My Tribute to Rod

Yesterday was July 10. That may or may not mean much to you. It's of great significance to me.

Four years ago, on the day, I buried my good friend Rod. He died young. According to his age, 42, he was approaching the threshold of what we commonly call "midlife." Little did we know, but Rod actually hit midlife 21 years earlier. (One's real "midlife" is never known except in hindsight).

(That's Rod being baptized in 1998. I look back on that moment with tremendous gratitude and satisfaction).

Rod was a servant…the kind of guy who would drop everything to help you. I think that's what I'm discovering most about our legacies. People remember our kindness and acts of selfless service more than anything else after we're gone. (I think the converse is true as well: unkindness and selfishness are equally memorable).

Let me share a bit of a story that I told at Rod's memorial service. This personal recounting will shed light on Rod's selfless service.

On one the coldest night in January, Lisa and I returned to a house without heat. It happened to be a Saturday night. Rod was the only heating and air guy that we knew and since he served on our church's Property Commission, I naturally called him for help. He wasn't home.

Interestingly, Rod wasn't on call that night, but he was out helping a co-worker with his on-call responsibilities as homes everywhere we suffering from heating issues. The temps that night dipped into the rare sub-zero zone--rare, that is, for central Pennsylvania.

Debbie, his wife, notified Rod of our dilemma and he came over to the house right away. After igniting some intense flames and initiating several big plumes of black smoke, Rod determined that we indeed had a problem that required immediate attention and repair.

He advised we call our fuel company. I did. But, due to the onslaught of calls received, I received no assurances of help. The only assurance I did get was that someone would call me within the hour. It was already 11:00pm. Did I say it was Saturday night? Saturday night is a big deal for most preachers. Rod knew that. I will never forget his next maneuver. He said, "Todd, you go to bed. You have a big day tomorrow and need to get to sleep. I'll call the company and and tell them to call me directly at home."

By 12:30am, my phone rang and it was Rod telling me that they indeed were going to come out to the house during the night. So, I huddled under my covers and cuddled next to Lisa to keep warm and went to sleep. By 3:30am, I awoke to wonderful sounds of activity in my baseboard, the wonderful scent of heat, and the echoes of two men in my backyard saying,"Thank you" to one another for each other's service.

Rod pledged his allegiance to two flags. The American flag and the Christian flag. He served the former in the Gulf War. The latter had supremacy over the former and he lived for it daily in service to others. Today, God says, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

Even four years later, Rod's selfless act of service still humbles me. I miss him. But my "missing him" is like missing someone who is gone for a lengthy vacation. Rod's in heaven. I am confident of that because Rod loved God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength and truly loved his neighbor as himself (Luke 10:25-29). I will see him again...in heaven. He just happened to get there before I did.

Who has been to you like Rod was to me? I'd love to have you comment with the first name of that person and in a word or short phrase note their impact upon your life, i.e. "Rod-selfless servant."