I had plans for today.

I am a week behind on the podcast. I wrote two lessons yesterday and I was going to record at least two, maybe three episodes today. Tomorrow I was going to post to this blog.

Then all the wind left my sails.

I got a text this morning at 8:14. It was from my pastor, Johnnie Brewer, letting me know that my friend, mentor and one of the biggest cheerleaders my ministry ever had, Clay Moorman, the Pastor of Newark Baptist church in Elkton, MD died of a heart attack this morning.

I first met Clay in 1997, when I first started preaching and attending Baptist Bible Fellowship pastor’s meetings every month. Over the years he became a good friend. When he saw I was very stressed in the ministry, he offered me a free week at his annual Men’s camping trip. It helped and the trip became an annual ritual that I looked forward to every year.

When my best friend in the ministry, Rob Dalsing died of a heart attack at the age of 46  in 2011, it was Clay who called me and took me out to breakfast and let me cry and rage and mourn. Clay said something that I have always kept close, and today I need it – “Dave, these are the times when we preachers have to live all that stuff we’ve been telling our people.”

Clay was my friend.

He is my friend.

I haven’t lost him, because I know where he is.

Until I see him again though, I will miss him.