Tuesday, July 24, 2007

In Praise of Tammy Faye

As you know Tammy Faye Messner (Bakker) died Friday after a 10 year bout with cancer of several kinds. Colon cancer got her ultimately. The same cancer that Pastor Dan Rothwell was stricken and died of a few years ago.

I saw Pastor Dan a couple weeks before he died. He looked OK. I saw the Larry King interview with Tammy Faye. She was 65 pounds and looked pretty bad. Same cancer, different effects.

I have great affection for both Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker. It was in a Watertown hotel room in 1977 that this lost Lutheran boy after a night of doing things he shouldn't have done that I watched the PTL show on TV. I hadn't seen it much before. It was a breath of fresh air. These people had joy. Jim would say "You can Make It". Tammy would say, "It's not over till it's over". I needed to hear that. I was hungry for hope. So, when the end of the program came and I sat up in the bed with tears flowing down my cheeks and he said, "Let's pray" I did. In a way, I was born in the flesh in Watertown SD and Born of the Spirit in the same town.

I would love to tell you that from that day forward everything was wonderful and all my problems went away. I would like to tell you that but it would be a lie. Life was hard. My business, my marriage, lots of things. In fact the battle seemed to intensify.

The difference was these two crazy people seemed to have joy in spite of the fact they were doing the program at that time from the back hall of a furniture store. They moved out the furniture for the show and then moved it back in for sale.

I know all about all the "SCANDAL". I'm not impressed. There is lots of scandal in lots of other church groups beginning with Catholic and the churches on the south side of Chicago where "Pastors" rip off those most vulnerable. What Jim and Tammy did was far less onerous. Wrong but overblown.

That small step that early morning began me on a journey that resulted in the man of God I strive to be today. I owe much to both of them. A few years ago I had an opportunity to meet with and talk with Jim Bakker. He was smaller than he looked on TV. More frail. Weaker. But, his spirit was intact. It was after he had written the book he wrote coming out of jail. "I was wrong". During our time together I told him that he was at the genesis of the walk I walk today. He gave me as big a hug as he can give. I treasure that memory and that time.

As I saw the Larry King interview on the last day of Tammy Faye's life I was sad for her but happy for her as well. She more than anyone knew where she was and is headed. There is nothing more sweet than the death of a saint. To her last day she proclaimed the goodness of God.

Her faith, courage and hope was a way maker for all of us. Bless you Tammy Faye.

Thanks for "You can make it" and "It's not over till it's over".

Your pain is over, and you made it.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

i'll bet you when she was received into heaven, martin luther, ruth graham, and all those others saints in that great cloud of witnesses said the same thing to her. i'll bet deep down she felt "finally a word of encouragement!" lesson learned from her life - even though they made some pretty big mistakes, God forgave them. people didn't, and made their lives hell on earth, and some still do to this day. I betcha they won't make it beyond the front counter of heaven. people can be dumb and even evil at times. thank God the veil came down because of grace. thank God our hope and destiny and our very lives are designed and completed by the promise of the Cross, not the whims and unanointed agendas of men. btw-she was one of those people who decided to go through life on the words of her signature song, "when life serves you lemons, make lemonade"

Anonymous said...

i’ll never forget the words of the late pastor e.v. hill when he said on the subject of heaven that some will be surprised at some who they will find in heaven and that some will be surprised that they themselves are not in heaven...God knows and i’m comfortable with Him knowing who belongs to Him and who doesn’t

Anonymous said...

Maybe the Good Lord is trying to tell you something. GET OUT OF BUSINESS ... YOU SUCK. But then again as a KNOW IT ALL you are a few pints shy of a carton too. I do like your perseverance in the face of all odds. Don't worry some day you will find you place and hopefully come to your senses when you do.