Influence

This is a devotion I did at the Palmetto Campus, January 28, 2008:

Fred Rogers, host of “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” had a tradition every time he spoke. He always asked his audience to pause for a moment of silence and think about all those who have helped them become who they are. Once, in a prestigious gathering at the White House, he was given only 8 minutes to address children’s issues and still he devoted one of those minutes to silence. “Invariably, that’s what people will remember,” he says, “that silence. Usually a person from the past floats into mind-a grandparent, or an elementary school teacher, or an eccentric uncle or aunt.”

In our lives, there are always people who have influenced us. For most of us, the greatest influences are parents…but that is not always the case, as with many of our children. I personally was most influenced by my parents. My Daddy was a bivocational pastor, who always held another fulltime job, either as a teacher or later in life working for the state labor department. My Mama had been a teacher in the World War 2 era, when high school graduates could teach elementary schools. She never went to college, so after the war she worked a variety of different jobs, from cleaning houses to sitting with sick folks, to working in a preschool, to “debeaking” baby chicks. From both of my parents I learned the value of education and the wisdom of working for a living.

My grandfather (Papaw) may have been the single most influential person in my life. I always thought he lived with us, but in actuality we lived with him in his house. He outlived 2 wives, both of whom died before I was born. He raised chickens in a 20x80 chicken house, and also was a carpenter. He worked building houses well into his 70’s, eventually dying at age 97. He was a smoker into his 70’s…bought Tampa Nugget cigars by the box…I can remember traveling with him and his lighting up a cigar in the car…fogging everything with the smoke! He smoked until age 72 when he was selected as a Deacon in my Daddy’s church. He quit smoking then, telling people he didn’t think Deacons should smoke…so he started chewing Red Man chewing tobacco which he did until he died! My Papaw was the one who took me to Little League practice and games when my parents were busy with their other tasks.

Another of the very influential persons in my life was Mr. C.J. Roper. He was the Principal and 8th grade teacher at Chestnut Mountain Elementary School. He was the hardest teacher I ever had, expecting perfection in all our classes. He was also the coach of the Chestnut Mountain Warriors basketball team. I have no doubt the Mr. Roper could have been successful in any field had he wanted to do so. He taught with skill and creativity. Our little team only had an asphalt court to practice on. I remember running through sneakers at the rate of a pair a month! I remember he scheduled time for us to use a gymnasium for practice…it was like country coming to town! Before we left for the gymnasium, we practiced how we were going to practice, so there would be no wasted time. I remember he was frustrated with us one time as we practiced on our asphalt court. The next day he got a ladder and placed ½ of a tire, cut by circumference, on each goal. Of course, the shooting area on the goal was drastically reduced. We practiced that way all season… we had to be more perfect in our shooting than ever before. But it worked. Our little team went undefeated, and won the Hall County Elementary School Championship… there is a trophy at Chestnut Mountain to this day.

From a spiritual standpoint, Mrs. Bedell Skelton was another of my influences. Mrs. Skelton taught the primary and junior age boys in BTU. I was one of those 4 boys in her class and we were hellions! Mrs. Skelton never lost her patience with us. I still remember the night she brought us Milky Way candy bars as a bribe to behave through our class…she told us we could have the candy bars, but only if we behaved and listened to the lesson! We didn’t do a very good job that first night (Milky Ways were not our favorites!) Mrs. Skelton brought Snickers the next week and never had another problem with us. I don’t remember a single thing she taught, but I know that the 4 boys in that class grew up to be deacons and preachers!

(Lloyd and Bedell Skelton raised 7 children of their own: Edward, Lurene (O’dell), Jimmy (in Alabama), Vivian (Newton), Bobby, Harold Dean, and Carolyn (Horton). Bobby has been a pastor and coach, and works for Chic Fil A as the head of the Winshape Center at Berry College. Carolyn is a pastor’s wife.)

Mr. Gene Evans worked with the Home for over 20 years…he and Mrs. Evans (Irene) cared for hundreds of children. Mr. Evans did more therapy with more children than most professionals, usually teaching them about lawnmowers and cutting grass, but really teaching them about life. I heard one young man say his memory of the Home was sitting with Mr. Evans in the kitchen of the cottage, listening to the Braves on the radio, watching Mr. Evans drinking coffee and twirling his nose hairs. And I am sure it was a pleasant memory!

I know you are thinking about some of the people who have influenced you. But what about the children and youth you are influencing? There are some who are watching you every day, mostly without your knowledge. There are some that you probably like and enjoy being around. What will their memories of you be?

One of my favorite writers is Philip Yancey. One of his books is Soul Survivor in which he tells of the 13 persons who have influenced him most. One of those is Dr. Paul Brand, an orthopedic surgeon and missionary who devoted his life to working with patients with Hansen’s disease, commonly called leprosy. Dr. Brand developed several procedures and creative ways of doing surgery to help lepers, and at the same time did so in the name of Jesus. One of his patients was a man named Sadan. In talking to Yancey about Dr. Brand, Sadan said he was happy that he had the disease. “Apart from leprosy I would not have known these wonderful people or the God who lives in them.”
Another patient named Namo had suffered from leprosy for over 20 years when he met Dr. and Mrs. Brand. They were the first persons in over 20 years who touched him. Namo had a photograph of Dr. Brand with an inscription underneath, “MAY THE SPIRIT THAT IS IN HIM LIVE IN ME.”