Losing a Friend

This week I learned that a dear friend in Alabama passed away. Todd Chambers was the dad to two of my students at the church I served while Cyd and I were in seminary at Beeson. The Chambers family quickly became close to our hearts, partly because Todd was the College and Career Sunday school teacher, which was the class that we went to if we weren't teaching ourselves.

There are many things I remember about Todd...he loved to ride motorcycles, in fact he and Renee would go on weekend trips together just riding on their Harley-Davidson. Todd worked for Alabama Power, which meant he often got called out when there was severe weather in the area. I also remember his quiet, gentle style of leadership. He was an incredibly humble person, who always thought of others, especially his family and church family before he thought about himself. Todd was a gifted teacher, though he never really thought that himself. There are few teachers that I have sat under in Sunday school class that have made a significant impact on my life, but Todd Chambers was one of them. He wasn't flashy, but he studied, prayed, and prepared like he was speaking to 90,000 people at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. He was faithful to scripture and faithful to life. He didn't always know the answers to all of life's questions (and in my experience anyone who does is usually fooling themselves and others)but he genuinely believed that those answers could be found in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

One of the things about Todd's life that impacted me the most wasn't any of the things mentioned above...rather it was a deep love and affection for his wife, Renee and their two girls. Todd was a great source of wisdom for me in my own marriage and as I began those early days of fatherhood. The model that he set for others was truly a testimony to how he had grasped God's love for him and the necessity to pour that same love out into the lives of the people around him.

Cyd and I wanted desperately to try to make it back to Clanton for Todd's funeral but we just couldn't make our schedule and the girls schedule work. In fact, the Chambers were among the last people we spent time with at our home in Alabama before we moved to Statesboro. We still have pictures of all of us sitting around talking and playing with Claire in our den that pop up on the computer from time to time when the screen saver comes on the monitor. My mind has been utterly preoccupied with his family the past few days... I hurt for them and with them. Todd was a man who touched many, many lives for the sake of the Kingdom!

Todd, thank you for your friendship, your encouragement, and your example of a godly life, a godly husband, and a godly friend. You will be missed!