A Servant Goes Home:

This afternoon at 1:00 pm, God called his servant, Bob Barr, home. He had a lot of titles-son, Husband, Dad, Grandad, Teacher, Professor, Pastor, Chaplain and Jack-of-All-Trades. He was known by my wife as Uncle Bob. Shown here in this picture, taken in the summer of 1987, he flashed the smile that I knew, as he sat with the love of his life, but called Aunt Dolly by us.

Although Bob Barr had a lot of titles in his resume', he had one constant attitude that was threaded throughout his life. He was a servant. He served God by serving his family, the Church, his students, the hurting and suffering, and a friend in need. In the end, because of his debilitating illness, his dear wife served him during their final years together.

For those of us who knew him, Uncle Bob's final years were a painful twist. This vibrant, engaging, and gifted man, who always was doing for others, contracted a brain disease that rendered him helpless. In purely human terms it could be defined as a cruel irony, but to define Bob Barr's life in strictly human terms would be a cruel disservice to his memory and spiritual legacy. He was a servant of the Most High God. There is no greater calling than that.

There is another reason that one should not dismiss Bob Barr's final years in strictly human terms. That reason is named Dolly Barr. An accomplished person in her own right, Aunt Dolly exampled covenantal faithfulness and love in what were some times impossibly, miserable circumstances. We live in a throw-it-away culture, but thanks be to God, she did not throw away her love and committment to the man she promised to love. I honor her for that.

Bob Barr was not famous, but those who loved him didn't care. His was a life well-lived, because it was lived for God by the grace of God.

for to live is Christ, but to die is gain. . . . . . .