It seems the losses of these past months have started us thinking about about what kind of legacy we want to leave. How do we wish to be remembered? What imprint do we want to leave behind?
Maybe the thought process started when Jim McGuiggan died at the end of July at 88. He was a friend and inspiration to so many with his fiery preaching/teaching, his Irish accent, incredible recall of the Bible and biblical history. I first met Jim in Verviers, Belgium in 1972 when I was just starting my year as an intern. What impressed me the most was his kind, generous spirit. I commented on his black shoes and he immediately said, “I think I’ve got another pair!” With that he was off to fetch them to see if they fit! Besides being a collector of his books, what sticks with me the most is his ability to set the record straight. “Christ didn’t die for Acappella singing and weekly Lord’s Suppers!” Lord, help us remember what is most important!
Then there was Dolly! Thom Rainer from Church Answers summarized “seven ways Dolly Parton influenced him:
1. Kindness is never wrong!
2. Generosity is a way of life!
3. Joy is contagious!
4. Faithfulness is measured in decades, not moments.
5. Never forget where you came from.
6. Humility and confidence can coexist.
7. Success creates responsibility.
Such important lessons! This brings us to John Charles Murray (pictured above) whose life we celebrated this past Saturday in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Canada.
When we reflected on J.C.’s life, here is the list of ways we can describe him, ways we will always remember him. There are so many J.C. stories!!
1. Servant heart. No task was too menial.
2. Connector of people – networker. John had a way of bringing folks together…in unity for the sake of the Kingdom.
3. Confidence builder. He had a way of assigning tasks that made you wonder, “Can I do that?” But because J.C. said to try, we certainly would. He trusted us! Jill and I believe that my first job out of OC right after we were married was due to John’s encouragement. Because he thought we could, John convinced the Weyburn elders to invite us to be the first ever youth minister at that church!
4. John had a way of making you feel important. He listened intently to what you had to say, like you were the only person in the room.
5. He loved people.
6. He loved God.
7. He loved his family well and was so proud of all of them!
8. One more, we must add: J.C. was a joker! Soon after we had arrived in Weyburn to take the job with the church right after our honeymoon, we were driving with John, south on Government Road. Jill was in the middle, John was driving and I (Mark) was sitting shotgun. J.C. smirked and said to Jill, “Do you want to drive?” And with that, he pulled off the steering wheel of his classic ’52 Chev and handed it to Jill. You can imagine her response!! The trick was, when she handed the steering wheel back, he could not get it to go back into place, partially because of his giggle! So many stories we will never forget! Everyone who knew John, had those stories!!
Why are we sharing all of these memories? Let’s examine our walk, consider what we are leaving behind. May we encourage one another to count our days and make our days count, realizing we don’t know when our last day will be. Read Ps. 90. Linger on the words…verse 12, “Teach us to realize the brevity of life…” and verse 14, “Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our days!”
