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31 Signs You Might Be a Pastor’s Kid.

July 2, 2014 by Jon

(Today is a guest post from Barnabas Piper. He’s a pastor’s kid, just like me. You might have heard of his dad, Bill Piper. I’m kidding, it’s John. If you’d like to write a guest post, click here!) 

Back in the 90s, comedian Jeff Foxworthy did a bit called “You Might Be a Redneck if . . .” What followed the “if” was something like “ . . .your wife’s hairdo has ever been destroyed by a ceiling fan” or “ . . .you refer to the 5th grade as ‘my senior year’.”

I have developed my own set of criteria to help pick out pastors’ kids (PKs). Without further ado, and in the inimitable Jeff Foxworthy spirit:

YOU MIGHT BE A Pastor’s Kid If . . .

. . . you can explain the difference between a narthex, lobby, fellowship hall, and the commons.

. . . Psalty, the Donut Man, and McGee haunt your dreams at night.

. . . you won at least 12 prizes in your life for scripture memory feats.

. . . you snacked on communion bread.

. . . you knew where the janitor kept the church keys and took full advantage.

. . . December 31 isn’t New Year’s Eve, it’s “I hope people give a lot from their Christmas bonuses” day.

. . . you’re pretty sure “don’t run in church” is the 11th commandment.

. . . you were told to kiss dating goodbye. And didn’t listen.

. . . you knew which Sunday school classes had the best pastries.

. . . you were Picasso with the church pew golf pencil.

. . . you were the Zorro of sword drills.

. . . you were the Willie Mays of Bible trivia baseball.

. . . the scariest thing you ever dressed up as for Halloween was Goliath.

. . . you recommitted your life to Christ at least 12 times.

. . . you thought your name was So-and-so’s-son (or daughter).

. . . you were always the first person called out for shenanigans.

. . . you involuntarily volunteered for all church functions.

. . . You could blackmail half the church

. . . Half the church could blackmail you.

. . . You sat in dread each Sunday waiting for your name to be uttered from the pulpit.

. . . Every major holiday was interrupted by a church service.

. . . You yearned for the anonymity of independence then felt totally out of place when you finally received it.

. . . you heard the words “damn” and “hell” used more often in their literal meaning than as cuss words.

. . . You know what it means to “raise my Ebenezer.”

. . . You can list, off the top of your head, the 10 commandments, the 12 tribes of Israel, and all 10 plagues in less than 2 minutes.

. . . You speak like a normal person, but when you pray you become either a 17th century English poet or a timid teenage girl.

. . . You ever re-wrote worship choruses as something . . . less wholesome.

. . . You gravitate towards the numbers 3, 7, and 12.

. . . Your first ever concert was a Christian band. Bonus points if it was held at a church.

. . . God is both incredibly familiar and remarkably distant.

. . . You got asked weekly “So, are your going to be a pastor when you grow up?”

Those are the signs you might be a Pastor’s Kid, so … are you?

(For more on the uniqueness of growing up as a PK and working through its challenges, check out Barnabas’ book, The Pastor’s Kid: Finding Your Own Faith and Identity visit his blog and follow him on Twitter.)

Filed Under: Guest Posts

Previous Post: « Finally, a church knows how to pray.
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Jon Acuff is the New York Times Bestselling author of four books including his most recent, Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average & Do Work that Matters. Read More…

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