He took the guitar from my brother’s hand, strummed it, and began to wail in a cowboy twang, “There was blood on the saddle, there was blood on the ground, and a great big puddle of blood on the ground; a cowboy lay in it all covered with gore and he never will ride any broncos no more.”
My brothers and I dissolved into gales of laughter as Warren Wiersbe continued to sing, “Oh pity the cowboy all bloody and red, for the bronco fell on him and bashed in his head.” Here was a preacher who liked teenage boys and knew how to get through to them.
Our parents had invited Pastor Wiersbe to our home for a meal after he had ministered as a guest speaker in our church in Chattanooga, Tennessee. To us lads, he was gentle, approachable, and really funny. We knew he took God seriously, but we could see that didn’t keep him from enjoying life.
Little did I know at that time that my future life would intersect with his in ways important to me. He was a regular speaker for Bible conferences at the college and seminary I attended. He was always a favorite of the students. I was in awe of the clarity and wisdom of his Bible teaching.
Later, I studied preaching in a course he co-taught with Lloyd M. Perry at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School near Chicago. When I was called to serve as associate pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Covington, Kentucky, I served under Galen C. Call, who had succeeded Wiersbe as pastor of that eminent congregation. Galen told me more than once that his service as Pastor Wiersbe’s associate, was equivalent to a seminary degree.
Pastor Wiersbe came back to Calvary several times as a guest speaker during my years as associate and senior pastor. He made himself available to us younger ministers to discuss ministry problems, theological questions, and of course, books. “What are you reading?” he would ask.
If I called him he never gave the impression that I was interrupting something more important. He usually answered the phone with a cheerful “Wiersbes!” Then he would listen patiently to whatever question or problem I wanted to share. His answers were based on scriptural principles and sanctified common sense.
I will always be grateful for the wisdom of his example. Here are some of the lessons he taught me.
Teach the Word — what it says, what it means, emphasizing the points where the Bible touches life.
Always preach the gospel. He would say that he was not an evangelist. But I served in a church where there were many people who said they trusted Christ as savior as a result of Pastor Warren Wiersbe’s preaching and personal witness.
Give the best part of your day to study. I tried to devote the morning hours to the study of God’s Word, while my mind was fresh and uncluttered by the accumulated concerns of the day.
Do not neglect pastoral care. Know the people and love the people. When Pastor Wiersbe would come to our church to minister, before every service he would circulate among the people in the pews, greeting them with friendly words of encouragement and good humor.
One bit of advice he gave me has been a source of untold blessing. He suggested to me that I form a prayer group of local pastors who would meet to pray for each other, for each others’ churches, and for the city. It has been a joy to meet with pastors of different denominations. We have been praying together every month for over twenty years.
I know that hundreds of other ministry leaders have enjoyed even closer fellowship with Pastor Wiersbe than I have. Some have written eloquent online tributes upon learning of his death. I feel the need to add my own words out of deep respect and gratitude to God for his influence. No one except my father has influenced me more.
It has been said that a good example is the only Bible some people will read. That may be true. But I am convinced that Warren Wiersbe would want more than anything for his example to lead people into the Bible and to a knowledge of the God of the Bible.
Oh and yes, I am pretty sure there is laughter in heaven today.
