An Admired Man

Last night I received word that Terry Buckle had died. Terry was the most admired Church Army/Threshold member during my tenure with the society.

He was admired for his longevity. He started as a young man as a Church Army Evangelist and continued to exercise his ministry of evangelism through years as: deacon, priest, bishop, and archbishop. You could draw a ‘Good News’ line through all his ministry, as he consistently lifted and lived for his Saviour.

He was admired for his holiness. There was nothing ‘holier than thou’ about Terry, but when you were in his presence you knew that you were with someone who spent so much time with Jesus that he carried the very aroma of his Lord.

He was admired because he was a man’s man. His holiness was not that of the sanctuary alone. Terry loved to be out on the land with his many friends in his beloved north country. His early days were influenced by the pioneer spirit and he never lost the love for outdoors and outdoorsmen.

He was admired for his temperament. I recall trying to engage him in railing against those I perceived as opponents to orthodoxy. He would not be baited into unkindness. He was a man of the firmest convictions but full of compassion for those who held other views, even when they were /unkind to him.

He was admired for his mischievous humour. He was a kind-hearted tease. He enjoyed pranks and loved to laugh. His sense of humour and self-deprecation opened up doors for him and brought opportunities to share the love of God.

He was admired because he had a knack of making each person that he was engaging with feel as if they were important to him. This feeling, I think came naturally, because in the moment that person was important to him.

He was admired because in sickness and death he continued to point toward the One Who Saves. He insisted he was not saying “Goodbye!” but rather “See you later!”

How could you not admire a man like that? How could you not want to be a bit more like him?

On another note, today is the anniversary of 9 – 11. It was an event that changed my life. It was used of God to get my attention. I had been pouring a lot of energy into ‘churchy’ activities. I was then Chair of Anglican Renewal Ministry. On Sept. 11, I felt God call me back to my first love of evangelism. I quit all activities that were not associated with the pursuit of evangelism. This for me was the road less travelled by… and it has made all the difference.