I experienced the calling myself

San Diego Reader: What is your favorite subject on which to preach?

Pastor Robert Davis: The gracious love of God. It’s a mystery. It’s such an incredible, rich topic because it tells us who God is, the very character of God, and tells us a lot about ourselves and that we need that grace. We have not earned that righteousness, but it comes to us as a gift. Through that grace, God has reconciled us to Himself. What an amazing mystery and marvel that is!

SDR: Why did you become a minister?

RD: It was a calling. I was practicing law in Indianapolis and I was attending a church there. The people of this church saw this ministry before I did. They were grooming me although I wasn’t aware of it. Then I experienced the calling myself — so that instead of supporting a ministry, I found myself discerning a calling that now I was supposed to go to seminary.

SDR: Did you mind taking a pay cut?

RD: I did. Of course, it’s always nice to have the luxury of financial security, but the reality is that the adventure I’m on now I wouldn’t trade for all the money I gave up. It’s been an incredible blessing…. I’ve been able to go places and see things and be part of things that are incredibly life-giving. It’s like the credit card commercial says — “Priceless.”

SDR: What’s the mission of your church?

RD: “To know Christ and make him known.” Throughout my eight years here, one of the ways we’ve really narrowed that and refined that mission is to be a blessing to families and children in the name of Jesus.

SDR: Where is the strangest place you’ve found God?

RD: I was serving as pastor up in Escondido [during the October 2003 Cedar] wildfires in which Ashleigh Roach was killed and her sister Alyson Roach was badly burned. I went with [their parents] John and Lori [Roach] down to the burn center…. Ashleigh was already dead and the doctors expected Alyson to die. They didn’t expect her to make it through the next 48 hours. Going into the room, I began to pray with John and Lori, putting hands on Alyson, and praying for a miracle…. I’m uttering the words, lifting up what our heart is, and in my head I’m thinking, God, don’t make these empty words. For me, that was a critical moment of faith. Not only did she survive, but she’s thrived. Not that every story turns out well, but that was a marvelous and poignant moment where God showed up.

SDR: Where do you go when you die?

RD: At the resurrection we’re going to experience the wonder and mystery of communion face-to-face with the living God. That’s a great joy. I am certainly not the judge, but Scripture makes clear that God destines believers for a new life, which means that there are some who are not chosen. That’s hard. We talk about hell — but I don’t spend a lot of time wrestling with hell. That’s what Scripture teaches, so I’m going to go with that. But I spend more time talking about the good news than dwelling on the danger of the bad news.