Anyone who knows me (and probably anyone reading this blog) knows that I love sunsets. They are my favorite thing in nature. I love them no matter where they are, though I have a very special place in my heart when they happen to be over an ocean. In my life I have seen some particularly amazing ones.

On the rooftop deck of a small hotel in Florence.

A year later at Michaelangelo’s Point also in Florence.

San Francisco, San Diego, and Ireland

New York City

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The bush in the Limpopo Province of South Africa

Sunset Beach / Table Mountain in Capetown South Africa

And I even got to fly right into one in an airplane

To me, the sunset is God. It is His personal artwork done new every day. Never the same two days in a row. Never the same for different people even when standing right next to each other. Each one has its own colors, patterns, passions. Each one brings a different emotion, a sense of peace, a sense of being wrapped in the greatest gift of life. Being wrapped warmly in the glow of God’s love and grace. The light of the world dancing on everything it touches. Throwing its patterns and life even in the darkest shadows.

Recently, I posted on a social media site about a  great day with the hash tag #livinginthesunset. Someone said to me “what does that even mean?” Well, let me tell you.

Living in the sunset is fully living in the world God has placed me in. It means giving all of me to join the dance of God’s light in the world – letting that light shine from deep within me and letting it touch everywhere it can reach. Even the darkest shadows. It means walking every great day, every bad day, and every day in between warmly held in the glow of God’s great love for me and His totally undeserved, unwarranted, unmerited grace. Living thankful for the blessings and the challenges — thankful for each and every color that blends together to create this journey I get to walk.

It means knowing God, praising God, serving God, and thanking God through my actions for every moment of my life because I was fearfully and wonderfully made just as each new day is — and each new sunset is. It means living this life knowing I am God’s favorite. How could I not be – He creates a new and glorious masterpiece for me each and every day.

Yes, that man with all the tattoos and the hair and the high tops and the skinny jeans is my pastor. And that one too! Yes – I know they don’t look like what the world expects… I am not even sure if they own more than one suit. But then again, I don’t really remember the scriptures telling me my pastor had to look like any picture society has created. Then again, I imagine the disciples probably had to regularly say yes, that is my rabbi, my teacher, the one hanging out with the tax collectors and sinners. Yes, he did in fact sit at a well in Samaria and share a cup with a woman of ‘questionable’ past. Yes, the one that heals people – heaven forbid – on the Sabbath.

See, I don’t think good leaders in the church are good leaders because they “look” like good leaders – or because they “act” like good leaders.

1 Timothy 3:1-7 “If anyone wants to provide leadership in the church, good! But there are preconditions. A leader must be well thought of, committed to his wife, cool and collected, accessible, and hospitable. He must know what he is talking about, not be overfond of wine, not pushy but gentle, not thin-skinned, not money hungry. He must handle his own affairs well, attentive to his own children and having their respect. For if someone is unable to handle his own affairs, how can he take care of God’s church? He must not be a new believer, lest the position go to his head and the devil trip him up. Outsiders must think well of him, or else the devil will figure out a way to lure him into his trap.”

That is my pastor.

I don’t care if he has tattoos – I care that he is focused first on God, second on his family. I care that he loves his wife and children — and that they love and respect him back. I care that when he speaks from the bible, I can study and check and find confirmation in his teaching. I care that people in the church much more grounded in scripture than I, hear him and respect him. I care that those we should be focused on in this world, the lost and hurting, have access to him and are drawn to the Jesus that shines in the way he lives his life. I care that no matter how “manly” me might appear – he is moved to tears when talking about people who don’t know the love of Jesus in their heart, or when talking of friends taken too soon from this life.

That is my pastor.

He is not perfect, I would be highly suspicious of one who “is”. I know everyone will not understand, not everyone will like him. And that is ok – everyone should find for themselves a church leader who is grounded in biblical teaching, who puts God and Jesus front and center in every part of his life – who inspires people rooted / planted in the house of God to serve and grow and even question and challenge. And who they can proudly say of, “Yes, that is my Pastor”. If that doesn’t look like him to you, that is ok.

But for me, he is my pastor and I am thankful to God for this church where I can plant, root, learn, grow and serve — all while fixing my eyes on Jesus!