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My friend, brother, surrogate father, and ex-boss, Pete, died late yesterday afternoon. He was 76. I am still in ministry because of him. Every month he would get in his car and drive the 120 miles from Phoenix just to have lunch with me. Just to tell me how much he appreciated me. Just to tell me to keep up the work. I was the focus of his conversation. When I would try to turn the conversation to him and to his needs, he would smile and say, "I'm here to talk about you and the Village and to encourage you." After our two hour lunch, he would get back in his car and drive home. I was the only reason for his trip. Do you know how rare that is? For someone to be that unselfish and kind?
He was such a faithful friend. A few months ago, before the cancer and emphysema robbed him of his life, he got his friend, Dick, to drive him down to Tucson for one last lunch. We sat in the Good Egg Restaurant and I could see the devastation the diseases were ravaging on his body. We talked about life and I got to hear a little about his pain and suffering. Then he smiled and said, "So enough about me, what is going on in the Village?"
When we were younger, I said some awful things about him. I attacked his character. Many of you know my tongue can be brutal and I used its full force on him. For a time he became my enemy. Then God did what God often does and brought reconciliation to us. It is why I love Eric's reconciliation sermon so much. I have been privileged to live that out with Pete. God not only allowed us to walk near each other, he made the relationship richer and fuller than it had ever been.
I will always remember Pete standing with his toolbox at the door of our house in Phoenix, saying, "Are you ready to get to work?" I will always remember him teaching me the stock market by buying me some stock and watching it with me. I'll always remember him taking me and my brother on a guys only road trip to Page to take the 'dam tour'. Pete never swore and when he said we were going to take the 'dam tour', we all acted shocked and accused him of cursing. He just grinned that grin of his. I will always remeber when he told me that he was glad I didn't take over the Charlie C. Jones Company, how God had much bigger plans for my life, how I belonged in the pulpit. And how proud of me he was.
God, I will miss him.
Rod |
