I know this one guy.  He’s a blue collar guy.  Works really hard, provides for his family.  Works some long nights, often on 3^rd shift, at a job that could cost him his life.  What he does is not always OSHA approved, but he does it anyways.  Because that is the kind of guy he is.  He’s driven and motivated.  He’s committed to his family so much so that relatives from his extended family live with him, his wife’s mother, his brother and his family, and keep in mind, the house isn’t big.  He’s actually in business with his brother, which can be stressful, I mean its family, but his brother is one of his best friends.  They do everything together.

This guy…well, he’s a bit brash with his mouth.  He will often speak first and think second.  His wife will tell you that.  So will his friends and even those who barely know him.  He’s got a nickname like many guys do, that his friends still call him.  A nickname that has stuck with him ever since he was given it.

He’s a guy that knows when he gets it right, and when he doesn’t.  He isn’t always quick to listen and slow to speak.  He can be quick to make a promise but not follow through.  His friends see him as a leader though.  Whether at work or in life, he will kind of be the spokesman for them.  He’s a choleric in his personality type.  A lion if you will.  That tendency to lead though can get him into trouble, because he’ll tell those in authority over him to back off, and step down.  Humility doesn’t come naturally for him.

He’s been known to be a great friend but can bail on you the midst of crisis or stress.  One day he can be taking huge steps of faith and risk, other times, he can be stuck in fear.  Kind of paralyzed by the “what if’s.”  While most times, this guy is noble, there are times he takes the easy way out.  He can be a stubborn guy.  Kind of my way or the highway kind of man.  There are certain things that tip off his anger…he can be a short fuse, and has been known to get into a fight or two defending a friend.  Because that is the kind of guy he is.

Even though he knows he isn’t perfect, he’s striving to become more and more like Jesus.  His faith has been growing over the years, and it is so encouraging for me to see this happen in his life.  I’ve learned a lot from him.  He’s taught me a lot about what it means to follow Jesus.  To love God, love others, and make disciples.  He’s quick to admit that he hasn’t always gotten it right, but he’s learned from those times.  He doesn’t shy away from talking about them.  In a sense, he says, here is all of me.  All the good, bad, and the ugly.  That’s the kind of guy he is.

As you may have guessed, this guy I’m talking about, we know him as Peter.   And this last Sunday, we began an 8 week series looking at his life.  If there is one quality that comes to mind when I think of Peter it is bold, and in this series, we’ll journey through the Gospels, the book of Acts, and then we’ll finish in 1 Peter.

I encourage you to step into the story of Peter in this series.  To personally identify with him.  To see how our own lives line up with his.  In this series, we’ll see Peter’s humanity, but we’ll also see how the Lord took a fallen, sinful man, and transformed him into a leader and a man of God.  And over April and May, we’ll journey together through some key moments in his life, and see this transformation at work, and I pray that in the process, the Lord will continue to transform our own lives by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Dave