You were a Pastor?!

"Steve in seminary? That's hilarious."

Craig's voice echoed down the school corridor as the students piled in from recess. Craig was a big man, about six foot three with a booming voice. We had coached a variety of teams together the past two years. He taught Grade Seven. I worked with special needs students.

"Dude, I'm serious. I not only went to Seminary, my undergrad was in theology," I said. "I used to be a pastor."

He burst out laughing as he escorted his students up the stairs. I was stunned. What? Did he think I was lying? When I'd escorted my student up the stairs, I bumped into Scott, another staff member who'd worked at the school with me for the past three years. Scott was one of the friendliest people at the school, and when I told him what Craig had said, about doubting that I'd actually been a minister, he gave me a dubious look.



"Well, I don't know, Steve," he said.

"What do you mean 'you don't know,'" I said, smiling but a bit exasperated. "I studied for four years at a Bible College. I have a degree in theology. I was a pastor. I moved here in 2007 to go to Seminary. I went to Tyndale in North York, ran out of money and met my wife-to-be!" (Authour's note: those two events are not related. )

Scott ducked his head. "I don't know, Steve. You're a pretty good storyteller."

I stared at him and finally shook my head as I went back to class. I didn't know what to say. They both knew that I was a writer. Both knew that I wrote fiction. I didn't know if I should have been encouraged that they thought I was capable of making that up. Or if I should I be concerned that I apparently had left them with zero evidence that my faith meant enough to me for them to even consider the possibility that I'd been a pastor.

It's been a week since the incident and I still don't know how I feel. It's pretty funny though. I'll give them that.

-Steve

Authour's Note: All names on this blog concerning co-workers and friends are changed unless I ask permission to use them. The only real name I use is that of my amazing wife, Bethany, who's stuck with me for life. Sometimes I change the physical descriptions as well. (Don't worry, everyone looks better on here) The stories are all true, however.