ARCHIE A. LYLE - A MIRACLE- PART TWO

Archie graduated from Baylor and enrolled in the seminary in Ft. Worth. While studying at the seminary, he was pastor of a church in a nearby town. At the beginning of that pastorate, the local newspaper ran a story about Archie and someone who read the story called him and told him of a man with the same name who lived in Jonesboro, AR. Archie wondered if this man could be his father and made the trip from Texas to Jonesboro to seek the answer. He found the man with the same name and asked him if he knew the lady who was his mother. Making a long story short, this man was his father. After meeting him, Archie never saw him again.

Doing well in his Texas pastorate, Archie had several churches talking to him about becoming their pastor. One such church was the church in Missouri where he found Jesus. While pastoring this church, they became the second leading church in baptisms in Missouri, so Archie was on his way. Lorene, his wife, was a strong teacher and a great supporter of missions. This was a good combination in the leading of the church.

After resigning his church, Archie was on his way to Peoria, IL with some other folks and was involved in a terrible accident. Archie, a passenger in the car in which he was riding, was the sole survivor. Three individuals were killed in that collision. I had just returned from Ridgecrest, NC after singing with One Accord. I drove to Springfield, IL where Archie was in critical condition in a hospital in the Illinois capital. His head was greatly swollen, with his hairline pulled back to the center of his head. Archie always had great hair. Slowly the swelling disappeared and Archie recovered. Because of the accident however, Archie's short-term memory was greatly affected. He can still remember the days at Baylor with no problem, but sometimes has trouble remembering where he is. A short while ago, he went to the grocery store and could not remember how to get home and ended up close to Kansas City. I gave him one of my cards to put in his wallet and told him to call me anytime he had a problem.

Archie continues to be a testimony for keeping on when circumstances scream to stop. His favorite sermon that he preaches is" Four Things God Doesn't Know:" 1. God doesn't know a sinner He doesn't Love; 2. God doesn't know a sin He doesn't hate; 3. God doesn't know a better plan of salvation; 4. God doesn't know a better time to be saved than right now. He can still preach that sermon and he still loves our Lord Jesus.

ARCHIE A. LYLE - A MIRACLE

Archie A. Lyle is a long-time friend of mine. We met in a Greek class at Baylor. Archie has overcome unbelieveable diffictulties to even be living. He lived with his mother until he was 3. He never saw his dad. His mother left the home (if you could call it that) one time and put him in a tow-sack and nailed the sack to the wall with him in it. I know that is hard to believe, but never-the-less is true. At age 3, his mother gave him away and he was placed with foster parents. (Many years later, Archie had the privilege of leading his mother to the Lord when she was on her death bed).

While in high school, Archie joined the National Guard. He was 15 at the time. At age 16, he resigned from the National Guard, dropped out of high school and joined the Marines. Upon arrival at Paris Island, he was asked by the Marine barber where he was from. He said "St. Louis." The barber replied: "Well, you better start singing the St. Louis Blues because your hair is about to come off.

By the age of 17, Archie was on his way to Korea. He landed at Pusan and then made the trip by ship to Inchon which is on the Yellow Sea side of Korea and a few miles west of Seoul. Their unit made its way to the capital city and fought their way to Chosan, which is just a few miles south of the Chinese border in North Korea. Shortly after battling their way that far north, China came into the war and surrounded Archie's unit. The temperature was 38 degrees below freezing and they turned and started fighting in the opposite direction. Archie was shot in the cartridge belt and he yelled out: "Three clicks to the left and you got me." The clicks were on the sight of the gun. He stopped to eat in the cold and had rice. He started eating the rice and it kept moving around and he discovered it was magots. He fought his away across the 100 miles from Chosan to Hungnam where the United States Navy was there for the rescue. Out of 300 in his company, he was one of 12 that made it out of the trap.

Archie returned to the United States and married Lorene Willoughby. He went to a trade school and became a journeyman painter. In the early 1950's, Archie felt the call to preach. He had no education, but took the GED and passed. When the letter came, he had Lorene read it because he was afraid he failed. He passed and with his wife and now two daughters, went to Texas and enrolled in Tyler Jr. College. He then became the pastor of a Baptist church and learned to preach while on the job.
The story will continue next time.

A VISIT TO SPRINGFIELD

Springfield, Missouri is my hometown. I still have a number of friends there as well as a few relatives. One thing is missing when I return to that city. I always had a place to stay when my parents were living. Now that they are deceased, I feel a bit like an orphan when I return. I always like to drive by the house that my parents owned for so many years. It is a large yellow brick house that one real estate person said was one of the ten best built homes in Springfield. After my parents died, the people who bought the house trashed it and it was sad to see what they did. Now, someone else owns the house and they have restored it pretty much to the place it was when my parents were living. When I lived in Springfield, I owned a three story English Colonial home. Inside, it was very special with a large living room and a fire place. There were so many special things about that house that I wished that I could have moved it to St. Charles and Sue would have had a blast putting her touch on the inside.

