the name, smiled, and suddenly, years of memories came rushing back.
Just like that, I was fourteen again.
Sitting in a metal chair at youth group, nervous and unsure of myself, with my sister beside me.
That’s where I met Jonathan Barbo.
He and his wife, Ashley, had this way of making you feel welcome. Like you belonged before you even knew where you fit.
And that’s when Barbo became my pastor.
I can still picture the grin on his face when I got accepted into college. You would’ve thought I’d just won an Olympic gold medal.
He celebrated my victories like they were his own.
Years later, when I came back to serve in youth ministry, I got to see something I hadn’t fully appreciated as a teenager.
The time. The energy. The sacrifices.
The countless hours Barbo and Ashley poured into the lives of students.
There were camps, lock-ins, late nights, laughter, and conversations about Jesus that lasted long after everyone should’ve been asleep.
And through it all, they just kept showing up.
But some of the moments I remember most weren’t the happy ones.
When my mom passed away far too soon, there they were again.
Barbo and Ashley.
Standing beside me in the hospital, helping carry a weight I didn’t know how to carry on my own.
They couldn’t take away the heartbreak.
But they made sure I didn’t have to walk through it alone.
And if you can believe it, years later, Barbo showed up in yet another chapter of my life.
As my CrossFit instructor.
Let me tell you, those workouts were brutal!
But even in the middle of burpees and aching muscles, he was still teaching me something.
Keep going. Don’t quit. You’re stronger than you think.
Lessons that reached far beyond the gym.
And then came my wedding day.
There he was again.
Standing at the front of the church, officiating the ceremony as I began a brand-new chapter of my life.
And really, who else could’ve filled that place?
He had been there for the messes and the milestones.
The victories and the losses.
The laughter, the tears, and all those ordinary days in between.
So when I came across his name in my wedding album, I realized something.
For years, Barbo had been teaching me what it looks like to follow Jesus. And so much of that teaching happened without him ever standing behind a pulpit.
It happened in hospital hallways.
At youth camps.
In the gym.
In conversations, celebrations, and moments when life felt like it was falling apart.
He kept showing up.
And in doing so, he kept pointing me toward Jesus.
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”
What a beautiful responsibility that is.
To live in such a way that when someone looks at your life, they catch a glimpse of Jesus.
Not because you’re perfect.
Not because you always have the right words.
But because you keep following Him, and you keep loving the people He puts in your path.
I wonder if Barbo has any idea how much those years meant to me.
How many lessons stuck.
How many ordinary moments became extraordinary memories.
And how much his faithfulness helped shape my own.
Maybe that’s something we all need to remember.
You don’t have to be famous to leave a legacy. You just have to be faithful.
Be the person who shows up.
Who celebrates someone else’s victories.
Who sits beside them when their world falls apart.
Who loves people through every season, even when there’s nothing in it for you.
And most importantly, be someone who keeps pointing them toward Jesus.
Because you never really know what your presence will mean to someone years from now.
One day, someone might be flipping through the pages of their own life and come across your name.
And when they do, I hope they’ll smile.
Not just because they remember you.
But because, through you, they came to know Jesus a little better.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
- Who has modeled what following Jesus looks like in your life? What did you learn from whatching them?
- When people spend time with you, what do you hope they see about Jesus through your words, actions, and attitudes?
- Are there people in your life who need you to simply keep showing up, even when you don’t know what to say or do?
- Think about someone who was present during a difficult season of your life. Have you ever told them how much their faithfulness meant to you?
- What are some ordinary opportunities you have today to demonstrate the love, patience, or compassion of Christ?
QUESTION TO CARRY WITH YOU TODAY
If someone followed my example today, would it lead them a little closer to Jesus?
