During the last few years of her life, Renee became interested in Minimalism and Organization and De-Cluttering.  Using the mantra made famous by Marie Kondo – “If it brings you joy, keep it” - she began the long process of figuring out what in our house brings joy and what does not.  I say “long process” because one of us had a habit of thinking everything brings joy.  Anyway, the non-joy-bringing stuff began to be removed from the house.  Perhaps it went to Goodwill, perhaps it went to the trash, perhaps it went to someone she knew.  In any event, the “joyless stuff” started leaving the house. 

But I think she started this process by looking at MY stuff.  After all, if you’re going to make a significant impact on a house overly-filled with non-joy-bringing stuff, what better way to show progress than by starting with the stuff you KNOW doesn’t bring joy, right?  I remember that we had a long-running argument about a jacket that I USED to have, but which, somehow, disappeared from my closet and from my life.  I loved that jacket.  It brought me joy to wear it on those, admittedly rare, cold days on the golf course.  Suddenly, it just wasn’t here anymore.

In her defense, she denied getting rid of the jacket.  But, what other explanation could there be?  I know I didn’t throw away my favorite [and lucky!] cold weather golf wear.  She always said she had no memory whatsoever of this jacket.  But how could that be?  I can remember the shot I hit on the eleventh hole at The Covington Country Club in November, 1998 while wearing that jacket – and she claimed to have NO memory of it?  Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, I ask you – wait, I’m sorry.  Old habits.

Yesterday, in honor of Renee, I began a little de-cluttering project of my own – one she had asked me to do many times, but which, somehow, never got done, and never even got started.  I began unloading the many books that were stuffed into the bedside cabinet in order to see which ones needed to stay, and which ones needed to go.  Some are definitely going to leave the house, while some are simply finding another place to live in the house [because they “bring me joy”!].  But, great progress was made, and I was feeling proud of myself, and thinking Renee would be proud of me too, when I came across a couple of books which sent my mind racing back to a wonderfully special night at our house five years ago, and which reminded me of what has been lost.

A couple of years before this special night, through a strange series of circumstances which I now know to have been God-ordained, I became friends with Lynn Anderson - famous in The Churches of Christ as a preacher, a writer, and man so full of the grace of God that it poured from him and onto all who came within his sphere of influence.  As a result of our friendship, I spent an entire day with him and his wife, Carolyn, in their home in San Antonio, just talking about The Kingdom.  And then, despite being in less-than-good health, he agreed to come here to speak and teach at our little church in Mandeville!  I’m not sure we truly realized then, or even now, what a blessing that was to our church!

The night before he spoke to our church, he and Carolyn came to my house where we enjoyed a time together with the shepherds of our church.  As the evening was drawing to a close, it occurred to me that I had a rare opportunity – the famous author of some books that I owned was actually in my house!  So, I rushed through the house and managed to find two of Lynn’s books, and asked him to sign them for me.  I re-discovered those books during my de-cluttering episode yesterday.  Let me share with you Lynn’s autographs.

 How special those words are to me now.  Only from Lynn Anderson can the words, “Stay smelly”, be considered the highest compliment!  I even love the misspelling of Renee’s name; it’s just so – Lynn!

His words hold a deeper meaning to me now that Renee is gone because he included her - without me asking him to.  He had quickly seen the truth – that we were a team, that we were co-workers in The Kingdom, that she was the very heart of everything I did, everything that I was, everything that I am.  In written words which out-lived her, and which out-lived him, and which will likely out-live me, Lynn Anderson himself honored my wife.  He honored her life, and he honored her work in and for The Kingdom.  These pages, written in Lynn’s own, shaky hand, are precious to me.         

And how special it was when he reached out to me after Renee’s death, and we spoke on the phone at length.  I would say he did not have to do that; but I think he would say he wanted to do that, he needed to do that, because that is what shepherds do – not because it is their duty, but because it is who they are in Christ.

Tomorrow, I will join the many who will be watching online as Max Lucado leads the Celebration of Lynn’s life.  And I will imagine that, among the hundreds, the thousands in Heaven whose lives were impacted by Lynn’s many years of ministry, Renee is standing among them, waiting her time to greet him.  In my imagination, Renee and Lynn Anderson will embrace, and she will thank him for what he did for her husband.  And Lynn will thank her for what she did for her husband.  

And I will count myself doubly blessed.      

Ambrose Ramsey | Pastor and Shepherd