The Slap

My Old Youth Pastor

Wow. Yeah. Being that this is Pastor Appreciation Month I had to tell the story about my old youth pastor Justin.

I think when I was in the youth group it may have been his first time ever pastoring anybody. I'm not sure. I may have to double check that. Either way, on with my story. One morning right before the youth were meeting he pulls me aside. Now I had just been flirting with a pretty girl in my youth group and I thought I was going to get some pastorly advice on how a good Christian guy treats a good Christian girl. What I got was (at the time mind you) the coolest thing you could give a 13 year-old class clown type kid who loves to get attention. Justin, in all his great wisdom pulls me aside and tells me, "Carlos, I need you to slap me." I remember thinking no way, this is a joke. So I asked, "Slap you. You want me to....slap....you?" His response. "Yeah, across the face." So I said what any 13 year old kid with the chance to slap his youth Pastor would say. "How hard?".

Next, he laid out this elaborate plan on how he would try to get the class to calm down and he would ask me to sit, I would refuse, then would come "the slap" and out the room I would go. All this was to illustrate some grand teaching he had created for us. All I knew was, I was going to slap my youth pastor.

So the time came, he tried to calm the class down, I played my part and the the moment came. SLAP! I remember the feeling of dread wash over me. That, "oh my goodness I just slapped Justin" feeling. So the turning and leaving the room part was very easy. The problem was that he said to me, "Now Carlos, don't hit me to hard" and I really didn't mean to. I really didn't. I had and still do have a lot of respect for Justin. He's a great guy and a pastor and we all loved him as our youth leader so there was no, "Oh yeah, I'm going to knock him out" or anything. I just got a little to excited and put a little to much into it.

Either way, he taught his lesson with a red mark across his cheek and I still laugh to this day about it. For the life of me though I can't remember what in the world he was trying to teach me that day. I think it was to turn the other cheek or patience or something. I don't know. But I do know this. I thank each and every pastor I have ever had in my life. Some played very big roles on who I am today, like one of my Youth Pastor's Matthew. He introduced me to the art of being a DJ. A choice that brought me to where I am today. To other pastors who have brought God's word to me in the many churches I have been to. Thank you to all the Pastors of the Bay Area for your hard work, dedication and love for the body of Christ.

And thank you Pastor Justin for your creativity. Without it, I would not have this story to write today.

Carlos