37 Things About Ben Moore

Today my friend and fellow pastor at Garden City Church, Ben Moore, turns 37. So, to honor Ben and to help you know him better, here are "37 Things" about Ben Moore.

1. Ben was born and raised on a farm in Dalhart, Texas.
2. Pre-Covid and pre-sending out a fellow pastor to plant a church, our Staff Team did CrossFit together. Ben was the strongest at most of the lifts: Squat, Power Clean, Clean & Jerk, Snatch.
3. Ben was always the weakest at bench press and deadlift, which made us feel better about ourselves.
4. It looks to me like Ben hasn't lifted weights in a while, you might want to buy him a dumbbell for his birthday.
5. Ben's family runs Moore Family Farms.
6. Once in a while I see Ben wearing a cool "Moore Family Farms" T-shirt, and someday I hope his parents get me this same T-shirt. I'm size Large. Slim Fit. Thanks.
7. Right now you can go to most any Costco in the Bay Area and buy watermelons from Moore Family Farms. Look for the red sticker with their name on it. My family ate one of these melons this past week, it tasted great. You can also find these melons at many other Costco stores and other stores across our nation.
8. Ben has written a lot of original songs for our church. They are theologically rich and great to sing. Start here to explore and listen to the music Ben has written and recorded.
9. Ben was an agricultural major in college.
10. This spring will mark 7 years of Ben serving as a pastor at Garden City Church.
11. Ben and his wife, Kirsten, have two adopted children who are full of life and smiles.
12. Ben is passionate, he leads us in worship with compelling passion.
13. Sometimes, though, Ben speaks too quietly in small group settings and none of us can hear him, which is so different from his very audible passion and leadership on Sundays. Maybe he does this on purpose? I once heard a prominent lecturer say he always speaks as quietly as possible so people have to lean in to hear what he's actually saying. You never know with Worship Pastors, they always do things a bit differently.
14. Ben received his drivers license at age 15 through some kind of Texas farm kid law.
15. Ben played high school football, and that's part of why we get along really well.
16. Ben loves to BBQ and smoke meat. It tastes great.
17. Ben serves our church a lot behind the scenes, there's a lot he does that nobody knows about.
18. For reasons nobody understands, Ben stands on his tip toes most of the time when leading singing.
19. When Ben and Kirsten were interviewing for this job nearly 7 years ago, they spent 3 nights at our home as part of the interview process (pro tip: do this, it gives you lots of time together to get to know each other at different times and moods of the day).
20. This interview/slumber party included their toilet overflowing, and having to clean up a bunch of crap together. Literally.
21. Ben is a faithful 49ers fan, which is really important. It's a secret core value on the hidden menu of our church.
22. Ben cares for people really well. This has gotta be up there as one of the most important things you can do as a leader. If people don't feel cared for by you, they aren't going to follow you. As it should be, Ben's greatest care-giving goes to his wife and kids.
23. One of Ben's old nicknames is "Vanilla Blur." Ask him about it.
24. Ben has two siblings.
25. The quote I've heard most from Ben's lips is a quote from Donald Rumsfeld.
26. Oftentimes a fellow leader in our church will share an idea with Ben and Ben will reply, "That's not a bad idea." Which leaves us feeling a bit insecure about whether our idea is a good idea, or just not a bad idea.
27. A few weeks ago I was having a real hard time with something. Ben really saw and understood that, and he came and showed up for me. Ben's like that.
28. Ben is polite and has good manners.
29. Ben earned his Master of Divinity degree from Western Seminary. Our church has a partnership with Western, and Garden City member can receive a discount on tuition there. Our Youth Minister, Max Huss, starts his seminary training at Western in January.
30. Ben is a rare combo, I think of him as a Farmer-Worship Pastor. He's very creative and passionate, yet unlike many artsy types he's also very "farmer-like": regimented, dependable, has the capacity to get a lot of things done across many domains.
31. Once in a while Ben sleeps in wool pajamas.
32. Ben admits his sin and mistakes, repents, and moves forward.
33. Ben remains clam in chaos, seeking to see how God is at work in storms.
34. If you want to be tutored in song-writing, hire Ben.
35. Ben often has a toothpick in his mouth, often at very dangerous times.
36. October 5th is also my middle son's (Hudson's) birthday, and Hudson thinks this is really cool.
37. Ben Moore has turned 37 today, and this is worth celebrating. If you know Ben, give him some love. I've also been reminded that October is Pastor's Appreciation Month, which is something few churches celebrate (ours historically hasn't, most churches have never heard of this). In a time of great transience, historic pastor burnout, and challenges left and right, if you are part of a church anywhere in the world, think about how you can take action to honor your pastors. I'm so glad Ben Moore is one of our pastors.