A TRIBUTE TO MY FRIEND, DAVE NIXON

      It would be wrong if I didn't take a moment and lift up the "ministry" of David Nixon, who joined his Lord yesterday morning. I put the word "ministry" within quotation marks because Dave was not an ordained minister... but he was an ordained elder... and what is more, he lived out his faith in the public arena throughout his life. I doubt if Dave ever asked anyone if he or she "knew Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior," but he lived in such a way that it was clear that he did!
      David was, in the truest sense of the word, a "good" man. He was a good husband, a good father, a good leader, a good church elder, a good friend, a good listener, a good Illinois alum, and a good golfer too. He treated others, no matter their rank or status, with love and respect, and everyone who interacted with him knew that they were in good hands. Dave Nixon was a thoughtful, insightful, disciplined and caring man, who always did the right (or righteous) thing as he saw it. I suspect that Dave had his moments. I'm sure that he wasn't always at his best, but the record shows that he was a model of righteousness and faithfulness for the rest of us.
      When Sherry and I arrived in Peoria in the summer of 1999, Dave and Kathy were among the first people we met as we began our ministry at Arcadia Avenue Presbyterian Church. Both of them were kind and gracious, of course, and they embraced the things that we were trying to do for that wonderful church. Dave helped me greatly, and Kathy and Dave welcomed Sherry and me into their lives, Then, when we made the decision to unite with First Presbyterian Church, Dave used his talents and his grace to help make our vision become a reality. From the moment we arrived in Peoria until the moment when I left to accept a call to South Park Presbyterian Church, our ministries and, in a very real sense, our lives were intertwined with Dave and Kathy Nixon's. They were our friends, and even though we've been gone for some time now, they will always be our friends.
      Sherry and I loved Dave Nixon. We liked and admired him too. He was a role model to us and he showed us what it means to live in this world as a Christian. I am deeply saddened today and we are keeping Kathy, Megan, and Matt in our prayers. Heaven is rejoicing today. The world is a little dimmer, but if we embrace Dave's family and make it our business to be as loving and as principled as he was, his legacy and his ministry will go on and on and on.... Goodbye, dear friend, and thanks for making me a better man!