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- Written by Rex M. Rogers
Len Galloway went to be with the Lord last evening. I’ll miss him because Sarah and I count Len and Orpha among our best of friends.
The Lord blessed Len with a very long and good life, an especially good wife, and three sons and their families, all of whom live nearby. Near the end he did not suffer and he slipped away as quietly and easily as perhaps one can. This, too, is a gift of God.
I will always remember Len in a quite personal way. Len and I talked at length about Christian decision-making, worldview, religion and politics, and culture. Because of those conversations he kept after me for years to write a book about Christian liberty. I finally did. In the book’s Acknowledgements I cited Len’s persistence, saying “In our relationship over more than ten years, every time I saw the man—and I do mean every time—he asked me about the status of this book. Then he’d encourage, beg, cajole, and “threaten” me to get it completed because he so deeply believed the Christian community is being needlessly torn apart by disagreements in the culture wars. Len, your confidence and dogged determination were something I needed. Thank you.” I appreciated Len then and I still appreciate him now for that support.
While we are a generation younger, age never seemed to make much difference in our friendship, partly because for many years Orpha served as Dr. Galloway at Cornerstone University where I also worked. And Sarah and Orpha became walking buddies and confidantes. We were privileged to travel together to exotic places like Hawaii and Cancun, and Sarah traveled additional times with them when Orpha led Chancel Singers tours or the two of them led university friends’ bus trips to various parts of the country.
Len will be missed by a wonderful and faithful wife and his extended family and friends. But it’s good to know he’s with the Lord and to have experienced Len’s one final good example. As his time neared, and he knew it, Len showed us how to wait for the Lord’s timing, trust Him, and then meet Him in faith and peace.
You were a good man and a good friend, Len. We’ll see you again someday.
© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2010
This blog may be reproduced in whole or in part with a full attribution statement. Contact Dr. Rogers or read more commentary on current issues and events at www.rexmrogers.com, or follow Dr. Rogers at www.twitter.com/rexmrogers.
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- Written by Rex M. Rogers
Paul Gordon was a model in all the right ways. Paul (1923-2008), the patriarch of the Gordon Food Services family in Grand Rapids, Michigan, went home to be with the Lord this week. I am glad to say that I knew him.
Paul was an innovative, highly successful business leader of a large and growing privately-held food services company. But he will be remembered by people throughout the world--thousands that he helped during his lifetime--for his overt and always evident commitment to the Lord, for his vision and insight, for his deep, gravelly voice, for his side-splitting sense of humor, and for his generosity. It is not exaggeration to say that he was "beloved" by virtually all who made his acquaintance.
Paul's heart for international Christian missions took he and his wife, and often his children and grandchildren, to mission fields in countries around the world. In countless places he gave significantly and he gave quietly, generally insisting his name appear nowhere in print or on facilities because he wanted God to be glorified. His quiet approach is legendary, so much so many in his hometown simply do not realize how extensive Paul Gordon's influence is among Christian people and those they help worldwide.
Paul called me one day a few years ago and said, "Dr. Rogers, how would you and your lovely bride like to go with us to Turkey?" I said, "Turkey? When?" He said, "October." At the time he called it was early September. Long story short, Mr. and Mrs. Gordon underwrote my wife's and my trip for ten days with a Christian tour visiting biblical sites in Asia Minor like Ephesus, Galatia, and many more. It was a wonderful, instructive time in which we were privileged to get to know Paul and Dottie better, learn about the Apostle Paul's missionary journeys, and fellowship with other believers. Thank you, Paul.
Paul Gordon showed us what a Christian man ought to be. I will always be grateful God allowed me to be Paul's friend.
© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2008
*This blog may be reproduced in whole or in part with a full attribution statement. Contact Dr. Rogers or read more commentary on current issues and events at www.rexmrogers.com or follow him at www.twitter.com/rexmrogers.