I’ve heard people say losses tend to happen in groups of three. Over the last two weeks we’ve had three senior members of our church pass. Vandella Reynolds was likely our most tenured member. Eddie Lee found her membership card from 1960! Vandella and her husband DJ were dedicated members during the developmental years of Valley View. If you find photos of the old worship center ground breaking ceremony (where the church offices are now), you’ll likely see DJ standing with a shovel in hand. Vandella also served as church secretary for a season and was faithful to attend until she was unable to due to health issues.
Mike and Nancy Quinones moved from the Chicago area to Louisville fifteen years ago to find a place to retire. They came to Valley View and got involved here right away. They’ve been active in their Life Group and other Bible studies at church. Last year Mike began to battle with lung disease. The founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, Bill Bright, also struggled with a similar disease that slowly took away his ability to breathe. Bill Bright, upon hearing his diagnosis, said, “Jesus suffered the challenge of breathing on the cross, so it’s a great privilege to share in his sufferings.” I saw Mike struggle to breathe at church, eventually needing oxygen, and then eventually unable to attend. He struggled with breathing, but his faith never wavered – he was praising Jesus aloud at home during his final days on earth. He remained faithful to the end.
The third person was Mike Miller, who began attending here about two years ago with his wife Jan after retiring from pastoring. His retirement was due to the onset of dementia, so it was a challenging transition for them. When I first learned they were attending our church, I was honored to know that a retired pastor would come and sit under my teaching and plug in here. Even with the circumstances of his retirement, I felt a camaraderie and a weight of responsibility to honor him in what I said.
I don’t think Mike and I ever shared a word with one another, as he wasn’t speaking much by the time we met. But I had a couple of experiences with him that convinced me we would have been fast friends if I had known him before the disease took hold.
After they had attended for about a year, Jan asked if I would want any of Mike’s books (YES!). Mike had a passion for learning and had collected an extensive library full of ministry resources. A few months passed before black trash bags started randomly showing up on the steps of the church with my name on them. We first wondered “who is leaving their trash on the steps? Is this a joke?” In the bags were the books! Jan told me “I’m sorry about the trash bags, but I have to bring the books so that Mike won’t know they are his books, otherwise he will get upset.” When I heard this I knew Mike and I were kindred spirits. Julie would have to do the same. For a moment I wondered If I was betraying my fellow book lover by conspiring to separate him from his books against his will. But the reality is that he can’t use them anymore and they are going to a good home. I’m honored to have them.
The other experience was being the recipient of his highly intense stare. There were times when I would be teaching during Sojourners and notice a focus and an intensity in his eyes. It was as if he was on the verge of telling me something of great depth and significance, just waiting for the right moment. His eyes reminded me of Matthew 6:22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.” I know disease changed him, but I still saw that glimmer of Gospel hope in the sharp light in his eyes.
When we gathered to celebrate his life Saturday, I was one of four preachers that were asked to share memories of Mike. That made me a little nervous as I was set to preach the next day and wasn’t sure how long this would go. But everyone behaved and honored Jan’s wishes and shared some powerful moments. An unplanned surprise was hearing one of the pastors and Mike’s daughter share the same verses to summarize Mike’s life, 2 Timothy 4:6-7 “the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Both of them spoke about Mike’s faithfulness and his commitment to Christ to the very end.
I’m so grateful that Valley View is full of many faithful Christians who seek to honor Christ with their lives to the very end. Some of us are closer to the finish line than others (though none of us knows for sure when God will call us home). May we all continue to strive for faithfulness so that it might be said we have also fought the good fight and kept the faith!