a man ahead of his time

Irvin Lee Slipher

October 4, 1918 -- June 21, 2019

He was a man ahead of his time.

What does it look like to be a man ahead of your time?

Here are some examples:

He built a “tiny house” before it was trendy and expensive.

You know the one on Big McGraw Road.

He kept “aviator” sunglasses on his dash before Rayban’s became the rage.

He carried a “red bandana” and wore a “trucker hat” before Hipsters existed.

He carried an insulated cup every day. It was called a Thermos, not a “Yeti”.

He helped create a “community” before it was a buzz word in the church.

He welcomed a “Refugee” with a tattooed number on her arm from a concentration camp where hate crimes were committed against humanity.

Her name was Olga.

He often said there were things he didn’t understand, but nevertheless, he saw no color or discrimination.

-       He befriended the only woman of color in his community.

Her name was Fergie.

-       The first mixed-race marriage was given kindness.

-       He served dinner to a homeless man who lived in a tent in the woods.

-       He befriended a gay couple with the belief that they too, needed Jesus.

He did “mission trips” as a “Mapper” before cell phones and apps existed. He literally laid out a large paper map and planned out each day's trip. Of course “Mapper” actually meant missions. He would go as a “builder” and build a parsonage or a church.  He once backed his trailer three blocks down the street in Los Angeles.

When my family moved to Wildwood Florida I was actually able to visit a pastors library he had built years before and talked to him about it.

He wore a blue jean “barn jacket” and “flannel” before Lands End published a catalog and make them cool.

He had a “Shed” before Chip and Joanna Gaines because he was the original “Fixer Upper”.

He was a “Picker” before American Pickers was a television show. Every auction had something he needs. The proof was all around is the shop for everyone to see.

He had a second breakfast Monday thru Friday before anyone had ever heard of doing a “coffee run” at Starbucks.

He had his own book club because no one could read as many books as he did.

He was a “trailblazer” before it was cool, he just happened to do it in a snowplow and grader for his community. He created a path for everyone to move freely.

He read his Dake’s bible from cover to cover every year before anyone printed the “One Year Bible”.

He considered “dumpster diving” to be “normal”. He just happened to literally do it at the dump. When I tossed out his toxic microwave, he went and got it back and told me it was just fine.

He was a “dreamer” long before John Lennon ever wrote a famous song about it. He often said his dreams were so real he didn’t know if it was real or a dream.

But, He believed the Lord spoke to him in his dreams.

 He redefined the “secret life of prayer” because you had to pray with one eye open while he prayed because he spoke so quietly you didn’t know when he was done praying. But, He prayed daily.

Pepper!

Can we just say this one word?

I literally grew up thinking that sneezing before every meal was “normal”.

Who knew?

He redefined “wicked funny” the way He would bust out laughing when something struck his funny bone slapping his knee as he laughed.

“Happy Camper” – He spent years working at “camp” carving out a time and a place for boys to put their lives back together. He always believed in second chances.

Lastly –

He married a woman who, in her own right, gave a new meaning to the words “cookie exchange”. I think cookies were actually her hidden superpower that God used to open doors with people who would have never been open to the gospel. She told me, he was always happy to drive her anywhere she wanted to go and never said no. Together they prayed with people on their deathbeds, asking Jesus in their hearts.