Written in memory of Falwell

I don't claim to be best friends with Jerry Falwell, in fact, he wouldn't have even recognized if he had bumped into me last week even though one night I had hot cholcolate with him and his wife in their home after we disturbed their evening with Christmas carols!

But during my 4 years at Liberty Univeristy I at least saw him 3-5 times a week, and here's what I saw:

I saw him teach and encourage us (and yes, sometimes I thought, "Jerry, why did you go there?"). I saw him cheer at basketball and football and volleyball games and talk and laugh with the students and families who gathered around him. I saw him hug his wife and take his grandkids out to lunch. I saw him sit on a platform at my friends' graduation the year after I had received my diploma from him, and shake each of their hands and congratulate them even though doctors had advised him not to because of his health.

I saw the fruit of the spirit in him - kindness, joy, peace and confidence, generosity, and gentleness.

And I received much from this man as well. He provided me many a free meal when we would eat in the same restaurant and he would find out we were LU students. I was the recipient of many of his prayers as an LU student and RA. And yes, despite his verbal blunders, I received much wisdom on him about how to live life, love people, and love our God.

I'm writing this blog because frankly I feel the media and even some Christians (out of ignorance, I'm sure) are cutting him an unfair deal and honestly I'm upset. Of course his reward is in heaven and Scripture teaches clearly that when you follow Christ the world will hate you, but I for one would like to stand up for Jerry.

Sure he said some incorrect things. Sure he screwed up and yes he even sinned. We all do. And praise be to God that there isn't a spot light always on me like there was on him or I'd be counted even more controversial, screwy and sinful than he.

I would like to hope that people would search for the evidences of grace in his life and remember him for the good things - his laughter, his hope, and his fight for truth. Jerry often protected us against much of what Satan would have liked to accomplish when the rest of us would have maybe liked to but didn't know how.

God bless him. He surely was a blessing to me.