No Dog Collars Please!

This white man has had some interesting contemplating to do. This Sunday I am fully ordained as a full (full of what is another question?) pastor within the Vietnamese Evangelical Church in Australia. In titular terms within my denomination, it means going from being referred to as pastor to being now acknowledged as reverend. Now this is where my dilemma begins because in my mind whenever the term 'reverend' is announced it immediately makes me think of an old decrepit black suited gent with a white dog collar! Much like the old toothy reverend that was comically portrayed in the old UK comedy The Dick Emery Show (those old enough to have watched the show will know who I mean and appreciate the comparison)! My situation wasn't helped much today when my insurance company sent a driver to pick me up to retrieve my car from a car detailer who had been patching up my rear bumper from a minor accident last week. While in transit to my car the driver, all suited up and looking very debonair, asked me what I did for a living. I told him that I was the pastor of a church. He seemed quite surprised at my response and I quickly noticed his head-to-toe assessment of my appearance, to which he replied "you're out of uniform then - you haven't got your dog collar on!"

So that was it - this white man has made his mind up and issues the following decree from now to eternity to all concerned:- for the past five years I have grown comfortable in my title as pastor and I intend to keep it that way! I will not refer to myself as a 'reverend' ever! I understand that I cannot control others calling me that but they will only do it once. Only for formalities sake, such as for marriages, deaths or anything in between that involves a signature on a paper will I use the insignia 'reverend'. So that's it - I took my insecurities about the issue to the Lord in prayer and He sent His messenger today as an answer to my prayer! No dog collar for this white man!