[Rhodes22-list] Herb's friend Brad Mercer

[Herb Parsons]

Thanks for the response Chris, somehow it got buried in my emails and 
bypassed. I just happened to notice it today.

Brad was an enigma, that's for sure. You guys may think I'm 
conservative, he makes me look like one of ya'll.

OK, that's extreme, but he was definitely a social an fiscal 
conservative politically. Conversely, his personal liberal nature would 
put most of us to shame. I've seen him give and do in amazing ways. One 
of his favorite "teasing" sayings was "The Bible says we're to care for 
the widows and orphans, it doesn't say anything about whores and 
bastards." While that's not a notion he actually lived, he said it to 
make a point. That we, as individuals, are not only called by God to 
care for others, but to be good stewards in doing so.

His blog is still up from the day he learned he had cancer. I'm not 
going to quote the entire thing here, but if you (or anyone else) is 
interested, you can read it here: 
http://bradsbigbadbrisbaneblog.blogspot.com/2007_03_01_archive.html

But, I will quote a portion of it. Here's what he had to say:

=====

My mind has been racing these last few hours through all the genuinely 
miraculous healings I've seen in my life on one hand, and all the deaths 
of saints on the other hand, who prayed for healing and weren't healed. 
I've been trying to run two directions at once, praying for peace in the 
midst of the storm and the grace to die the death of a saint but at the 
same time praying to be one of the miracles, believing in the love and 
power of God to heal.

And I've been thinking of, and talking to, all the people who love me, 
who hurt with me when I hurt, who feel like their lives will be enriched 
by my life and impoverished by my death. I find myself constantly 
simultaneously thinking "Thank you" and "I'm sorry". Thank you for 
loving me and seeing good stuff in me and weeping with me when I weep. I 
need that right now. I need to know right now that my life so far has 
mattered. At the same time I find myself thinking I'm sorry that my 
prognosis causes you pain and, if it proves correct, may leave you 
feeling abandoned.

We have a lot of things we'd like to see God do through us over the next 
20 years. I'd really like to not be done, yet.

In the New Testament, in the book of Acts, I find two interesting 
stories. In one, Peter was delivered from bondage and death; the church, 
the people who loved him, were strengthened by that outcome. In the 
other, Stephen was not delivered, but died a painful death; and the 
church, the people who loved him, were strengthened by that outcome.

I need God to be God and love to be enough for the people who love me. 
I'm so grateful that they are many, and that they are praying for me.

=====

That became Brad's motto, and the motto of those around him as he spent 
his last few weeks. God is still God, and love is still enough.

He made it back to Dallas about 5 weeks before he died. He couldn't 
afford to bring his whole family back from Australia, but he came so he 
could say good-bye to family and friends that were still here (he had a 
son and daughter in college in OKC, and his mother, father, and brother 
and sister all live in Dallas). Gini and I rode the GoldWing out to see 
him. He, his wife, and I all went to a small college together. I had an 
old Honda 750 back then. Brad wouldn't touch a motorcycle, and Karen was 
in love with them. So she and I would ride frequently - even after they 
were married. I would regularly offer to teach him to ride, so he could 
take her on it, but he declined every time.

So, I decided to have a little fun to lighten the moment when we got 
there that sad Saturday afternoon. He lay on a bed so weak he had to 
entertain visitors laying down. His mother had to take care of draining 
the fluids from his distended abdomen because he was too weak to do so 
himself. In stark contrast to the distended belly was his gaunt face 
which advertised to anyone that his time was drawing to a close. When he 
smiled through all of that as I walked in, it somehow made it both worse 
and worlds better.

As I said, the moment needed lightening. I knew I would either find 
something for us to laugh about, or I'd collapse in tears, and that 
wouldn't be good. So, holding my helment in one hand, and my leather 
jacket in the other, I said "So, you ready to finally go for that 
motorocycle ride?" Without skipping a beat, he said "Well, wouldn't have 
to worry much about getting hurt on it, would I?"

And so we laughed. And though I miss him to core of my being, I know 
that he was right, God is still God, and love is still enough.


Chris Geankoplis wrote:
> Herb,
>         Thank you for the inspiring story and what it says about what we can do for each other.  You know sometimes the "left" views the "right" as heartless demogogs out to enrich themselves.  The "right" views the "Left" as looking for a handout and trying to take other peoples' hard earned money away.  And then you tell the story of someon like Brad Mercer.  It was great to hear some thing like what he wrote to remind all of us what we as human beings should not just aspire to do, but when the time comes, to do it. And then be able to really self reflect on the experience.  
> Thank you!  
>
> Chris G
> __________________________________________________
> To subscribe/unsubscribe or for help with using the mailing list go to http://www.rhodes22.org/list
> __________________________________________________
>
>
>