I had a meeting with Ken McClure and Dale Moore. Both of these gentlemen are employed by Missouri State University. I have known Dale for a short time, but I have known Ken for many years. He has had several important jobs for the state of Missouri. He was director of budget research for the Senate Appropiations Committee; He was a judge for the public service commission; He was the chief of staff for Governor Matt Blunt. It is always fun to be around Ken. One time in the 1970's we were singing at a church that had a dress code. For men, your hair could not touch your ears or your shirt color. He sent me a little drawing of a man with a crew cut and under the picture wrote "Jesus." The pew I was sitting in shook as I tried to control my laughter. Ken, Dale, and I are talking about forming a Southern Gospel Quartet and I have lined up the necessary personnel. I can't sing worth a lick anymore because of sinus, but I may be able to play the piano. Bill Ursury and Scott Landon from our church will join us and this has the potential of being a pretty good quartet.

While in Springfield, I met with Arthur Mallory, who is a special friend. Arthur is the former president of Missouri State University and the former Commissioner of Education for our state. He always has great insight into any area of education and I like to run ideas past him. He told me about a man who has taken the job as interim president of a university. Arthur told him that he will want to be the president and that has come about. He asked Arthur what he should do as a president. His reply was that he should walk around the campus and speak to the students, smile a lot, and pick up pieces of paper both inside and outside the buildings. If he would do those things, he would be a successful president. Arthur began the Parents as Teachers program that now is in many foreign countries as well as the U. S. A former president of the Missouri Baptist Convention, Arthur SERVED our denomination very well. He is one of my heroes.

Dave and Bitty Fay are long-time friends. Dave and I went to high school together and were best friends. I dated Bitty and we have always been good friends. They invite me to stay with them and that is always enjoyable. This time, Bitty got out some old pictures from dances we attended and Dave forwarded them to me. I sent them to Sue to see if she could pick me out and she did that with little trouble. Dave and Bitty will come to St. Louis this summer, stay with us and we will go see the Cardinals.

I am fortunate to have a few good friends who have been friends for such a long time. God is good all the time.

SPECIAL PEOPLE

In high school, I had the privilege of knowing George Kieffer. George was and is such a good natured person. We often teased him in a good natured way. Dan Rich and I often had fun at George's expense and we enjoyed his reaction to many of our attempts to tease him. Sometimes in class, Dan would sit on one side of George and I would sit on the other side. One of us would reach for one of George's leg in order to squeeze it just above the knee. When George would react to to that squeeze the other of us would squeeze the other leg and we always enjoyed George's loud reaction. Frequently, we would put a tack on the chair before he arrived for class knowing full-well that when George "got the point," he would yell out. We had such a good time when he did "get the point." Two days a week, we had choir first hour. George lived across the street from school and he was always late to choir. We found out later that he had three sisters and only one bathroom. We would see him running across campus and it always provided a laugh for the entire choir. The great thing about George was that he was so good natured and I realized that if there was anything wrong with our relationship, it had to be my fault. In our senior yearbook, he wrote the following: "You've been one of my best friends in spite of the calouses on my knees." At our last reunion, George, Dan and I enjoyed talking about those early days.

In college, I met another fellow who had the same makeup as George. His name is Wayne Nelson. I have never seen Wayne out of sorts about anything. He just operates on an even keel. One time, we were in Kansas City and on our way to William Jewell College to see our friend Gordon Kinsgley and play some tennis ball. On the express way, I pointed out that there was a highway patrol officer ahead of us. Wayne's response: "What's the speed temperature?" Whenever one of our friends or I would be mad about something, Wayne was always the same. I have played a lot of basketball and softball with Wayne and whether he won or lost, he was always the same. If he made an error or missed a shot in basketball, his respone was always "My aching back!!" Last summer, he and a few of our freinds met at our house and we played "Horse." He and I were the last two standing and we must have hit 10 shots in a row before he finally missed and I won the game. His response was "My aching back."

It is interesting that both George and Wayne became ministers of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. Both continue to reflect the love of Christ in their devotion and disposition. They enjoy a good time as would Jesus. Not only would I like to be more like Jesus, I would like to be more like George and Wayne. They truly represent our Lord in a special way.

WAJ - 2007 RELATIONSHIPS

Each year as the date for the Write About Jesus Workshop gets closer to the opening evening, Sue gets into her feelings of not having any idea as to writing a new song and becomes totally focused on making the workshop one that those attending will find inspiration not only to write better, but be a better Christian.

