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| Dr. Warren Wiersbe and his lovely wife, Betty. |
I first met Dr. Warren Wiersbe when I was about 12, during the time I helped my parents with janitorial work. I'd heard of him and knew he was a writer, which I passionately wanted to be, so I found his desk and left him notes from, "Janitor Mark." Amazingly, he kept all those notes and filed them for safe keeping. Well, he was enchanted by my youthful exuberance and met me in person, and thus began a lifelong friendship and mentor-ship. We spent many hours talking, learning, and joking. His humor always managed to dig under my shyness and tear it loose. He was a wonderful man, and I loved him dearly.
He heartily encouraged my writing, and critiqued everything I wrote--including my first two books. The amazing thing was, though he disliked fiction, he always found time to read whatever I created. His wisdom helped me in far more than writing. He mentored me spiritually, and I will forever be grateful for his guiding light. I owe him a great debt.
My favorite memories are when he would take me to the steak house and we would have lunch together. At the time I wasn't aware of just how special those times were, but I was a kid and was at least wise enough to make those times count. When I turned 16, and got my driver's license, he gave me a congratulation card with $25 inside for my first ticket! What a jokester. The privilege of such attention was lost on me at the time, but now I can only look back with wonder.
When my son was born, we named him Peter Warren, in honor of Dr. Wiersbe. My whole family met both him and his wife many times. We didn't take enough pictures, but I'm glad for the ones we have, and he gamely posed for them. It's impossible to express just how big of an impact he made on me and my family. What an extraordinary man.
If there is one lesson that Dr. Wiersbe taught me above any others, it was quiet humility. He always gave credit to God first, and only accepted praise second-hand as the tool of the Creator. I saw how he treated fame, the way he practically ran the other way when confronted by it. He enjoyed anonymity whenever he could, but didn't complain when I'd introduce someone to him. What a fantastic example he was!
I hope that I've passed on his lessons to my own children. I hope his influence has made me a better man. I hope his memory never fades. I wish I could talk to him more, and ask his opinion on things, but that time is sadly gone. I will never forget him, or his special ministry to me.
Thank you, Dr. Wiersbe, and thank you, Mrs. Wiersbe for always being gracious and loving even when we interrupted dinnertime. We miss you both.
- M
