One of the really hard things about moving to Florida was leaving Indiana, specifically Indianapolis which holds so much history for us. Don’t get me wrong, Linda and I are totally convinced that God wants us here and we’re totally committed to being here. We love our Pursuit family! Let me explain.
When we first arrived at our Indy church, Traders Point CC, some 32 years ago, one of the elders who hired me was Nelson Roetter. We immediately fell in love with the Roetters, Barbara and Nelson. They were pillars of the church. Because they had a son in the youth group and I was the newly hired youth minister we had lots of interaction over the years. When Nelson retired from his first career, he actually joined the staff of TPCC and he and I spent many years serving in ministry together. Who would’ve thunk it!
Sadly we just got word this past Sunday that dear Barbara graduated to "glory." She lived her entire life for this moment, to be "absent from the body – at home with the Lord." Linda and I have so many memories of this wonderful Godly woman and mother.
One summer day, when her youngest son Fred was coming home from an excursion he’d been on out west, Steve Kerr, my right-hand youth sponsor partner and I decided to ‘tee-pee’ the Roetter’s house in Fred’s honor. If you aren’t familiar with this nefarious activity it is usually done under the cover of darkness and involves "tinseling" every tree and bush available with dozens of rolls of toilet paper. However, Steve and I wanted it known who was doing this so we brazenly went in the middle of the day for everyone to see. Barbara came out of the house, puzzled and asked what we were doing. You see, she’d heard about this kind of activity but had never seen it done before. It looked like so much fun she joined us in ‘decorating’ her own house to suprise her own son. She tripled the fun we all were having.
Another time I was put in charge of relationship building activities at an Elder-Deacons Retreat and one of the craziest stunts I enacted was one in which everyone was asked to exhibit trust by swinging from a rope knowing the "group" wouldn’t let them fall. While some of the ladies felt skittish and a little unsure, sweet Barbara led the way and pulled herself up to hang on to that rope, the smile never fading from her face. She was a trooper.
Barbara was a great sport. She also had a huge heart that cared about others! She truly stretched herself beyond her comfort zones when it meant seizing an opportunity to present the good news of the gospel to a neighbor or friend. She also was a great prayer warrior! When I really needed prayer, I knew I could count on her to be on her knees for me.
One year TPCC decided to have a "Mother of the Year" contest. Can you guess who won? Of course…Barbara won! She was a great mother not just to her kids but a great surrogate mom to a young and daring youth minister, who I personally know for a fact was immensly blessed to be adopted into "her family".
Like so many at TPCC, Linda and I already miss this wonderful Christian lady! We missed not being able to be there with her in the most difficult and final days of her illness. We miss not being there now to take part in her "graduation" ceremony and we miss not being there for Nelson. But, unlike those who grieve without hope, we rejoice to know she is in a far, far better place and we confidently look forward to seeing her again! I wonder if she will have those pearly gates "tee-peed" to surprise and welcome us home when the time is right! We hope so:) We love you Nelson and Barbara.
Last weekend we had a Leadership Training Retreat. Erin Diaz and myself shared some leadership principles with those who hope to lead Community Groups this fall. Here is Matt, the lead Pastor, and Manny Cabeza trying to escape being tied up. After lots of frustration, I told them how to get loose. It’s so easy when you follow the instructions.
