FAREWELL TO A FRIEND

Ten days have passed since my good friend and buddy, Jim, passed away at age 61. Jim was diagnosed with ALS in June, 2005. I find myself thinking about him all the time. In fact, I think about him more now than I did when he was still alive. I really miss him.

Every once in a while, God chooses to bless someone with a real buddy. Jim was that buddy for me...a special friend. He was always an encourager. He had an uncanny ability to create humor in humorless situations. He was a joy and a pleasure to be around and could brighten any room that he walked into. Jim had a magnetic personality, and he had a special way of making people - of any age or background - feel comfortable and encouraged when they were around him. Jim loved to travel - here in the U.S. and overseas. He loved to explore and see new things, meet new people, and experience different cultures.

Jim had a heart for God and a passionate desire to follow Jesus Christ. He loved the younger generation, and they loved him. You could often find Jim in the office of a younger person, or sitting in a booth at a restaurant with a young man who was in the ministry or preparing to enter the ministry. He invested his time and encouraged so many young men and women. The times he spent with the younger generation was always so gratifying for him and seemed to give him so much pleasure...so much life. He could see the possibilities that existed for these young adults and he didn't want them to miss it.

I could go on, but I won't. At least not in this space.

The way Jim lived and interacted with others grabbed my attention. The way Jim challenged and encouraged me, has helped me to become a better person.

At his funeral, a week ago, I had the opportunity to share a few thoughts about my buddy. As I concluded those thoughts, I requested those in the audience, 40 years of age and younger, who Jim had invested in or had been influenced in a positive way by him, to stand. As I looked over the audience I witnessed 50% of them stand. I instructed them to look around, and then stated: That's a powerful testimony of a legacy...Jim's legacy.

Who shows up at a person's funeral can serve as an awesome testimony of their life. As a result of that moment in time a week ago, it makes me wonder who will be at my funeral?

I miss my buddy.