Life Lessons from Steve Goff

My good friend Steve Goff went to be with Jesus one year ago this past weekend. Steve was our Elder chair, a personal friend, and one of the best people that I have ever known. Steve and June have been (and continue to be) a gift from the Lord to Lynnette and myself. In remembering his life this weekend, I wanted to share some things that Steve taught me through example:

1. Take care of your family.
One of the key passages in laying out what an Elder/Pastor looks like is 1 Timothy 3:4-5 in which Paul reminds us that the home is the proving ground and mirror of Christian character and in some ways the preparation field for ministry. This was a constant conversation that Steve and I had in regard to my responsibility as a husband and father. He would often remind me that “your ‘first’ ministry is to the Lord, then to your family and finally to Pinelake.” Steve gave me much freedom and encouragement to honor the Lord thru spending time with my family. He modeled this by loving his wife, his kids and his grandkids. Steve’s tree planting is a life lesson for another day, but I am thankful for his practical words and life lesson to me in this area.

2. Support your leadership.
As our Elder chair at Pinelake, Steve would often times find himself in the midst of handling conflict resolution, brokering change, or representing the church in difficult circumstances. He was a military man and taught us all much about alignment, responsibility and truth. If we were walking thru a difficult situation, Steve never backed away from representing Pinelake. He was fearless, always willing to take the “shots” for our staff. He was a mighty man in the line of 2 Samuel 23 (it’s worth reading).

3. The Battle is Spiritual.
The simple reminder that the resources needed to overcome the obstacles that face us is not might or power but the Spirit (Zechariah 4:6) was a constant in the life of Steve. One of my favorite memories is a devotional that he gave at an Elder retreat where he handed out army men (we did make fun of him) and taught from Ephesians 6 on Spiritual warfare. It was a constant with him to remind us that:

• The Battle is the Lords! The fight is too hard and the enemy to strong for us to fight in the flesh. His personal application for me in this area was that the work was too big for me and to let others around me help to carry the load. The battle is not mine, it’s not yours, it’s the Lord’s. And he is ever so capable of bringing victory.

• Prayer is the key to winning the battle! The place where we hand it over and participate in the battle is in prayer. Steve Goff was a prayer warrior. He was passionate about our Elders picking up the mantle of prayer for our church. One of my last memories of Steve is leading our Elder team to lay hands on me and pray for my healing. It was an awesome time for me personally. This man loved to pray. And he knew that it was in the secret place that spiritual victory was secured. Can you pray more? Can you give yourself to the battle in a deeper way? God wants to answer us and show us mighty things when we engage past our desires and lay hold of His desires.

• Gird Up! This was Steve’s way of saying get ready for battle. We would face difficult decisions and he would always say that preparation is the key. Put your salvation on, find your peace in Christ, load up on the Word with a renewed mind and get ready for battle. Gird Up!!

I miss my friend today as I write this and think of him. I know his family misses him as well. We all know that Steve is at home with Jesus tonight cheering us on. He taught us a great deal and I am thankful for His life. Steve wasn’t perfect, but he was faithful. I wonder if my life and your life will teach the kind of meaningful lessons that his life taught.