C. James Pasma was my first Pastor. When attending seminary my parents let me tag along with them to a party in his honor. An impromptu conversation started about ministry and how he lead the church I grew up in.

Thoughts from my last conversation with Pastor C. James Pasma (1922-2010)

“Biggest advice? Learn to listen to the Spirit. It’s hard, it varies, but learn to listen to the Spirit… If many things come together at the same time, chances are God is telling you something. Listen to Him.”

“I staffed to meet essentials and worked to free people to serve. The best ideas didn’t come from me… They don’t have to come from you. Your job is to feed them, and set them free to serve… Our biggest ministries didn’t originate from me.”

“I looked at the divorced and single statistics in our area and asked who was reaching out to them. Over a quarter of the population was single or divorced. They’re people, and people need to be reached… We studied the Scriptures, prayed about it, and we acted…”

“Treasure seminary. I was not able to go, but if I could go back, I would. The better you know your Bible, the better you can teach it. There is no replacement for knowing the Bible.”