I’m Grateful

Greenville, Texas

I’m grateful for small towns. In 1985, John Cougar Mellencamp released the song, Small Town which starts with:

Well, I was born in a small town
And I live in a small town
Probably die in a small town
Oh, those small communities

I don’t remember what I thought about that song (other than I liked it) in 1985, but growing up in a small town (Greenville, Texas), I assumed that was where I would always live.  I love my small town – which isn’t as small as it used to be – it is a great place to have been raised.  I’m grateful for my small town. Also, there’s something about growing up in a town with one high school – we all bled “red and white” and can still sing the words to “We Hail from GHS”… even if we didn’t win much back then!

Our parents raised us in a great church in that small town, where we were able to serve and be part of ministry.  My youth pastor, Becky Black, poured her life into her students and I am one of those that benefited from a woman who loved us well and showed us what it looked like to follow Jesus.  When I was 19 years old and felt like God was impressing on me that He intended for me to serve the church as a vocation, Becky was the first person I went to to help me figure that out.

I ended up leaving my small town to go to another (Marshall) to finish my undergraduate degree and prepare for ministry.  In 1998, I graduated with a degree in marketing from East Texas Baptist University and then headed to Ft. Worth, not a small town, to do graduate work at Southwestern Seminary.  During my first semester in seminary God opened a door for me to leave the church I had begun serving in during college and to move to Saginaw.

Saginaw was a great small town back in the late 90’s – in the middle of Ft. Worth, one high school, and the kindest people on the face of the earth!  The people in that church took me in and raised me up – they were patient with me as I learned to do ministry and they invited me into their homes and loved me as if I were their own.  It was a blind date in Saginaw that would change my life – that is how I met my bride, Theressa.  Then, God led us to serve a church in Denton, before allowing us to come to Arlington in 2009. I’m grateful for those churches.

It has been in this place that Theressa and I were able to grow our family; Kason, Adelaide, and Todd were all born here and First Arlington is their church.  This is the church that has welcomed us, helped us, and loved us.  Theressa and I are both from small towns – we had no idea that one day we would live in the “city” and get to live the life we do – but I’m grateful I have.

We can’t anticipate all the things that God will do in our lifetime, but how has God brought you along on this journey – maybe even from a small town – that has caused you to be grateful?\da

Kurt Krodle

Kurt Krodle

Recent Posts

Women in Ministry: A Brief Summary

By Dennis Wiles | June 12, 2024

INTRODUCTION In this brief summary, let me begin a few declarative statements:   I believe in the authority of Holy Scripture – The Bible is the Word of…

The Five Love Languages

By Luke Stehr | June 11, 2024

What are the five love languages?  The Five Love Languages were developed by a minister, author, and speaker Gary Chapman. They’re a tool for helping people understand themselves…

Navigating Motherhood Together: Creating a Community of Support

By Kasey Fagan | June 9, 2024

Don’t Mom Alone, Mom Together I’m not the first to say it, but some of us need to hear it again – Don’t mom alone, mom together. There I…

How College Students Can Continue In Their Faith Over The Summer

By Pearce Schreck | June 9, 2024

Living out your Christian faith in college is already difficult enough, but it can be even more difficult to do this over the summer. Often times when college…