After Roy's funeral we have spent this last week thinking more about Roy and Evelyn, about their influence, their willingness to cover people with prayer and loving care. In looking over some of the minutes of past Board meeting of Haven Hill Foundation (1983),I found this quotation from the book A GIFT FROM GOD by Mother Teresa (adapted for Michigan).
"...in Michigan and the whole USA the problems of our people are deep down, at the bottom of their hearts. They have to come to know you and trust you, to see you as a person with Christ's compassion and love, before their problems will emerge and you can help them. This takes a lot of time! Time for you to be people of prayer and time to give yourself to each of your people.
"There is always danger that we may become only social workers, or just do the work for the sake of the work. It is a danger if we forget for whom we are doing it. Our works are only an expression of our love for Christ. Our hearts need to be full of love for him, since we have to express that love in action, naturally then the poor are the means of expressing our love for God.
"A Hindu gentleman said that they and we are doing social work, and the difference between them and us is that they are doing it for something, and we are doing it for somebody.
"If there are people who feel that God wants them to change the structures of society, that is something between them and their God. We must serve him in whatever way we are called. I am called to help the individual; to love each poor person. Not to deal with institutions. I am in no position to judge."
Following the funeral and a luncheon people were asked to share any story about Roy and Evelyn ---- many people stood up and told stories. Five to seven "young" couples shared about their honeymoon at Willowbank, others talked about humor, insight, changed perspective on marriage, business, "the work", other individuals etc. etc. Roy and Evelyn cared about people and only rarely about institutions. For them each person really counted!
May that same spirit invade each of out lives.
Bill
Monday, March 28, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Roy Cook
On Friday morning Wilma and I start a journey to Washington D.C. to attend the funeral of a person most of you have never heard about. Roy has been a part of my life since 1949 and I would like to tell you something about this man, about quiet behind the scenes influence, about service and about faithfulness.
In 1949 as a new believer in Jesus, having memorized at least 16 Bible verses under the care of the Navigators I set off to attend the summer conference of the Navigators at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA.(I still have the picture that they took of all of us!). In the registration line , by chance, I was next to another conference attender who was quite angry that the registration fee had been raised by $5.00. Not to be deterred, I suggested that the two of us go off and quote verses together - that is what we did in those days - over the course of the conference we must have hit it off because we pledged to work together, someday, for Jesus. That conferee was Doug Coe - whom thousands of people know.
Roy Cook was the person who brought Doug to the Navigator conference. Roy gave up his studies in college after hearing Daws Trotman give a talk about making disciples. He went back to Salem, Oregon for the express purpose of introducing his best friend to Jesus. Roy and Doug are two opposites, but good friends. Eventually Doug gave his life to Jesus and Roy brought him to the Nav conference that summer.
Years of "walking" with Doug, teaching, training, praying with and for Doug, working off the rough edges (all of us need that)and seeing Doug become a "Tomothy" in the II Timothy 2:2 mode (Roy's faithfulness) later the two of them came to Washington D.C. Roy was then invited by men in Bermuda to lead Willowbank (a retreat center). He and Evelyn (Roy's wife)ran that center with great skill, humor, Bible studies, and financial success. After returning to D.C he and Evelyn have quietly kept the "Fellowship" and all of its related peoples and activities covered with prayer. Hundreds of people drive down 22nd street in Arlington, Va. to visit The Cedars - most pass by the lane that led to the home of the Cooks - most pass by the real power source, the quiet influence of The Cedars!
Roy died this week just 13 days after Evelyn died. They has a powerful influence on Doug and through Doug and hundreds of others, an influence around the world. If the author of the book THE FAMILY (widely read)wants to write about a true "power broker" in D.C. he should search out the hundreds of people Roy and Evelyn had influenced.
I am reminded of what the Apostle Paul wrote in II Timothy 1:16-18 when I think about Roy. Paul wrote, "The Lord have mercy on the household of Onesiphorus.. he has "refreshed me" meaning, " over and over again he allowed me to catch my breath!" Paul in chains in a Roman prison - allowed to catch his breath. Whom do we know that will allows us to catch our breath?
Onesiphorus - "was not ashamed of my chains.." Whom do we know that is not ashamed of us as we struggle with our "chains" what ever they are or how powerful is their influence?
