The List Is Getting Longer

A few years ago I called my Dad. I asked what he was doing and he told me he was sitting in his barn going through his phone. His intention was to go through his contacts and delete a few numbers of friends that had passed away.

He found that he had way more friends in that category than he initially suspected and could not bring himself to delete some of those numbers. In the midst of the sadness, we have had a good chuckle about that through the years.

In the brief few rotations around the sun since then, I have a bunch of names and numbers in the same class. I have trouble deleting some of them too.

Unfortunately, another dear friend was added to the list this week.

In 1989, I drove Bro. Kim Meyers to Oklahoma so he could preach an Easter Fellowship Meeting for his brother in law, Pastor Al Hunt. That trip proved to be one of the best decisions in my life. That weekend I met several men and families that have been incredible friends to us.

It is amazing how many people we met that weekend that became and still are a huge part of our lives. Many of them have shown up on Mile Markers on a regular basis and still do!

One of them that has not shown up here as much, but has played a huge part in our lives is Pastor Al Hunt. After a very long string of illnesses, Bro. Al went to Heaven this week.

Bro. Al has been too sick to Pastor for several years and has barely been able to get around. Therefore we have not seen him as much lately, but he is no less a friend.

Bro. Al was my friend when I did not feel like I had very many friends. When pleasant phone calls were scarce and visits from friends were even more scarce, Bro. Al called and came to visit us. He also invited us into his pulpit when invitations for me to preach were rare as hen's teeth. 

I say something like this nearly every week. "I appreciate your Pastor inviting us into his church. It never gets old to me to receive an invitation. I remember the day when almost nobody was calling."

When I say that, I think of Bro. Al, who kept inviting me when I could hardly preach my way out of a wet paper sack. Bro. Al put my name and face on revival and fellowship meeting flyers when it probably cost him more fellowship than it gained. I told one of his sons this week, "I have never and will never forget it!"

Bro. Al's relationship with the Boggs family was not based on gaining socially or financially. It was based on the same thing that all of our great relationships are based on. Bro. Al took us as his friend and we accepted and loved his friendship in return.

We have all had friends that pulled back ever so slightly when it appeared our friendship might cost them a little social standing. We can not help but take note of that. But thank God for true friends like Bro. Al Hunt that love for Christ's sake and never even consider the cost.

Wow! What a friend! You are already missed, Bro. Al! Thank you for your friendship. Thank you from our hearts. 

I will have trouble deleting Bro. Al's number and I hope to hang on to the memories until we see him again face to face.

While I was preparing this Mile Marker, I received word that another friend, Bro. Scott Ryland, passed away this week after a very long battle with cancer. God help!

The number of friends on the other side is growing by leaps and bounds.

Thank you for reading today.

Davy