When I went into the ministry over 30 years ago, my father-in-law called and said for me to meet him at the Mccollum-Ferrell Shoe Store in South Boston, VA. When I arrived, he instructed me to try on a pair of black Florsheim Wing Tips. He informed me that every preacher had to have a pair of these shoes. It was evidently part of the "uniform" if I was entering the ministry! They were great shoes - practically indestructible. But I did discover a major problem.
I had to make a hospital call a few days later and so I dressed up in the appropriate "preacher attire" for back then, including my new "preacher shoes." As I went to enter the hospital, all decked out and looking very professional I might add, I suddenly discovered a danger of shoes with solid leather bottoms. They are very slick when they meet the right surface, such as a marble hospital floor. The real issue at that point was incompatibility - I had one foot on the non-slip mat and the other on the very "will slip" floor. The result of this “unequal yoking” was the one and only full split of my entire life! I am not sure which was greater – the physical pain or the pain of embarrassment.
I managed to right myself and made my way very carefully through the hospital to visit my patient. If you have ever witnessed someone just learning to ice skate and can picture their shuffling little steps, you have the picture of my journey down the halls. This gait was necessary both due to the shoes and to the fact that I had strained muscles I didn’t even know existed. My next stop after the hospital was the shoe repair store, where I had him put rubber heels on my brand new shoes!
I still have those shoes today and occasionally wear them when I am preaching. The only thing marring them today after 30 years is a scar made by a barbed wire fence 25 years ago when I stopped to help at a car wreck scene. Other than that, they look almost exactly like they did the day I bought them (except for the addition of some rubber heels).
They have stood the test of time, serving me well in the pulpit and, after a little bit of a learning curve, on the street as well. I have been through a number of suits, several cars, even worn out a Bible or two. But my “preacher shoes” have made it through. What else has survived those 30+ years?
§ My marriage to the most amazing woman in the entire world.
§ My relationship with my son with whom I would say I am closer now than ever before.
§ My love for and dependence on Jesus!
§ My desire to see others know Him and His marvelous gift of salvation.
§ My passion to proclaim His Word wherever He gives me opportunity!
§ The hope that is ours in Christ Jesus:
if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith, and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. (Col
