Celebrating George: Lessons in Love and Community
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When I say I cared for George, I mean that his regular presence in my life opened my eyes to see him as a real person, not a houseless person struggling with an extreme mind state. I know that George suffered from his fears and circumstances. His mind was always busy, but it was largely a mystery. [00:36:40]
I am a musician and George taught me that music has a transcended healing quality. The songs that land with us as children can still transport us to a simpler, more innocent time. These treasures are worth spending time with as we get older. [00:38:39]
I learned about faith from George, he says. We would pray together. He would call and ask me to pray for specific...things he was anxious about. There were probably more answers to those prayers than there were records added to his collection, but I didn't think to track it like that at the time. [00:38:55]
George taught me patience and piqued my interest about a boyhood in Illinois in the 50s and 60s that led to years of wandering. George opened my eyes to a world I never knew. [00:38:26]
George did not have a lot to give. But what he did have he often gave whole hearted so today we remember George and we lay him to rest trusting that he is fully restored and finally finally finally at rest from all of that mental anguish and when we remember him I pray we will remember just how much he gave us. [00:47:38]
We talk about blessings here at First Baptist Church as gathering up all of the love, all of the goodwill that you can muster in offering wholeheartedly to somebody else. And that's exactly what George did in these moments. And then, having offered his blessing, he would release that baby's foot from his hand and release that baby into God's good care. And now it's our turn to do the same. Today, our job is to release George into God's good hands. [00:46:07]
But perhaps the place that I got to witness George in his most tender, his most genuine, and his most gentle capacity was during baby dedications here at the church. At dedications, there's this moment here where I take the baby we're dedicating and I walk the baby all around the sanctuary and I let everybody bless the baby. And I would always make sure to include George in those moments. [00:45:09]
There's a very real temptation with someone like George to remember him primarily by the people who offered care to him. but that is an injustice to who he is and to his memory. Because it forgets all of the good that he gave to us. The kindness, the apologies, the forgiveness when we got it wrong in our act of trying to take care of him, and the blessings. [00:46:58]
Even with all of George's eccentricities he showed moments of great tenderness I shared with the church family a couple of weeks ago but back before the vaccine was really prevalent I contracted COVID and went down pretty hard I remember about a week being in a fever dream not having much memory from that week and when George heard how sick I was he got really worried about me he called one of those 1 -800 pray for you numbers and then he called the church and he left the voicemail saying I'm really worried about pastor Dan I don't know what to do but I called this number and asked them to pray for him a genuine act of care that I never expected to receive from George. [00:43:14]
I have had a lot of interactions like that with people who didn't have to manage the mental illness that George Russell met who couldn't have handled it as graciously as he did. [00:44:57]
He says, when I say I cared for George, I mean that his regular presence in my life opened my eyes to see him as a real person, not a houseless person struggling with an extreme mind state. I know that George suffered from his fears and circumstances. His mind was always busy, but it was largely a mystery. [00:36:39]
He would not carry his license because the number 13 was part of his identification number. George struggled to communicate with the record shop owners and was sometimes banned from returning because of the things he would say or do. George saw these misunderstandings and his banishment as a deep injustice. [00:37:16]
Over time, he says, our congregation, Crossover Church, partnered with First Baptist to support George's sister, Marie, as she became George's guardian. We helped support George as he moved into an assisted living community. I helped George buy records on the internet to replace the collection he had to leave behind. [00:37:40]
He always wanted to let me know what ailments he was struggling with, what records he was waiting on, and what money was waiting for him in the mail somewhere, which he asked me to pray for specifically. Often a refrain would be, Pastor, it's been a bad week. And I would say, George, what happened? Why has it been a bad week? And he would say, someone bought the record I wanted. Or, I'm still waiting on that money in the mail. Can you please pray for that? And I'd say, of course, George, I'll pray for that. [00:41:18]
With George you knew something was wrong whenever he was uncomfortable or in pain because he had no problem telling you about it he would often come to me and say hey don't you know over the years especially at the end he would complain about that pain behind his right eye and I would always never could tell if it was actually a physical ailment or was something that had to do with his brain's disorder but he wore that eye patch that we saw in a couple of those photos and oftentimes eye patch and sunglasses at the end and my wife who teaches children Sunday school said she had more than one child ask if George was a pirate they all knew who he was and they asked about the week after he died in Sunday school. [00:41:54]
George listened to me very carefully and then he apologized to Amelia. And I have had a lot of interactions like that with people who didn't have to manage the mental illness that George Russell met who couldn't have handled it as graciously as he did. [00:44:48]
He says, George taught me patience and piqued my interest about a boyhood in Illinois in the 50s and 60s that led to years of wandering. George opened my eyes to a world I never knew. [00:38:25]
As we remember and celebrate the life of George this morning, we are reminded that we can never be lost to you. Even if we are swept to the farthest reaches, you are there. Even if we are lost in darkness, you are there. There is nowhere we can go where you are not already there waiting for us with open arms. [00:10:55]
The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want he maketh me to lie down in green pastures he leadeth me beside the still waters he restoreth my soul he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his namesake yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me thy rod and thy staff they comfort me thou prepares the table before me in the presence of my enemies thou anointest my head with oil my cup runneth over surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. [00:48:23]
