The Cracked Arcorn: Bob is dead

When Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had already been dead and in the tomb for four days. When Martha discovered that Jesus was on his way, she went out to meet him. “Lord,” she said, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (from the 11th chapter of John)

Bob is dead! Yes! and Bob will be missed. Bob Lamb, 65, and a cancer victim in the Bethel Academy community of Warrenton, Virginia, where I have lived for the past 33 years. Bob was a last comer and only lived here for about 15 years. He drove a pickup truck and would stop and talk some, or when he came down to the mailbox, he would also pause and chat about several things. I told him once that his house was an excellent candidate for a widow walk on the roof; it has an excellent view of the surrounding countryside.

It was after I heard that Bob was dead that I learned he was a former member of the Marine Corps. He was the good neighbor who ensured the lawn was mowed and drove to his house, obeying the speed limit after our roads were paved.

When I heard that Bob was dead, it reminded me of an office story. When I came to work for the U.S. Geological Survey and was in the survey computations section, one of the civil engineers died, Bob Pullis. I only knew him from breaks in the coffee room: He went to sleep one night and never woke up. When he died, many of our group were on vacation or just out on a few days of annual or sick leave. The slip with the announcement of his death was dropped into the IN box of the supervisor’s desk and gradually made its way from desk to desk. Our boss was a retired officer in the U.S. Army and ‘encouraged’ quietness while we worked. In this atmosphere, you would suddenly hear, “Oh no! Bob is dead!” This continued for several weeks until the word was completely circulated that “Bob was dead!”

Please, not just now! My wife is gone to be with Jesus, and I am now blessed with a lady friend, I still have so much yet to live for! (You may want to get a jump start and insert your name here!) So, maybe this is very fitting that we do pay some homage to those we may only know a little about, and then we hear someone say, “Carson is dead!”

Now, may… “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26) from the International Bible.

“When Jesus comes at the dawn or early morn, HE shall call us one by one…Will HE answer thee, “WELL DONE?” O can we say we are read, Ready for the soul’s bright home?” – Fanny Crosby, Sacred Selections