The picture above is of one my good friends, Randy Stokes, and the best networker I have known. Wednesday evening, before our midweek service at Woodland Church, I called Randy. We talked about his sister’s upcoming funeral on Friday of this week, his health, his family, his job, and future. Before we finished our call, I asked to pray with him. “Sure! If you hadn’t asked, I would have asked you, too,” he said.

Call your family and friends when you think about them. If they can’t take the call, they will call you back. I have never regretted living by that counsel.

Thursday afternoon during lunch with our District Superintendent and his wife, Becky took a call for me. After we walked to our cars together. I opened the door for Becky and got in on the other side of the car and she was weeping. “The phone call was to let us know Randy died this morning.” We sat together in front of the restaurant too stunned to start our drive home. “I just talked and prayed with him last night.” We cried together, prayed, and then while we drove back to Brownstown we prayed and wept with his daughter.

Laughter is what I will always remember about Randy. He always had the ability to make me laugh. He loved fun! We had so many very serious and heavy conversations throughout our long friendship. Yet, he would always look for something to laugh about to lighten his or your heavy burden. That is admirable trait.

Becky said, the two words that come to mind when she thought about Randy was “faithful and mischievous.” Too true!

I first met Randy when he was 13 or 14. He was playing basketball in the parking lot of First Assembly of God in Tifton, Georgia. I watched them play for a while. He was quick, aggressive, and laughing on the court as they played. He would do his share of trash talking.

Fast-forward, five years later, we would reconnect when Becky and I were youth pastors in Valdosta at Evangel Church. Randy and Stan White were good friends. Randy, liked to come to our youth services and hang out. When Stan got married, Randy was one of the groomsmen. We all flew together to Texas for the wedding. Of course, Randy kept us all laughing and entertained. On the flight home, there was a bad storm. Randy leaned up to Becky and asked if she would let him sit with me during the storm. “No!” was her answer. He pouted aloud behind her. We were laughing.

Randy and his, Dad, Pastor O. L. Stokes were a big help to me personally and the church that Becky and I pastored in Macon. We had a wonderful Day School, called Sunshine Lane. Our growth shocked us. We had 153 children enrolled Monday through Friday, and we maxed out quickly. They had long experience in building and managing a dayschosol and school. They shared their time and counsel freely. This helped me manage the growth, the staffing, and the budget of a day school. The school got glowing coverage in the Macon News and Telegraph. That is important, because nationwide at that time was coverage of awful neglect and failures of many Day Care Centers. 

Randy, served the youth of the Georgia Assemblies of God in so many ways. He enthusiastically led worship at the Youth Conventions. I can see him leading the students in worship. There were times when God’s presence would settle so heavily upon us. Dr. Addison, our District Superintendent, and I would comment on how involved everyone was in worship. We looked all the way to the back of the sanctuary. Over a thousand students worshiping enthusiastically. Randy loved to worship God and he was anointed to lead people into the very presence of God in worship.

I remember Randy’s ordination service. His father wept tears of joy for his son’s ordination to the ministry. Pastor Stokes was so proud when Randy went to pastor Quitman Assembly of God. Although he hated to see him move away, he knew it was a great opportunity. Randy and his wife Sherri threw themselves whole-heartedly into loving and leading the congregation there. A good foundation had been established by the previous pastor and Randy was able to build on that.

Once, he and I were praying together in the sanctuary in Quitman. I was walking and praying and I stopped just to listen and agree with Randy while he prayed. He was praying for the congregation, by name, about their needs. He was praying scripturally and intensely. He was fully focused and engaged with the Lord. Then suddenly, he began to pray for the service and was moving through the sanctuary. He was making sweeping gestures with his hands. Later, I asked him about that. “Oh, there were things that I saw while I was praying that just needed to be swept out.” He was uninhibited in prayer and worship.

While he served the church in Quitman, he also helped Georgia Youth Ministries with their Ambassadors in Missions (AIM) outreach. I think one of his greatest contributions was to our missions’ trips over seas. Again, he would coordinate the worship teams for the trips. The churches loved the enthusiasm and sincerity of the students. People on the streets also appreciated how he would lead them. He was the same on the streets of Leige or Mons as he was in the sanctuary of the church. He encouraged the people of God and those who had not yet believed in Christ to worship the Lord. And they did! It was amazing to witness.

Maybe, I can lighten this up a bit. Once, in Mons, Belgium, Dr. Addison, our district superintendent was standing between Randy and me on the platform of the church. Randy, leaned in front of Dr. Addison and said to me about the communion, this is real wine. I said it’s okay. (Our churches in the U.S. use grape juice.) He leaned back in front of me, “you know we have a recovering alcoholic on this trip.” I said, “it’s taken care of.” Now this is all while the pastor of the church is reading scripture and praying. He leaned back over and started to speak and Dr. Addison said, “Randy, shut up and take communion.” I am struggling not to laugh during the communion service. (This was so unusual for Dr. Addison. He was an amazingly patient man.” I look over at Randy, after partaking of the cup. His tongue stuck to the bottom of the glass. Later, I said to him, “what were you doing?” He said, if I was going to sin, I was going to get all of it.”

On another trip, I wanted to go to the top of the bell tower at Notre Dame in Paris. Randy, decided to go with me. The stairway got very narrow as got to the top and your he got stuck and panicked. I gave him my water to drink, and he settled down. The people behind him helped him down the stairs. When I got back to the bottom, he said, “that is the last time I am following you.”

In Paris, we bought perfume for Becky and his wife, Sherri. It was expensive and a beautiful fragrance, like a spring flower garden. After we got home, he called me and said, “my house smells good.” Really, I said. “Yep, Kadi,(his little girl) poured the entire bottle down the air condition vent.” We laughed so hard.

He volunteered to serve as camp pastor for Youth Camps in Georgia. The staff and students loved him. Every night he was in the altar praying over those campers. He was advocating for young people.

Let’s fast forward again. Years later, Thomas Trask, our General Superintendent, asked us to consider a move to Michigan. He wanted us to pastor a church he had helped start. I didn’t want to go. When the church called, “I declined.” I had just pulled into our driveway, when my phone rang. Randy was calling and asked what I was going to do. I told him. He said that is being so disrespectful to Brother Trask. At least show him the respect of talking with the church. He was right. So one of the reasons, I am writing this on a cold morning in Michigan is because of Randy.

We never lost touch with one another. We would meet for lunch or breakfast when we got to go back to Georgia to visit. Sometimes it would be for a breakfast buffet at the Marriott or Cracker Barrel for lunch. He was there when my Dad died. He would call my mother to check up on her. He would call to be sure I watching the “Dawgs” play. He would call to ask about the services at Woodland.

Incredibly he became friends through Facebook and text messages with some members of our church here. He was a networker.

Randy, was a friend that would stick closer than a brother. I’m so glad, that he came to mind, before Wednesday services at Woodland. I’m so glad that I called. He would be so glad to know that the message I was preparing to preach tomorrow morning is “Finishing Well.” I will miss you friend! I promise to finish well, too.

Peace!