Unforgettable Greatness In Servanthood
If memory serves me it was Reader’s Digest that once offered its readership the opportunity to glimpse into the life of "My Most Unforgettable Character." Perhaps they still do, but it’s been a while since I read a Reader’s Digest magazine. Each of us can probably name several individuals whose lives influenced us in an unforgettable fashion. To pick a single individual as "My Most Unforgettable Character" would be difficult for me, but one name comes to mind almost immediately, one that would certainly make my "Top 10." Though I’ve known Brother Joe Steen for only a few years, I can truly describe him as unforgettable. Joe is a native of Chicago and grew up a Roman Catholic. And for those who know that I’m a Baptist, such may sound an odd choice as one of my most unforgettable characters. Many years ago, Joe became a brother in an order of Roman Catholics known as Glenmary Missioners. As a part of becoming a member of Glenmary, Joe took a vow of celibacy and a vow of poverty. For Baptists, either vow would suffice to eliminate most of us from giving the order our serious consideration. And, surely both vows together would disallow the rest who might still be wavering. The former vow prevents one from ever marrying while the latter vow assures an income level unacceptable for most Americans. As a Brother, Joe’s life may not be a bed of roses, but his basic needs are met by the Church. He has had a roof over his head, clothes to wear, and food to eat since joining Glenmary. If his work requires it, he is also provided with transportation. For the past ten years, Brother Joe worked with local Habitat for Humanity affiliates in Union County, Mississippi and Pontotoc County Mississippi. As a master carpenter his building skills proved valuable to both affiliates, where he worked principally as the construction supervisor. He patiently led volunteer groups, and when other might have become exasperated he continually prodded them to keep "the prize" before them. For Brother Joe, the prize was the end result, a new Habitat Home for a deserving family. Many a volunteer has heard Brother Joe say, "On the worksite, seeing someone standing around makes me nervous." I don’t have a count of the number of Habitat houses, where Brother Joe served as construction supervisor, but Pontotoc County has built more than thirty houses and Brother Joe helped with most of them.
Though work is a big part of Brother Joe’s life, there’s much more that makes him who he is. His faith is seen in all aspects of his life. He’s humble, but not to a fault. If a subcontractor fails to meet the building coe standard, Brother Joe has no problem addressing his concern with that individual. In my college years, I never met a devout Catholic. Oh, I knew a lot of students who were Catholic, but they failed the devout test about as miserably as a lot of Baptists did then, as well as now, with respect to abstinence from strong drink. From what I know of Brother Joe, he is a devout Catholic. Brother Joe is an avid reader and will read most anything he can get his hands on. He keeps up with current events much better than I do and has often quizzed me on breaking news I had not heard. But, apart from his work and his faith, perhaps it’s his humor than best describes him. There are people who seem to have the ability to remember every joke they read or hear. Brother Joe is like these. Granted, most of them are short groaners, but they’re still funny, and he seems to have an endless supply of them. For several years the Glenda and Ken Corley and Brother Joe have attended a story-tellers convention in middle Tennessee. Apparently, it’s a good place to get your funny-bone tickled while enjoying the company of folks who appreciate hearing a good tale. Work for Brother Joe and Glenda’s caring for an aging parent kept the threesome from attending the convention this year. Presently, Brother Joe is living in Volunteer Village, Biloxi, Mississippi. He’s been there approximately six weeks, serving as a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. He’ll return to his Glenmary base, Cincinnati, Ohio, at the end of October for a few weeks before flying to Mexico for his next assignment, a project named "Total Immersion." While it sounds like something related to baptism, it’s all about a foreign language. In Mexico, Brother Joe will be living with a non-English speaking family and going to school to learn Spanish well enough to converse with Hispanic residents in the United States. He will be in Mexico for three months, which, for someone close to my age, may not be sufficient to attain the desired degree of language proficiency, but it’s all allotted him. One need only be around Brother Joe for a short time to know he is a happy individual. His is not a situational happiness, rather it is one that emanates from his spiritual well-being and the joy one derives from ones work and service to others. Unlike those of us whose careers end in retirement after working a fixed number of years or due to our age, those who dedicate themselves to the LORD’s work usually find themselves working for a lifetime. Brother Joe recently shared that the normal retirement age for members of Glenmary is seventy. Upon retirement, he envisions moving to Cincinnati, living among other retirees of Glenmary, and continuing to volunteer and serve others as long as his health permits. Mortals seldom acknowledge the accomplishments of individuals who follow a life of self-denial and service. Instead, we esteem the tycoons of business, richly reward athleticism in all sports, laud adoration on our movie and music idols, and praise the politically powerful. But, it was Jesus, the Savior of the world, who described what our priorities should be, "[W]hoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all." Mark 10:43-44 Brother Joe Steen has dedicated his life to work for Him "whose kingdom is not of this world." And, in so doing, has achieved greatness through his servanthood. For this and all the reasons stated above, Brother Joe Steen is truly an unforgettable character.
