January 17, 2024
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I met Lou about a year and a half before he died. I got to visit with him only a few times. For the short time I knew Lou, he was confined to a little bed in a little room in a little town in the Texas Hill Country.
Dixie would give me weekly updates about him. I was not only interested in what she said, but how she said it. Her tone was filled with a full range of emotion and always with love.
I heard a lot of stories about Lou – from different sources and told with a broad range of emotions. But always with love. I guess Lou was that kind of man. He could evoke absolute rage and astonishing love from the same person in a single conversation.
We all have our impressions, our bottom-line feelings about people. And bottom line, my impression is that Lou was a lovable rascal. I can resonate with that. I know folks like that, friends and enemies. Lou and I also shared a love for cookies.
One of the great honors and pleasures that pastors have as part of our ministry is that we get to see God working in the lives of people.
Richard Bach says: “Here’s how you know if your mission in life is over – if you’re still alive, it isn’t!” So, if Lou was still alive, even though he was far out of the mainstream, what was Lou’s continuing mission for God? What did Lou have to teach me? What did I have to learn from Lou?
I kept asking myself those questions, and praying to the Lord and trying to pay attention. And so, I want to share several things with you that I saw during the time I knew Lou and was with him: I saw how Dixie and Lou’s relationship was reconciled and completed. I was there as two old but somewhat estranged friends – Lou and Jack – reflected together about their lives, forgave each other and resealed their friendship. And I learned what the Lord, working through Lou, had to teach me.
During his final days, Lou asked me to visit him, read some scripture and celebrate holy communion. By that time, Lou was constantly on a respirator and breathed with great difficulty. As I began to serve communion to Lou and Dixie, to offer them the body of Christ and the cup of salvation, Lou removed his respirator and breathed quietly and softly and peacefully for at least five minutes. And when communion was over, he replaced the respirator and resumed his difficult breathing. I noticed. Dixie noticed. And Lou noticed. I will never forget.
From a little bed in a little room in a little town in the Texas Hill Country, God used Lou to minister to me, to show me His presence in my life and in the lives of His precious children.
Don’t give up on others – go visit them. They may seem to be out of the mainstream, but their mission isn’t over. You may learn something.
And don’t give up on yourself. You’re alive and your mission isn’t over. You have something to teach others. God will use you.
I thank God for Lou. I am blessed to have known him. Praise the Lord!
REMEMBER & BELIEVE
Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.
In the meantime, God will use you. Pay attention!
QUESTION
How is God using you for others' good and for His glory?
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, help us to remember that as long as we are alive on this earth, You will use us to Your glory. Help us to pay attention to Your presence in our lives and in the lives of each person we come in contact with. Help us to be open to receiving whatever it is You have to give us through them. And help us to remember that You use us as we meet and greet others. Thank You Lord for letting us play on Your team.
Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil and the evil one. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.
Amen
“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24 (NRSV)
God bless you!
Richard
Christ Worshipper | Disciple Maker | Hope Giver
Welcome to In the Meantime. I'm glad you're here! We are living in the time between Christ's ascension into heaven and His promised return to earth. In the Meantime is a collection of stories about God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and His presence, love, mercy and grace in my life. In the Meantime, Jesus is Lord! Hallelujah!
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