Uncle Jerry

My Uncle Jerry is the last of my mother's siblings. If you've read my blog before, you know that my mother, the eldest of the four Garloch kids, died last year. My Uncle Russell died the year before. And my Uncle Leslie (whom I'm named after--James L.(eslie)) died in 1994. Not only is my uncle the last of the family left, he holds a distinction in our family.
According to my parents, and I remember this very well, Uncle Jerry left the church. Now mind you, Jerry is a preacher. But he's a preacher for the Christian church. Recently I discovered a tape he had made answering some of my father's questions. I sensed some angst and some tension in the tape. I see my Uncle Jerry only at supremely special events, i.e. funerals.
After going to Dallas a year ago last fall and listening to brethren discuss our differences in the Church of Christ and the Christian Church. And after going to Tulsa this year and hearing messages from both sides of the keyboard, I decided to call my uncle.
I think he was somewhat surprised to hear my voice and he wasn't sure what I had called about. "I just want you to know that I don't feel about you as my mom and dad did." In the course of the conversation, I learned that he preached for two Christian churches--one an independent Christian Church, the other a Disciples of Christ. He loves Jesus deeply. He loves the word deeply. He is a good, spiritual man who makes mistakes...and I make mistakes, too. He told me several times how much he appreciated my call. The conversation closed with an acknowledgement of how much we both missed my mom and dad.
I may not be able to reconcile the entire Church of Christ and the Christian Church. I may not be able to convince my own brethren of the importance of doing just that. But I can reconcile a precious uncle of mine who may have thought I looked down on him. The bond is now stronger and I'm sure we'll both be better for it.
How about you? Can you make a difference in just one? If so, that will go a long ways. Have a great day. JW