The Deerslayers Felicia And Cullen Pollard Typically, October is the month around these parts that marks the first deer season. Felicia’s husband Cullen enjoys the sport and was recently in a deer stand awaiting the early morning light when his cell phone rang…er, vibrated. What follows is my recollection of the second-hand information which was relayed to me from my sister, Sarah. The order of events is uncertain. Felicia was just outside of Oxford, Mississippi on her way to Tupelo to begin another day of teaching a second grade class at Lawhorn Elementary. She had phoned Cullen to tell him her car had just struck a deer. Felicia, still frightened, described to Cullen how the deer was in front of her car before she saw it. The deer was struck by the left front end of Felicia’s vehicle. The impact broke portions of the front bumper, the left headlight and crumpled a section of the hood, and Felicia remembers the deer’s body rolling up her windshield and over the top as the car sped beneath the body. Felicia also phoned her mother to ask her what she should do, but Sarah was getting ready to go to work and had no time and no calming words of assurance that everything would be okay. I suppose it didn’t help that Sarah’s mind frame was slightly altered, a result, no doubt, of nicotine depravation due to her smoking cessation a few weeks earlier. I can only guess that Fecilia phoned her daddy out of sheer desperation, as there was a better than good possibility that he had a vehicle she could use temporarily. He advised her not to stop and assess any damages, fearing the engine might not crank once it was turned off. So, Felicia continued to drive to work with, as she described it, "parts and pieces of my car falling off along the way." Meanwhile, Cullen, already down from his tree-stand, reached for his cell phone to check on Felicia’s progress. He could not find it, as in his haste to aid his wife the phone had slipped from his pocket, and in the near-darkness of early dawn there was little hope of finding it. This tale has a happy ending. Felicia’s dad loaned her a vehicle for Cullen to use while Felicia rolled up the mileage on Cullen’s truck driving to Tupelo to work. Cullen found his cell phone near the tree stand. Repairs on the car were expensive but thanks to the monetary savings of the frugal couple they managed to cover the high deductible insurance on Felicia’s car without financial help from family or the bank. However, the competitive nature of deer hunting may have left Cullen feeling shortchanged. Deerslayers keep a scorecard, and for the year the score is Felicia – 1, Cullen – 0.
Bodock Beau The Baptist Cowboy
A cowboy, who is visiting Wyoming from Texas, walks into a bar and orders
three mugs of Coors and takes them to a table in the back of the room. When
he finishes them, he comes back to the bar and orders three more.
Shared by Vickey Murphree - Mississippi Copyright © 2000 - 2007 RRN Online.
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The annals of history are filled
with the names of persons of note, some of whom might be described as
unforgettable. It’s Columbus Day as I write, and it’s worth noting
that Christopher Columbus is one such larger than life individual whose
accomplishments are celebrated even hundreds of years after his death.
In July, Brother Joe was honored
by the Board of Directors for the local Habitat affiliate for his years of
service. A number of board members and guests shared their appreciation and
fond remembrances, though all regretted to see him moved to another area
of service. It’s difficult to find a creative or meaningful way to express
appreciation to someone whose religious vows preclude the accumulation of
wealth, but the board found a unique means to honor Brother Joe. He was presented
with a street sign, designating Joe Steen Drive as a newly named street in
the Circle of Hope subdivision, where several Habitat for Humanity houses
have been constructed.