Onesiphorous - "when he was in Rome he diligently "sought me out". Going to Rome from to Ephesus was not a journey of jumping on a jet for a 5 hour ride, it was a journey which took lots of time - and he did not even know where Paul was. Maybe it was like going to Los Angles to vist a friend and not knowing where they were. How would you start? No Goggle in those days. And, Paul wrote, "and found me!" How far would I go to find someone not even knowing where they were? And, what would happen even if I found them? "often he let me catch my breath"!
Timothy "you know well the service he gave to me while I was in Ephesus" Roy served many of us while he was in Oregon - Kent Hotaling, Bob Messing, Ken Rawlings, John Gilman, Bud Sharplnack, Jerry Menefie, Chuck Gil, Mark Hatfield and many more on and off the campus of Willamette University. He served many in Bermuda, Washington D.C, and even those who drove pass his driveway to go to the The Cedars.
Roys helped many of us "catch our breath" by praying for us when we went out to do "Jesus work" - some of which Jesus didn't care about anyway!
Roy (Onesiphorous)Cook - thank you!
Bill
In 1949 as a new believer in Jesus, having memorized at least 16 Bible verses under the care of the Navigators I set off to attend the summer conference of the Navigators at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA.(I still have the picture that they took of all of us!). In the registration line , by chance, I was next to another conference attender who was quite angry that the registration fee had been raised by $5.00. Not to be deterred, I suggested that the two of us go off and quote verses together - that is what we did in those days - over the course of the conference we must have hit it off because we pledged to work together, someday, for Jesus. That conferee was Doug Coe - whom thousands of people know.
Roy Cook was the person who brought Doug to the Navigator conference. Roy gave up his studies in college after hearing Daws Trotman give a talk about making disciples. He went back to Salem, Oregon for the express purpose of introducing his best friend to Jesus. Roy and Doug are two opposites, but good friends. Eventually Doug gave his life to Jesus and Roy brought him to the Nav conference that summer.
Years of "walking" with Doug, teaching, training, praying with and for Doug, working off the rough edges (all of us need that)and seeing Doug become a "Tomothy" in the II Timothy 2:2 mode (Roy's faithfulness) later the two of them came to Washington D.C. Roy was then invited by men in Bermuda to lead Willowbank (a retreat center). He and Evelyn (Roy's wife)ran that center with great skill, humor, Bible studies, and financial success. After returning to D.C he and Evelyn have quietly kept the "Fellowship" and all of its related peoples and activities covered with prayer. Hundreds of people drive down 22nd street in Arlington, Va. to visit The Cedars - most pass by the lane that led to the home of the Cooks - most pass by the real power source, the quiet influence of The Cedars!
Roy died this week just 13 days after Evelyn died. They has a powerful influence on Doug and through Doug and hundreds of others, an influence around the world. If the author of the book THE FAMILY (widely read)wants to write about a true "power broker" in D.C. he should search out the hundreds of people Roy and Evelyn had influenced.
I am reminded of what the Apostle Paul wrote in II Timothy 1:16-18 when I think about Roy. Paul wrote, "The Lord have mercy on the household of Onesiphorus.. he has "refreshed me" meaning, " over and over again he allowed me to catch my breath!" Paul in chains in a Roman prison - allowed to catch his breath. Whom do we know that will allows us to catch our breath?
Onesiphorus - "was not ashamed of my chains.." Whom do we know that is not ashamed of us as we struggle with our "chains" what ever they are or how powerful is their influence?
Onesiphorous - "when he was in Rome he diligently "sought me out". Going to Rome from to Ephesus was not a journey of jumping on a jet for a 5 hour ride, it was a journey which took lots of time - and he did not even know where Paul was. Maybe it was like going to Los Angles to vist a friend and not knowing where they were. How would you start? No Goggle in those days. And, Paul wrote, "and found me!" How far would I go to find someone not even knowing where they were? And, what would happen even if I found them? "often he let me catch my breath"!
Timothy "you know well the service he gave to me while I was in Ephesus" Roy served many of us while he was in Oregon - Kent Hotaling, Bob Messing, Ken Rawlings, John Gilman, Bud Sharplnack, Jerry Menefie, Chuck Gil, Mark Hatfield and many more on and off the campus of Willamette University. He served many in Bermuda, Washington D.C, and even those who drove pass his driveway to go to the The Cedars.
Roys helped many of us "catch our breath" by praying for us when we went out to do "Jesus work" - some of which Jesus didn't care about anyway!
Roy (Onesiphorous)Cook - thank you!
Bill
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