A Short Season III

It is that time of year when I feel compelled to share this post again, and was planning on doing so this week anyway.  And then, this afternoon, I helped a wonderful family say goodbye to a godly women -- a woman of noble character.  So, today just seemed like the right day.

Some years ago I read a book called "A Short Season," which was based on the true story of Brian Piccolo -- a full back for the Chicago Bears who played in the same backfield as Hall of Fame running back Gayle Sayers. Piccolo died tragically of cancer at the age of 26. He was remembered not so much for what he accomplished on the football field, but instead for the kind of friend he was -- particularly to Sayers.

Sayers, for his part, went on to write a book called "I Am Third"  -- which I admit I have never read.  The title referred to the priorities Sayers set for his life:  the Lord first, friends and family second, and Sayers third.

I mention this because two years ago I wrote a blog -- one of my first -- called "A Short Season."  In fact, the blog you are reading now is largely that same piece edited and brought up to date.  The reason for that will become obvious in a minute.

Before I go further, though, let me say this.  I believe that it is a mistake to put any man (or woman) on a pedestal.  People make mistakes ... ALL people make mistakes.  People are imperfect ... ALL people are imperfect.

At the same time, there are, of course, people who are blessings in our lives.  There are people who have served as our role models -- who, for us, have been the salt and light that God calls all who follow Jesus to be.  And, while we should never worship such people, we most definitely should honor them. 

With that in mind, three years ago we were in the midst of moving Heartland the seventeen miles from Irving to Carrollton.  Literally hundreds of volunteers were working nearly around the clock --  both moving things physically from Irving and preparing the new building for our first service.

In the middle of that joy (and chaos) we were reminded again that it truly is a short season for all of us.

That week two people went home to be with the Lord who were on my wife's "Top Five List." To get on Pam's Top Five List you don't necessarily have to be her best friend. You don't have to have a great sense of humor or be one of the people she likes to hang out with the most. What you do need to be is one of those rare people who she thinks of as a model for how each of us should live our lives.

It's funny, but three years ago the vast majority of people who have attended HC and are reading this blog would have known Jack DeHart.  But, the church has seen a great deal of change these last two years, and that may not be the case for most of you.  If you didn't know Jack, you missed out on someone really special. 

I cannot tell you how many times Pam said how much she loved Jack. Although she sometimes had trouble finding exactly the right words to describe him, it seems like every Sunday when Jack (Pam actually refers to him as either "Bishop" or "Becky's Dad") was in church I was going to get an ear full on the way home about how wonderful he was!! One thing she would say really stands out to me, and maybe this is as close as words can really get to helping someone understand this man. She always said that Jack made her a better person because she could not stand the thought of disappointing him. There is a man of influence.

Of course, Jack DeHart meant a great deal to me too. He drew me closer to God, he was there praying for me when God forever changed my life, and I never would have considered becoming an Elder in the Church or getting involved in ministry without his blessing. I really don't think I would be serving at Heartland Church today if not for his influence on my life. For that, I will be eternally grateful.

Most of you probably didn't know Nancy Daws either. Nancy came into Pam's life when she was a little girl. Although Nancy was a close family friend, I guess Pam thought of her more like an aunt. Nancy passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack the same week as Jack.

As much as anyone on the earth, Nancy was the model for Pam of what a woman ought to be. She was an incredible wife and mother and had a truly infectious personality. Everyone was drawn to Nancy Daws.

I didn't get to know Nancy as well as I would have liked to -- I usually saw her once a year at the best Thanksgiving celebration you can imagine!!! But you didn't have to be around Nancy long to see why Pam loved her so much and why she looked up to her. I read through Chapter 5 of Matthew the morning before I wrote that blog three years ago, and was struck (and still am) by how the Beatitudes were reflected in what I saw of Nancy's life. Nancy was a beautiful woman who made everyone around her feel special. She was a model of Christian humility and, from what I could see, the ultimate peacemaker.

Pam and I had to split up that week.  She flew to California for Nancy's funeral and I stayed in Texas for Jack's.  Pam later told me that over a thousand people to showed up for Nancy's funeral. Can you imagine that?  Over a thousand people at the funeral of a housewife?  That kind of tells you something about Nancy, and about the way God uses people!  If you knew Nancy at all, you would have wanted to be there too.

When we take time to celebrate the lives of people like Nancy and Jack, its only natural to compare their lives to our own. And that can be painful. Before we beat ourselves up too much, we also need to remember that God can use our flaws and our mistakes to do incredible things. In other words, we cannot change the past -- but God sure knows how to use our past to touch lives in the future. How great is that?

If I have one regret in life it is that I did not answer God's call sooner. I am not talking about getting formally involved in the church -- that was not actually a particularly difficult step.  I'm just talking about  getting to a place where I was at least trying to put God first in my life and was not afraid to witness to others through both my words and actions. I have wasted so much time. Thanks to people like Nancy and Jack, I am really trying not to waste any more.

Our season is short. Let's make the most of it.