A Moment in Time
February 11, 2004

So many wonderful moments have occurred during my time home on leave. Let me share one with you that occurred Sunday. But first, I must set the stage.

As a parent whose occupation happens to be a minister, I have always been aware that my children would be living under the scrutiny of others. Preacher's kids (PKs) are expected to be perfect. Well, obviously, this is unrealistic. My wife and I have always attempted to place no such expectations on our girls, trying to create a "normal" environment for them. But regardless of the community or church we were in, the girls still sensed they were to be different than other kids.

Because of such angelic expectations, the girls have not always enjoyed being involved in the life of the church, or even living in the same community. In all fairness, that knife cuts both ways. For example, I remember when I was stationed at the Naval Communications Station on Rough & Ready Island in Stockton, California. As the command chaplain we lived in one of the three officer homes on this small base. It was great! But you couldn't sneeze without someone else knowing about it. For example, it was not uncommon for the security guards to call me in my office and merely to inform me that my girls were riding their bikes down toward the Base Exchange or Commissary.

Then there was the time when my oldest, Laura, had recently received her driver's license. We were living in Turlock, California, where I was serving as a volunteer chaplain for the Turlock Police Department. Laura was driving the family van one evening, going to a girlfriend's house. After pulling away from a four-way stop, she was pulled over by one of Turlock's finest. She began running through her mind what she might have done wrong. She came to a full stop. Checked traffic in all directions. Didn't "peel out." Wasn't speeding. So why was she being pulled over?

After turning over her license and the vehicle registration, she asked the officer what she had done wrong. He told her a headlight was out. The officer continued looking at Laura's license and registration. He then asked her, "Are you Chaplain Roots' daughter?" She said she was. He then said, "Okay. Tell your dad about the headlight. He'll get it fixed." So, she drove away. Believe me, there are many more such stories where the girls were known because they were the daughters of "the Pastor," or "the Chaplain."

All of this is one of the reasons why we have encouraged the girls to come to faith in Jesus on their own. If they've heard me say it once, they've heard it a hundred times; "You can't ride your parents coattails into heaven. You have to embrace the faith for yourselves."

Enter Pastor Paul Koval.

After I was activated in November of 2002, I asked my friend and fellow pastor, Derek Isaksen, to keep looking for a youth minister. Derek was appointed to cover me at the church during my activation. Sure enough, he located Pastor Paul in Washington state. Paul and his family joined the Ripon Free Methodist Church team last August. He and my youngest daughter, Jenny, hit it off right away. She's excited again about church life and serving the Lord, particularly in youth ministry. She even began playing drums again with a small church band Pastor Paul has put together. Teenagers are showing up and getting involved. Paul's love for Jesus is infectious. He should have a sign around his neck that reads, "Warning! Avoid Prolonged Exposure!" Quite a few kids have given their hearts and lives to Jesus under Paul's ministry.

Wanting to be obedient to the teaching of the Bible, Paul planned to baptize all those who have recently committed their lives to Jesus. My Jenny announced that she'd like to be baptized, but she wanted to wait till I came home so I could be the one to baptize her. Of all the honors and attention I've received recently, none compares to the thrill of officiating at the baptism of my daughter!

The baptism service was held during our second Sunday morning service. There were twenty-one people to be baptized. Now, if you're not familiar with the rite of baptism, it takes a while to baptize that many people. We had several families baptized, along with many individuals of all ages. More than half of the candidates for baptism were teens.

My favorite part in such a service is to hear the stories of those who have come to faith in Christ. Space will not allow me to share those with you now. That'll have to wait for another article. But it is so exciting to hear the testimonies from teens and adults alike. And, of course, no celebration of this magnitude could pass without a church potluck. So, immediately following the baptism service we adjourned to the fellowship hall and consumed copious amounts of home-cooked food.

Bottom line, it was an exciting day. But the highlight for me clearly was witnessing Jenny's decision to follow the Lord with her whole heart. Not because she's expected to, but because she wants to.

And for this dad, that's a special moment in time.