Elder James A. Peterkin

by Lois C. Thomas-Spence
(Coats, NC, USA)

This is a poem that I wrote for my Pastor some time ago that describes the type of servant of God that he is.

A True Pastor’s Heart

Pastor, you preach and teach the word of God and you keep the Lord on your side
You discipline with love, counsel in confidence and encourage all your sheep
You continue to warn us to choose wisely the company that we keep

You admonish us all to be consistent with God, be faithful to Him and give Him all the glory and praise
To stay prayerful, committed and watchful since we are living in the last days

At times we knew you were living in hell on earth but you did not even complain
Because you knew as God said "For I know the plans I have for you.
They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."
Hell didn’t even stand a chance because God equipped you with the right stuff to cope

The hell on earth that you’ve been through compels you to testify to us
To remember that God is able and that’s where we should put our trust

You know the trials, tests and circumstances will definitely continue to come
But in spite of it all, you consistently and diligently pray God’s will to be done
Thank you for leading by example as a God appointed and anointed man
The devil continually tries to kill you but he cannot pluck you from God’s hand

Now, after all the things we’ve said here today, the truth is we could never love and appreciate you enough
So we graciously and honorably thank God for choosing you as our shepherd
Who wouldn’t get tired when the going got tough

We want you to know we know that these things are signs of a true pastor’s heart
When he has the love of God for his sheep that if one strays away all alone
You would venture out to go get him and bring him back home

God has custom made you from the needles of time and the threads of His own hands
He battle tested you as a warrior soldier in his army who would take a stand
He designed you that when others give up He built you to last
So we say to you today God is orchestrating your future to be better than you past!

By Elder Lois Spence