Losing A Hero

  I woke this morning to hear that one of the heroes of my youth had died, Roosevelt Hunter. I have vivid memories of driving with our youth ministry to Revival Tabernacle in Detroit and working on the church plant he and Tim Delena were starting in inner-city Detroit. From there I had the privilege of attending services and camps where Roosevelt was preaching and I received timely divine experiences through the eloquence and faith of his speaking style.  Later, we had Roosevelt speak in our camps in JC's Place (my old student ministry) and each time God used Roosevelt to speak into both Jodi and my life. 

It was almost as if Rosy (as some chose to call him) became a part of my fixed landscape that held the world together. He was a member of the best of the best speakers in my mind and looking back, I gained confidence in my own communication because of Rosy's example.  He was a figure that helped me grow and now he's gone. These losses hurt in a way that is different than other deaths. I think that we make a lot of assumptions that the "greats" will always be with us, even to the degree that we forget about them.  This shouldn't be, I think we should live in a state of thankfulness for the heroes that blazed a trail for us and we should not be afraid to tell them now.  We should call, write, text, tweet...or whatever we need to do in order to say thanks.

I feel for Roosevelt's family tonight. He left behind a wife and two beautiful kids, you can see them on their ministry website (as of tue aug 11) : www.rooseveltonline.com. You know, honoring our elders used to be a major part of American and Biblical culture and I think we should restore some of it. Roosevelt, or any leader for that matter, wasn't perfect but he did make a difference with the life God gave him- and I'm one of the beneficiaries!