Rick

At 4:30 this morning, Rick and I got up to go to the Yeager Airport in Charleston to send him home to tend to Debbie.  As Rick posted yesterday, she had a ski accident and came home with a fractured hip.  Rick was disappointed that he couldn't finish what he began, but, like the good husband he is, he is flying back to attend to the love of his life.

There are some parishioners I want to clone, and Rick is a prime candidate.  His faith is deep, his prayer life strong, his heart is open to the wounds of the world.  He always has a smile, no matter what, always willing to do the hard work.  I came to First Church with a vision of a discipleship model church, where the emphasis is less on being a "member" of a church and more of being a follower of Jesus.  The marks of discipleship are regular prayer, Bible reading, worship attendance, generous giving and service to the church and world.  I think Rick fulfills all these requirements, and then some.

When I came, Rick chaired the Outreach Board, and it was clear his passion for mission was the central engine that drove his faith.  I then told the Board that they were the most important board in the church: mission is the heart of the church and the very thing that renews churches.  Rick responded with passion and vision.  He set up a mission plan that we are still using.  That plan included going further and further out from Bedford to help those in need.  This trip was an integral part of that plan.  Rick went off Outreach last year, but we kept him on the email list because his passion for outreach did not end simply because a term limit was up.

When I told him about this West Virginia trip, he lit up like a Christmas tree and was on board from the start.  He was looking forward to this week of back-breaking work like most people would look forward to a cruise to Bermuda.

Rick has been our "spiritual director" for this trip.  The first day, he asked me about he prayer of St. Francis: "make me an instrument of your peace....where there is despair, let me sow hope...it is in giving that we receive."  I talked to him about St. Francis and his life, and how that prayer reflected who Francis was.  I told Rick about the vision Francis had in a decrepit church, how God said to Francis, "rebuild my church, which, as you can see, is in need of disrepair."  Francis thought God meant the church he was praying in, so started rebuilding the church on stone at a time.  He then attracted more followers with this simple vision of service.  What Francis didn't realize was that God meant the whole universal church.  It was from this and other experiences came another famous quote from Francis, "start doing what's necessary, then do the possible, suddenly you are doing the impossible."  That really provided us with the spiritual framework for what we are doing here in West Virginia.

Throughout, Rick kept us smiling and going on with his unquenchable enthusiasm.  He was a hard worker, too.  I'll never forget yesterday afternoon, when he cleaned out a bathroom: getting rid of the vanity, toilet and bath tub with a focus on accomplishing this task.  It was an inspiration.   Rick drove many miles for us, too.

Rick has also been my roomate throughout, and I will miss him in our room (although I won't miss the snoring).

So God bless you, Rick.  We love you and send you off with our blessings.  We'll catch up with you this weekend.  You might not have made it through the whole trip, but you have made an impact that we will never forget.  Catch you on the next mission trip!