Appreciation in Transition

Tim Ashford sent me these thoughts he had written for Dave. I thought they spoke for all of us men on some significant ways Dave Harvey has affected the men of Covenant Fellowship Church as their Senior Pastor. Dave – from the Bro’s to you!


Dave,
Dave, your influence on our family has been an undertow of grace. Like a current beneath the surface, it has exerted its pull on the direction of our church, our personal ministry, and our marriage. We know that it flows from Him who loves us; because the net result is that He seems closer and more real. I want to give you three ways you’ve affected us. Like any true fan, I have to mimic you, so all my points begin with the same letter.

Disarming. Dave, you are one of the most disarming people I've ever encountered. You've coaxed us out of hiding since the first sermon we heard you preach over eight years ago. As the proverb so well says, our hearts were like deep waters, but you helped to draw them out (Proverbs 20:5). When we arrived, our arms were folded, our guard was up. We were tight-lipped and rarely admitted our sins. Now, more than eight years later, we're more comfortable, like you, to be ourselves in the presence of God, and before one another. We're even trying to follow your example of laughing at ourselves. You do that better than anyone, period. We've learned from just watching you. Now it’s becoming something of a sport in our family. There's just so much material!

Delegating. Even from the cheap seats, the undertow of your leadership pulls us further into the waters of grace. You have the humility to realize that you can't and don't have to be Andy, Jim or Marty, but you've cultivated them and unleashed their gifts on us. As a result, we're so much more able to listen as we look at our hearts, to share the gospel, and to biblically raise our children. By making yourself less, we have gained so much more. Jared is the most obvious current example. Who is more excited than you that he will carry forward the torch of reformed exposition? Like John the Baptist, you may decrease, while he increases, but the net result is really that Christ increases, and we all gain from that. This reveals true greatness in you, as Jesus himself said of John. Thank you!!

Delighting. We're commanded to delight in God, but we're still sinners, and have to confront that reality. When we do, it’s easy to fall into despair, anxiety, or striving - but not when we follow you as you follow Christ. You seem to rest confidently on Christ's finished work. You rejoice easily. You are a strong proponent of celebration – and not just the conference we used to have. In your joy you live out a key part of our mission statement. You Treasure Christ and His cross, you greatly enjoy your church, you delight in your wife. Yet you've looked squarely at the Enemy Within, you've studied Sin and Temptation, you've even had to deal seriously with the sins of others while at the helm of the sanctuary over the years. All the while your joy seems to increase.

My dear brother and esteemed pastor: We thank God for you and delight in you! And as we turn the page on over twenty years of faithful ministry at Covenant Fellowship, we are eager to see what God has prepared for this next exciting chapter in your life and ministry.
How can we possibly thank God enough for all the happiness you have brought us?" (I Thessalonians 3:9, my own translation)
Tim for all the Ashford’s