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I am a musician and George taught me that music has a transcended healing quality. The songs that land with us as children can still transport us to a simpler, more innocent time. These treasures are worth spending time with as we get older. [00:38:39]
I learned about faith from George, he says. We would pray together. He would call and ask me to pray for specific...things he was anxious about. There were probably more answers to those prayers than there were records added to his collection, but I didn't think to track it like that at the time. [00:38:55]
George taught me patience and piqued my interest about a boyhood in Illinois in the 50s and 60s that led to years of wandering. George opened my eyes to a world I never knew. [00:38:26]
George did not have a lot to give. But what he did have he often gave whole hearted so today we remember George and we lay him to rest trusting that he is fully restored and finally finally finally at rest from all of that mental anguish and when we remember him I pray we will remember just how much he gave us. [00:47:38]
We talk about blessings here at First Baptist Church as gathering up all of the love, all of the goodwill that you can muster in offering wholeheartedly to somebody else. And that's exactly what George did in these moments. And then, having offered his blessing, he would release that baby's foot from his hand and release that baby into God's good care. And now it's our turn to do the same. Today, our job is to release George into God's good hands. [00:46:07]
But perhaps the place that I got to witness George in his most tender, his most genuine, and his most gentle capacity was during baby dedications here at the church. At dedications, there's this moment here where I take the baby we're dedicating and I walk the baby all around the sanctuary and I let everybody bless the baby. And I would always make sure to include George in those moments. [00:45:09]
There's a very real temptation with someone like George to remember him primarily by the people who offered care to him. but that is an injustice to who he is and to his memory. Because it forgets all of the good that he gave to us. The kindness, the apologies, the forgiveness when we got it wrong in our act of trying to take care of him, and the blessings. [00:46:58]
Even with all of George's eccentricities he showed moments of great tenderness I shared with the church family a couple of weeks ago but back before the vaccine was really prevalent I contracted COVID and went down pretty hard I remember about a week being in a fever dream not having much memory from that week and when George heard how sick I was he got really worried about me he called one of those 1 -800 pray for you numbers and then he called the church and he left the voicemail saying I'm really worried about pastor Dan I don't know what to do but I called this number and asked them to pray for him a genuine act of care that I never expected to receive from George. [00:43:14]
I have had a lot of interactions like that with people who didn't have to manage the mental illness that George Russell met who couldn't have handled it as graciously as he did. [00:44:57]
He says, when I say I cared for George, I mean that his regular presence in my life opened my eyes to see him as a real person, not a houseless person struggling with an extreme mind state. I know that George suffered from his fears and circumstances. His mind was always busy, but it was largely a mystery. [00:36:39]
He would not carry his license because the number 13 was part of his identification number. George struggled to communicate with the record shop owners and was sometimes banned from returning because of the things he would say or do. George saw these misunderstandings and his banishment as a deep injustice. [00:37:16]
Over time, he says, our congregation, Crossover Church, partnered with First Baptist to support George's sister, Marie, as she became George's guardian. We helped support George as he moved into an assisted living community. I helped George buy records on the internet to replace the collection he had to leave behind. [00:37:40]
He always wanted to let me know what ailments he was struggling with, what records he was waiting on, and what money was waiting for him in the mail somewhere, which he asked me to pray for specifically. Often a refrain would be, Pastor, it's been a bad week. And I would say, George, what happened? Why has it been a bad week? And he would say, someone bought the record I wanted. Or, I'm still waiting on that money in the mail. Can you please pray for that? And I'd say, of course, George, I'll pray for that. [00:41:18]
With George you knew something was wrong whenever he was uncomfortable or in pain because he had no problem telling you about it he would often come to me and say hey don't you know over the years especially at the end he would complain about that pain behind his right eye and I would always never could tell if it was actually a physical ailment or was something that had to do with his brain's disorder but he wore that eye patch that we saw in a couple of those photos and oftentimes eye patch and sunglasses at the end and my wife who teaches children Sunday school said she had more than one child ask if George was a pirate they all knew who he was and they asked about the week after he died in Sunday school. [00:41:54]
George listened to me very carefully and then he apologized to Amelia. And I have had a lot of interactions like that with people who didn't have to manage the mental illness that George Russell met who couldn't have handled it as graciously as he did. [00:44:48]
He says, George taught me patience and piqued my interest about a boyhood in Illinois in the 50s and 60s that led to years of wandering. George opened my eyes to a world I never knew. [00:38:25]
As we remember and celebrate the life of George this morning, we are reminded that we can never be lost to you. Even if we are swept to the farthest reaches, you are there. Even if we are lost in darkness, you are there. There is nowhere we can go where you are not already there waiting for us with open arms. [00:10:55]
The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want he maketh me to lie down in green pastures he leadeth me beside the still waters he restoreth my soul he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his namesake yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me thy rod and thy staff they comfort me thou prepares the table before me in the presence of my enemies thou anointest my head with oil my cup runneth over surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. [00:48:23]
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