I was talking with friends the other day,
About people that have influenced our lives.
The lists were long with well known names,
Our parents of course, and with some, their wives.
Teachers were common from our early years,
Some mentioned pastors or neighbors or brothers.
Our grandparents and other relatives were included,
As well as school friends and many others.
Mom and Dad topped every list,
Without them we wouldn’t be here.
But other names were more surprising,
People we haven’t seen for many a year.
One person on my list I haven’t seen since my youth,
Though I often have a chat with his wife.
Dick Madison was my Sunday School teacher,
In the fourteenth year of my life.
I talk with his lovely wife Ruth at First Baptist,
She teaches young children on Sundays.
I’m sure she’s as much of an influence to them,
As he was to me in so many ways.
It’s funny what we remember from bygone years,
Some memories are stronger by far.
We spent a year together in Sunday School,
But what I remember most was his car!
Mr. Madison had a Volkswagen Beetle,
Back when there were lots of them around.
I could hear him pull up in front of my house,
Those cars have a distinctive sound.
He would pick me up every Sunday morning,
And take me to Church and Sunday School.
I loved riding in that funny little car,
His choice of transportation was very cool.
School was tough in my freshman year,
Life at home was turbulent too.
Temptations were far too numerous,
And positive influences were few.
But there was one I could count on,
He pulled up in my driveway each week.
And made sure I could get to church,
For that way of life that I would seek.
I don’t know if he suspected,
How much that meant to me.
I don’t remember if I told him,
I was a teenager then you see.
I was too wrapped up in my own life,
With many problems to face.
I felt like the world didn’t need me much,
An insignificant member of the human race.
But Mr. Madison made me feel wanted,
Important enough to go out of his way,
To pick me up each week in his car,
So I could go to church on Sunday.
It was that stable environment,
That church and Christ can provide,
That gave me something to hold on to,
When I felt like no one was on my side.
I would learn the lessons he taught me,
Each week in his Sunday School class.
Examples from the Bible on how to live,
Proven through time with values that last.
Later he would ask me questions,
On what Dr. Moore’s sermon was about.
I didn’t always have an answer.
Because of my morning paper route.
Dr. Moore is an excellent preacher,
With that fabulous voice your attention he can keep.
But even he couldn’t always overcome,
Heavy eyelids due to four hours sleep!
I tried my best to stay awake,
But I just couldn’t keep my eyes open.
I hoped he wouldn’t ask me those questions,
But he was consistent, there was no use hopin’.
One Sunday in March of 1970,
We arrived to find Amarillo High on fire.
Though the firefighters tried their best,
We watched as the flames just got higher.
Students were saving pictures and trophies,
I found out my brother was among them.
I wanted more than anything in my life,
To go into that burning school and help him.
The scene was total chaos,
Police and firemen were everywhere.
Dozens of teachers and students helped out,
It seemed like I was the only one not there.
They were loading bookcases in the back of trucks,
Stacking the books in big piles on the ground.
People were rushing around yelling and crying,
The roar of the fire made an unearthly sound.
The flames by now were fifty feet high,
Black smoke poured out through holes in the wall.
The water gushing out through the doors,
Made the steps seem like a surreal waterfall.
Time and again students braved the fire,
And rushed back in to save what they could.
They seemed unconcerned for their own safety,
I wanted to join them ‘cause I thought that I should.
But there was someone watching out for me,
I didn’t even ask, I knew the answer was no.
He wouldn’t let me go into the fire,
His class was waiting, it was time to go.
I didn’t hear a word in the church that day,
All I could think about was the fire.
The bravery demonstrated by the students,
Was something I thought that I should admire.
It’s funny how time changes perspective,
In how we think and what we say.
The wisdom I’ve gained made me realize,
How many lessons I learned that day.
I learned about responsibility,
By not going into that school.
The people I thought were so brave,
Might have turned out to be the fool.
If something tragic had happened,
Who would be responsible for them.
It easily could have been me,
If it hadn’t of been for him.
I was alive and healthy,
When Mr. Madison picked me up that day.
It was his responsibility,
To take me back home the same way.
I wasn’t happy about it at the time.
But time changes perspective and now I know.
Sometimes being responsible,
Means you have to say no.
I learned about judgment early that day,
The kind he used to keep me alive.
I found out that he loved me enough,
To ensure that I would survive.
He demonstrated dependability,
By showing up at my door each week.
And consistency, sometimes to my dismay,
By sermon questions and answers he would seek.
I learned about respect by example,
In the way he treated those he served.
And the way he respected me even though sometimes,
The way I acted I felt it wasn’t deserved.
He taught me about commitment,
By teaching his class without fail all year.
So many of the lessons I learned from him,
Are now the things I hold most dear.
He showed me how to serve The Lord,
His most important lesson of all.
We all have something we can do,
The young and the old, the big and the small.
Some teach a class, some sing in the choir,
We each can contribute depending on who we are.
Sometimes it’s even as simple,
As giving a kid a ride in your car.
You never know how your actions affect others,
The things you do and the example you show.
So just make sure your a positive influence,
As Mr. Madison was to me so long ago.
His wife tells me he ministers to prisoners now,
That’s why he’s not at the church on Sundays.
The challenge now is to influence these men,
To repent their sins and change their ways.
I don’t know what course their lives took,
To cause them to be where they are right now.
But I do know the man The Lord sent to them,
Can help them change their lives anyhow.
My advice to them is, listen to his words,
Respect this man of God, for this I know,
Mr. Madison can be a positive influence to you,
As he was to me so many years ago.
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