I OFFICIATED THE FUNERAL OF CLEM HUSE...

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. Psalm 116:15 (ESV)

this past Tuesday and it brought to my mind so many wonderful thoughts. First of all, I was reminded of what it looks like in a person’s life to seek to love the Lord with all of their heart and life and to seek to love others as they love themselves.

If you were blessed to have spent any time around Clem at all you would have noted in short order that he had a true love of his Lord and Savior Jesus. It began with the smile that invariably would spread across his face and penetratingly reach out and touch your heart. It would continue as he seemed to be “fishing” for ways that he might be a blessing in your life. He always wanted to help others, and if he discovered a way to be of any help to you at all he would pursue it no matter the time required or the effort needed. And whenever you left his presence...his attitude and sweetness would linger over you for hours if not days with an ever motivating encouragement and belief that the Lord is good...all the time.

He was a strong man. He, like all of us in this broken world, had to make tough decisions and wade through the brokenness of this old world that he has now left behind for the loving presence of His Lord and Savior. Whenever he needed strength, he knew where to receive it. He would turn to the Lord, turn to the Scripture, consider what the Lord would have him to do, and when that was discovered that would be the action he would take. His faith has continued to strengthen throughout the years even as the outer man was becoming feebler.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is becoming feebler, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16 (ESV)

He was honest...he could be trusted...he was selfless...he was caring...he made the most out of the talents, treasure, and time the Lord extended to him...he was indeed a hard worker...he was joyful...he was patriotic...he was humble...he was friendly...he was faithful...he was a loving husband...and a loving father...and a loving grandfather...and a lover of Jesus...willing to witness of the saving power of the Lord to any who would listen. His prayers were thoughtful and the purpose of his life was defined by the Lord he loved.

He’s still impacting me this morning. No doubt...he was a sinner...just like I am...none of us are perfect down here...sometimes we do the wrong things or say the wrong things. But he is an example of how the life of faith is to be lived, growing in the Spirit of the Lord and becoming more like Christ every day...and enjoying with gratefulness and thanksgiving all the Lord had done for him while pursuing with vigor all the tasks the Lord ever set before him.

It made him a happy man...Christians should be happier than we often are or often appear...Clem was happy in the Lord and it showed...it was a powerful witness to all who encountered him...lost and saved alike...and his witness continues on today and will continue in the days ahead as we remember with fondness the treasured moments that he shared with us.

I’ve thought about what the life I’m living is unfolding to be. Are the fruit of the Spirit as evident in my own life? Have I the humility that one should have for being saved when one does not deserve it? Through the years have I developed sweetness in my spirit...and cultivated a spirit of giving to others whenever it is needed? Have I enjoyed the life that the Lord has given me or have I lived a worldly life, full of busyness and man-made ambition...instead of living my life in a Christ honoring manner in a broken and hurting world? Good questions for all of us, aren’t they?

The good news is, we still have time to praise the Lord for all that we have, and love Him each day with all of our heart, and intentionally love others as we love ourselves. You know when you live that way, like Clem did, it becomes more than just a catchy slogan...it become a witness to the life changing power of God in the heart, in the life of a broken and lost individual...it demonstrates how a life can change its destiny along with its direction and begin to reach the potential that God has planned for each one of us.

What a team...for his loving and faithful wife Esther is cut from the same cloth...a wonderful example of what a shared partnership of faith can do in a shared life of marriage.

We will continue to pray for his family as they adjust to not having him present here, now, but with the full expectation that they will see him again.

We will continue to pray that the Lord will work in each one of us in the same manner as he worked in Clem’s life, that we might also bring glory to God...and we will also look forward to seeing him again in the presence of the Lord. Yes, we will recognize him and know him...if you think he was smiling down here...well...you haven’t seen anything yet.

Yep, I’m smiling right now! Bet you are too.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (ESV)

No, you read that right, it’s not a misprint. A Bass landed me. Usually, it’s the other way around. You go fishing and you land the bass but that’s not what happened to me, at least on this occasion. At the time I was landed, I was eight years old and my family resided in Plainview, Texas. I was a typical west Texas boy, thoroughly interested in all sports, adventurous, couldn’t wait to get up the next morning to find out what me and the “boys” were going to do that we hadn’t done before. It was a great way to begin the trek of life.

