Thursday, August 30, 2012

I Want To Be Like That

I took the 90 minute drive to Searcy today to visit one of our church members. Dee Beckham moved from Little Rock to Arlington, Texas a couple of years ago. She's now living in an assisted living facility in Searcy. Her sister lives in Searcy and she wanted to be closer to her.

Here's the back story. Dee and Jim have been married for quite a while. Second (at least) marriages for both of them. They make a wonderful couple. They've lived in our neck of the woods for a long time and were faithful in our church. As they aged, they both had illnesses and conditions so that they could no longer live on their own. Due to family issues (it's a blended family, remember) Dee went to Arlington to live with her daughter and son-in-law and Jim went to South Carolina to live with his son. Wouldn't that be a hard decision to reach? No decision at all, really. They had no choice.

Dee's 85th birthday was July 30. She came to Searcy to spend some time with her sister and decided to stay. Searcy is home to her and she and her sister are the only ones left. I found out last week that she had moved so I planned the trip to see her.

I've always enjoyed visiting with our seniors because they have good stories to tell and wisdom to offer. That's Dee and Jim! The last summer before moving away, they had lots of doctors appointments. They couldn't drive so I was their driver. And Riley (9 years old at the time) was my side-kick. That was a really good summer. Riley and I spent a lot of time together. I was able to show him a side of ministry I never saw as a child growing up in a preacher's home. We both enjoyed getting to know the Beckhams a little better.

What really sticks out about those summer conversations and today's conversation is this. Dee believes in prayer. Any problem they faced back then, she bathed in prayer. One of the first things she told me this morning was that she had been praying today for everyone in the church she could remember. Nothing is too small to pray about or too big for prayer to help. Dee is a prayer warrior. I want to be like that.

Another thing about Dee that I really admire is her simple understanding of our problems. During the summer trips to the doctor she asked about some of the problems our church was facing. I couldn't say much because of confidentiality so she did most of the talking. Finally, she said, "I just hope ________ will repent." Sin is sin and there's only one thing to do with it: repent. Dee understands the root of our problems, she knows the answer, and she's not afraid to say it. I want to be like that.

I count it a joy and a privilege to be Dee's pastor even if she will never again live in our community or attend our services. I'm a better pastor because I'm Dee's pastor.

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