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Old 12-10-2007, 07:59 AM
deacon blues deacon blues is offline
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A Tale of Two Saints

John Lescaleet came to the church I grew up in Ohio because we had a basketball league that required church attendance at least once a week. An old childhood buddy of his had also been saved a short time before so he started showing up---along with his waist length ponytail!

He had been attending a short time when, as youth pastor one Sunday, I made an announcement that we were taking two van loads of youth to a section rally an hour away on the following Friday night. I asked that anyone wishing to help chaperone to see me after service. The only person to approach me about it? You guessed it---John L.

Well, I had another chaperone who was going but had a physical disability that precluded him from being able to drive the church van. When he heard about our volunteer, he asked, "What are we going to do about John? We can't go to that youth rally with that ponytail!" John was, simply put, a hillbilly. Without a tooth in his head, a full beard and that long hair, he was a sight. I thought to myself that I was not going to risk being shorthanded for help and I just didn't feel compelled to require the man to get a haircut in order to drive a van to a youth rally. I told the chaperone that we would explain to folks that we were having a Passion Play at our church and that the guy was John the Baptist.

Friday rolled around and John showed up as he was instructed. When he got out of the car, he was sporting a very nice and very respectable haircut! We praised his new look. He informed us it was his first haircut in 13 years! No one told him to do anything. When asked he said, "Well I figured if I was going to be a chaperone, in order to be good example to these kids, I needed to get a haircut."

That was the beginning of a relationship that stretched over several years where John was always the second driver in the second van. John eventually repented, got baptized and received the Holy Ghost. We took those kids all over the US on annual trips to Youth Congresses, New York City, Washington DC, the Smokey Mountains, Pennsylvania Dutch country, Atlanta, Chicago, Nashville, Cincinnati, plus weekly youth meetings, taking the kids out to eat, fund raisers, etc. When I left Ohio to become pastor of Bethel Church in Memphis, John continued to help the new youth pastor.

A few weeks ago John was sick but refused to go to the doctor. He got bad enough his sister took him to the ER. The doctors said John had a viral infection and that the virus got into his heart. The virus caused him to go into cardiac arrest and John died. He was only 51.

Rachel Roy was a part of our church from my earliest childhood memories. She and her husband Maurice were interesting people who owned their own shoe repair shop in my hometown. They were really good at what they did. They were also pillars of the assembly. Rachel was very close to my pastor's wife, she sang in the choir, she was involved in outreach and evangelism. One of the finest Christians as far as I knew.

Later I learned that Maurice had not been the nicest of husbands to her. A French Canadian, he had been hard on her verbally over the years. Being his second wife and childless he told her she would have to financially fend for herself as he would be willing his entire estate to his children from his first marriage. He retired and made her the manager of the shoe repair. She began to research and study the stock market and became quite adept at investing. She bought Maurice out and became the owner operator of the shoe repair.

Rachel was always pleasant. She was always sweet. I liked her. Many people did. She had several very dear and close friends in the church. On several occasions Rachel would charge me nothing for shoe repair for me. She was generous.

Something happened about ten years ago with her deep affection for my pastor's wife. She distanced herself from her. She began communicating that she had placed the pastor and his wife too high on a pedestal. She wasn't sure about a lot of things that she had always been told. She started missing church. She then quit altogether. She vowed that she was still living for God, living morally pure, contributing to society, praying and meditating on God. She stayed close to her friends from church. When asked about church attendance she would be dismissive and would say she didn't need church services.

After Maurice died a few years ago she was liberated from his dominance. She was fit. She ate well. She loved the outdoors and would walk daily and hike often. She often said she felt closest to God in nature. She said her church was out in the woods. She had her church out in nature. It seemed odd to many of us. Many if us were worried about her. But she would have none of it. She was fine and did not allow conversation to go very far when one would probe about her spiritual well being.

I received a phone call last week from some of her friends. They asked maybe I could call her and pray with her. She was suffering from "Chemical Sensitivity Disorder" which caused severe headaches when she smelled strong perfumes, cleansers, air fresheners, etc. I had the number in my wallet and somehow lost the number when I went to find it.

Saturday I thought to call home to get her number. Later that day I got a call from my father. He had bad news. Rachel had committed suicide by hanging herself Saturday morning. She was only 62.

A tale of two saints. One uneducated, simple, and country, just happy to be saved and be in church and help the youth. He had no wife, he had no children. His life was church and mushroom hunting and basketball and hanging out with his old buddies from the good ole days most of who were now in church. And driving that church van and helping young people stay in church. He died tragically. But he died victoriously.

The other saint? Educated, well to do, complicated. She had done so much for so many and was loved by many. She wrote a note and asked for forgiveness but she saw no other way out. She asked God to forgive her. How could someone walk in such heavenly places in the Holy Ghost and die like this? She left no children behind. She died lonely and in pain and unhappy. Her death is tragic and leaves many devastated and confused.

I am thankful for a blessed and privileged beginning. A good start is certainly a tremendous advantage. But how you finish is ultimately what matters most. I am determined to finish strong. I am determined to take people to heaven with me: my wife, my children, my church family, my community.

Love God. Love your family. Love the church. Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some is, in so much as you see the day approaching. The Day is Approaching. The Day we will all stand before the Lord face to face. The Day the trumpet sounds. The Day when nothing else will matter but what you did for Christ.

Finish strong. Finish well. Finish right.
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‎When a newspaper posed the question, "What's Wrong with the World?" G. K. Chesterton reputedly wrote a brief letter in response: "Dear Sirs: I am. Sincerely Yours, G. K. Chesterton." That is the attitude of someone who has grasped the message of Jesus.
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Old 12-10-2007, 08:26 AM
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Hoovie Hoovie is offline
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Thank you for challenging me, Deacon.
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Old 12-10-2007, 08:42 AM
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rgcraig rgcraig is offline
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Wow, Deacon eloquent words of inspirition and wisdom!
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Old 12-10-2007, 09:14 AM
SDG SDG is offline
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As always ... eloquent and inspiring.

We're better when you post.
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Old 12-10-2007, 11:16 AM
disciple
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Awesome. Thanks for sharing.
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Old 12-10-2007, 11:24 AM
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Mrs. LPW Mrs. LPW is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by disciple View Post
Awesome. Thanks for sharing.
Thought provoking! Thank you.
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