Developing a program for both experienced writers and those in the initial stages of writing for Jesus is not an easy task. Fortunately, we have a faculty who is good in both areas. As important as improving as a writer and learning the technical skills that are required, it appears to me (not a writer) that perhaps the best thing that comes out of WAJ is relationships. In the field of education, I have long insisted that emphasizing the four "R's" is vital. Reading, "Riting," "Rithemetic," and Relationships This should be part of the curriculum of every school and especially in Christian schools.

I felt something special at this year's WAJ. From the beginning in 2000, there has always been a good spirit; however, this year a special spirit was something that was unseen, but very real. There appeared to be a spirit of unity, helpfulness, a universal desire to learn, and warmth. Perhaps it was the influence of Jesus that was present in each of us. I know I want more of whatever it was. In the competition there was not a spirit of competition. It seemed like everyone was pulling for everyone to do well and if someone else won, that was ok with the other competitors. That has to be the influence of Jesus. Through the workshop and the discussion board, we are building a Christian family that is getting better, not only at writing, but at caring for others in the family. That is relationship building and I am grateful to all the registrants and clinicians for making this happen.

The Ugliest Old Lady Who Had Great Influence

Aunt Jane Prestige grew up in Texas a long time ago during the reconstruction period of our nation's history. She married at an early age and had two children. Her husband died early in their marriage leaving her with the two children and a lot of work to do. She literally built their home. She split the rail, placed logs and lumber into place, painted, cooked, maintained the yard, took care of the animals. My friend Chaplain (Lt Col) John H. Brown said she had one and half teeth and they didn't meet. Because of what she did to keep her family going, everyone respected Aunt (as they say in Texas "Aint") Jane. It always seemed to take a long time to walk in front of her house. If you asked as question such as "Think it will rain Aunt Jane?" Her reply was straight to the point. "Your thinker is as good as mine, what do you think?"

Chaplain Brown said she preached the greatest sermon he ever heard and she preached it on her front porch. She said: "John, I've seen happy days and I've seen sorrowful days, but through it all, I can say blessed be the name of the Lord." My guess is that she didn't give that thought much attention, but it was incredibly moving to Chaplain Brown. Without her knowing it or having any idea that this was meaningful to someone, that message has been preached in Army chapels around the world. It has been preached on ships at sea and on the battlefields of Korea. It has been a message that has touched soldiers, sailors, marines, and civilians in the United States and Europe. I continue to share the story and some of those who hear me will continue the legacy.

You don't have to have a college education, be a commercial Christian songwriter, a professor, or a minister to have a message. Sometimes the great messages come from unexpected places. That makes listening very important.

ANOTHER DIRECTOR OF INFLUENCE

Russell Newport is a friend of mine. I grew up in his choir at First Baptist Church in Springfield, MO. About a year before I joined the choir, he assumed the position of director. The choir at that time was both small and ineffective. Russell accepted the position as choir director temporarily for fourteen years. A basic policy he introduced was if you didn't come to choir practice, you didn't sing. When I missed practice or a Sunday service, I would go a long way out of my way to keep from seeing Russell. Harmon Chapman was a member of the choir and was also an artist for his high school newspaper. Each practice, Harmon would draw a cartoon and circulate it among members of the choir. We were practicing to present a concert of "The Elijah," by Felix Mendleson. One of the cartoons Harmon drew was of a little bearded man standing next to Russell with a caption of Russell speaking to the bearded man. It read: "I don't care if your name is Felix Mendelson, you haven't been to choir practice and you can't sing with us." Another cartoon pictured Russell with a machine gun in his hand saying: "Sing Altos! Sing!" I remember a practice when we were rehearsing an anthem and Russell stopped the choir and said: "It's Naaaked ladies, not Neked."

Russell has a Bachelor's degree from William Jewell and a Master's in business from Harvard. For several years he owned several dime stores in Southwest Missouri. My friend Bob Speake once said that if you wanted a full days work, all you had to do was follow Russell.

Russell was a great positive influence on so many young people at FBC. He gave voice lessons to members of his choir without remuneration. My friend Jerry McMahon became very interested in Christian music and singing because of Russell, a believer who generously gave of his time to so many different people and causes.


What I haven't told you is what a great singer he is. Russell always said that if you sang properly, you could be a good singer all your life. Now in his middle 80's, Russell is still a great tenor. I mean great tenor. He could have been a star with the Metropolitan Opera in New York if had chosen to accept their offer. He studied voice at the New England Conservatory and also in Los Angeles and San Francisco. He has been tenor soloist with symphony orchestras and oratorio societies around the world. He appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and as soloist on ABC and CBS religious presentations.

Most of all, Russell loves the Lord Jesus. Rather than embarking on the singing road in the secular world, he chose to serve Christ with his marvelous vocal instrument. No one, I mean No one can sing "The Holy City" like Russell. I will ever be greatful for his influence on me.