The “boys” were all the guys in the neighborhood that hung out together every day and all day. No locks on the doors back then, no unending busyness that sucked away all of your time, except for Little League baseball. All the sports back then had their own delineated seasons and rarely overlapped much, if at all, and you could play all of them if you so desired.

But we had time, time to find adventure and explore, and we did both. Sometimes it might cause a little issue here or there, but most of the time we just engaged in endless games and activities we just invented on our own.

During the season of my eighth year of life another boy, not from my neighborhood, but within my circle of friends, asked me to go to a Hot Dog Supper at his church. He said there would be plenty of food and girls and games. The trifecta, how perfect was that? So, I asked my mom if I could go. It progressed through the proper channels to my father and agreement was soon settled upon and I was able to give Jon the word that I was “good to go”. I couldn’t wait!

Seemed harmless enough, no worries, but as I look back on it now, I was the subject of an intentional act of love from Jon Bass to introduce me to Jesus Christ. Someone (the Lord) had put somebody else (me) on his mind and heart, enough that he was willing to risk taking me to church so that I might hear the gospel. I was in his circle of “influence”. I was one of the people that he knew, that he had some type of relationship with, and was unsure if I had ever trusted Jesus Christ as my Savior.

I still remember the “gist” of that evening. I remember the “hot dogs with chili”, I remember Monica Moat, my earliest affection, and I remember listening to the gospel. I didn’t know that’s what it was at the time, I just knew that I believed what the man was telling us, that I needed Christ to forgive my sins. For one thing was certain, I knew I was a sinner, but I didn’t know the consequences of being one, he told me...it was separation from God, and everlasting death in hell. Well, needless to say that when I received that news I was intensely focused in on what he was saying about being saved (rescued) from my dire situation and the Holy Spirit was revealing the truth to me, and convicting me, and leading me to Christ. I said yes, but I didn’t tell anybody, although I did raise my hand when he asked if anyone had decided to follow Jesus, but it wasn’t till later, at a “revival” service that I told my mom that I wanted everyone to know that I wanted Jesus to be my Savior. She started crying. I thought I had done something wrong, later to discover those were tears of joy.

LANDED BY A BASS

I was landed by a bass. For Jon Bass had been fishing, not for fish, but for souls. Later I would discover that his whole family had been involved, and that since the time of playing football with Jon in the city league they had been praying for me at family meals, and “intentionally” planning on how and when to share the gospel with me. As I look back on it, there were numerous times the subject had come up with Jon and his family, but it wasn’t until the “Hot Dog Supper” that I “listened”.

What about your circle of “influence”? Your family, your extended family, your neighbors, your vocational friends, your extracurricular activity buddies, your acquaintances. Just make a list of those people, as many as you can think of, and ask yourself whether or not they are Christians. Then moving from the inside circle of influence, to the outside, intentionally pray for their souls and plan to tell them about Jesus. Be intentional. You are intentional with everything else you do.

When I go to the range for target practice, if I don’t intentionally pick a target, I won’t hit a target. Very rarely, could I just step out on a range and randomly hit a target. That’s how some Christians have been about sharing the gospel, no wonder we’re not hitting anything, we’re not aiming.

It’s true for every area of life. If I want to graduate and go to college; I had to target certain classes in order to reach my goal. If I want to succeed in business, I have to target my customer or I will not be successful. In fact, I had to “target” my wife before she became my wife. You get the drift. We need to be more intentional about sharing Christ.

Sometimes it’s good to be a target, when you’re a target of love and compassion. That’s what I was to Jon and his family. They cared enough to risk their relationship with me in order to share with me the best “news” I’ve ever received... about Jesus and His love.

Who is it that you know that God loves and they haven’t ever heard about it? Maybe you could tell them? Maybe you could “intentionally” go fishing...just like Jon. He caught me with a “hot dog” and the Lord did the rest. Just throw out the lines and leave the results to the Lord.

Yep, I was landed by a Bass, best day of my life.