See ya' Jake

I have been on staff here at HRCC, full-time, for 7 months; starting back on April 1st of this year. I have experienced a lot of moments that have been, shall we say, educational in my Christian walk as a Pastor. There have been moments in leading worship with the church body that can only be described as "Holy". There have been days filled with joy and laughter that I still see and hear in my mind to this day. There have been tears that have drawn me closer to the church family than I thought possible. I have seen answered prayer; I have witnessed love and compassion; I have made new friends; I have seen God working in the life of HRCC; I have been amazed and blessed. And then there are "those" moments; the ones that I grew up watching "preachers" do......weddings, baptisms, funerals; those anxious moments of what do I say to the family of someone whose dying. Tuesday I received "that" call. A dear friend, Rev. J. C. "Jake" Huneycutt, Jr. was dying. Jake was the Pastor that performed mine and Karen's wedding; he baptised my children; he encouraged me to be a Deacon, a Sunday School teacher, a Youth Leader, a Baptistmen's Leader; he was a "quiet" mentor to me. He was a man of God; a servant of the Lord; a visionary; a prayer warrior; my family's Pastor; a friend......and he was dying. I hugged his wife Bobbie, his daughter Lynne, and his grand-son Jacob (named after his grandfather).....and I stood there by his bed; this "quiet" force in my life lay there dying and I'm thinking...."What do I say?"...."What would he say?"......he'd pray. So, I prayed. I couldn't say good-bye.....but I did say "See ya' Jake". And because of this man, a lot of people will. Tuesday evening Jake went home. I believe with all my heart, that this quiet man heard the loudest "Well done" ever. I will miss you. See ya' Jake.