Clint Rothell
I am the husband of my favorite person in the world, Ingrid, even though I never call her Ingrid. I usually call her things like “Baby,” “Honey,” and “Snookums” (well, everything except Snookums and Ingrid). We met at the 99 Cent Store on November 7, 2005. As a poor student in seminary at the time, I knew this was “meant to be” or had to be! We were married just over a year later. We have a son, Isaac, born August 10, 2009. He is awesome. Not as awesome as God, but more awesome than pizza! (And I really like pizza.)
I enjoy reading (mostly nonfiction). Often, I read out loud to my sweetie. Because my wife and I desire our son to become a reader, I also read to Isaac, which usually sounds like this: “Isaac, check out what John Wesley says about Christian perfection and how it relates to our eschatological hope!” Then I change his diaper (that has not become a hobby even though I do it quite often now that I’m a dad).
My Story
I became a follower of Jesus a year after high school. At the time, I felt my life lacked meaning and depth. Not to be overly dramatic (insert acoustic background here and dim the lights, please) but I wanted a new life, a new start, a new beginning. And when I read what Jesus had to say about the good life in Matthew 5-7, I knew that this was the life I wanted to live and the rest of the gospels showed me how Jesus practiced what he preached back in Matthew 5-7. One of my deepest desires is to live life well, and Jesus is the best person that I have ever followed. (Has there ever been a better person to follow?).
I am always amazed that God loves me. Karl Barth was asked toward the end of his life, “What is the most profound truth you have ever learned in theology?” Barth answered, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” After receiving a BA in biblical studies and a MA in philosophy I’ve learned a little more about the Bible and reasons to believe that what it says about reality is true, but when it comes down to it, my deepest question in my life has been answered, “Does God love me?” And thank God that answer is “Yes.”
My Ministry Journey to SAFMC
My journey to SAFMC has been interesting – maybe because I was a graduate student in philosophy. You could imagine the horror on my face when I realized there were no more philosophy companies hiring! As a philosophy student, people always asked me what I was going to do with philosophy. The answer is nothing, but it can do something with me. The primary point of philosophy is not to ask whether chairs exist. (Do they?) The primary vision of philosophy is pursuing a life of wisdom and becoming a whole person. If this is true, Jesus is in the philosopher’s hall of fame!
What I do at SAFMC
I’m proud to be the youth pastor to the high school students at SAFMC. They’re a great group of passionate people and I am very proud of the men and women they are becoming! To the faithful men of the Multi-Monthly Monday Morning Man Munch – you are good men and I enjoy “doing doughnuts in the parking lot” with you. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, see youth calendar.) Also, to the merry men of The Club. You are lovers of wisdom and lovers of life, and, most important, lovers of root beer, which, next to the Bible, is what brings us sustenance in life.
