Eulogy for My Father

February 9, 2019

“Our Dad was our hero, but not because of anything he did on an athletic field. That was a small, finite period of his life. He played football for about 15 years. He lived for another 60. It was what he did during the other 60 that mattered, at least to his family. It was what he did in those other 60 years that bore fruit. It was an investment that paid off.

I personally think it is sometimes sad that men like Dad who became noteworthy for something they did at a young age, that becomes all they are known for. But our father was so much more than that. And that is what I want to speak about for a few minutes.

He Set an Example.

Example of a Christian Husband

Ephesians 5:25 tells us, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.” And our father loved our mother. They were married for over 53 years and I never, ever witnessed a single person or a single thing come before my mother. She was first, and we knew that. And everyone else knew it too. And like most kids, we learned how to be a husband and a wife by watching our parents. And they by their actions, showed us. And we watched, in good and not so good times.

Studies tell us that over half of marriages end in divorce. I don’t know why that is, I’m sure there are many reasons. I certainly don’t have the right to judge any other person. But I think sometimes people just quit.

There’s an old military saying. “When things get bad, when things get tough, some people run, and some people stay.” And no marriage is perfect. And theirs was not perfect.

After his football days were over, our family had some lean times. Mom was the breadwinner at times. Some people run and some people stay. Both of our parents STAYED. They lived their vows. Through thick and thin. Our parents showed us with their actions how much they loved each other.

That’s a TESTAMENT. That’s a TESTIMONY. That is an EXAMPLE.

And we were watching.

They were a model of loyalty, steadfastness, and love. For 53 years. What a legacy for their children and grandchildren.

Example of a Christian Father

No father that we know ever spent more time, quality and quantity, with his kids. Dad was home. His career afforded this in the early years of our growing up. And he was always in the house. There were few places one could go to escape the watchful eye of Glen Ray Hines. That could be good at times, and that could be bad at times. There was no slacking off anywhere, be it at home or anywhere else.

We didn’t appreciate this until we were grown and had kids of our own. He was totally and completely invested in every aspect of our lives during our formative years. School, sports, who our friends were, where we were, and what we were doing.

Dad was the original Day Planner guy. There have to be hundreds of these little notebooks laying around somewhere. Because he kept them. He never got rid of them. They were both planners and records. He was never in the military but I have to tell you, he planned things like a Marine drill instructor sometimes.

These notebooks were detailed so he wouldn’t miss anything. Every day seemed planned out for each of us kids. And so each of us would be set up for success. In doing so, he was mission-oriented with our lives.

But if times called for it, he was right there in that fox hole with you.

I’ll give you a perfect example. The story I’m about to tell is known to only two people in this entire room, my mother and me. I was 17 in the 11th grade. And some friends of mine and I got into some trouble one night in Houston. It’s not important what exactly happened or what we did, but suffice it to say two vehicles were totaled. Luckily nobody was injured, but the problem was a big fight broke out after the wreck and a few people got a little bloodied. The people in the neighborhood called the police, and their response time must have set a record. Before I knew it, the officers were telling us they were taking us to jail.

Now, I was 17. This was about the worst trouble I had yet to get myself into. But then the lead officer gave us a choice. He said, “You can call your parents to have them come pick you up or you can go to jail.”

And I swallowed very hard. Neither of these were very good options for me.

“Is there an option three?” I asked. “Nope,” he said.

Which was the lesser of these two evils?

Well, I didn’t know anything about jail and the prospect of it scared me to death.

So I told the officer to call my parents.

I figured my life was maybe over and I didn’t know what Dad was going to do when he arrived. Well, Dad shows up and he comes over and he talks with this officer. And he says, loud enough for me and my friends to hear, “Well, if you put my kid in there, you’re putting me in there with him.” Without a trace of insincerity or doubt in his voice.

The officer sort of absorbed this for a few seconds.

Suffice it to say, nobody went to jail that night.

Now I didn’t leave the house for the rest of my Junior year, but that’s another story I guess.

No matter what happens with your kids, no matter what they do, no matter what kind of mistakes or poor decisions they might make, we have to be right there in that fighting hole next to them. No matter what.

And he was there. Always.

Example of a Humble Christian Servant

Dad was the most humble man I ever knew. Almost to a fault. He was the opposite of a self-promoter. He was uncomfortable when people tried to engage him in talk about his playing days or pretty much anything about himself. He would much rather talk about the most recent accomplishments of his children or grandchildren.

In Houston when we were growing up and later after he and Mom moved back up here to Arkansas, he kept such a low profile that he wasn’t officially recognized for all the things he accomplished until much later in life.

He had a saying, he had a lot of sayings, that he would repeat to us like a mantra.

One of them was, “Actions speak louder than words.” He must’ve said that to me thousands of times. I would tell him I’m going to do this or that. And he would say “Don’t tell me, show me.” But it took root inside of me. It took root inside each one of us.

He was a man of action and very few words. And so he was a great example of humility. And I will be the first to confess that I often don’t measure up to his example.

People have often asked me if it was difficult growing up in his shadow. And I say no, it was the exact opposite of that.

Dad was a big man but he cast a very small shadow.

Let me say that again. Dad was a big man but he cast a very small shadow. It was easy being his son. He instilled so much self-confidence in each of his kids that it bordered on cockiness, at least for me, and I’m sure several people would attest to that. So for those of you who know me, to the extent that I might seem a bit over confident or a little too self-assured, don’t blame me. Blame him. It’s his fault.

He was constantly building us up, constantly shaping our self-esteem, constantly telling us how good we were as students, athletes, or just plain citizens. He was proud of everything we did, whether it was sports or not. And he encouraged us to take up anything we wanted. But there was just one condition, you had better give a full effort.

I never felt like I was in his shadow.

And I don’t think Wes or Shelia ever did either. Because he was such a humble man.

In his actions, he brought us to Christ. Mom and Dad had us in church from as early as I can remember. Sharpstown Baptist in Houston, pastored by the late Robert Latham, whom we all called Brother Bob.

Dad was a man of deep faith, but he didn’t wear it on his sleeve. He was very private about it. He wasn’t a big church-goer. But I witnessed him reading the Bible and making notes; it was his own quiet time.

But I’m going to tell a quick story that I think best illustrates this point. Dad was a Christian his entire life, but he had never been baptized growing up. Then when I was 11, I committed my life to Christ and wanted to be baptized. I walked up in front of the entire congregation to make my public affirmation of my faith in Jesus. And when Dad witnessed this, he followed suit the next Sunday. So we got baptized together. But Dad being 6 foot 5 and still about 240 had to be baptized on his knees so Brother Bob wouldn’t drop him if he’d been standing up. Bob was a tall man, but he wasn’t tall enough to baptize my father the traditional way.

That is one of the most cherished memories I have of our father. Being able to share that with him.

Dad was proud of his kids and his grandchildren for a lot of things.

But the thing he was most proud of was their individual acceptance of Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

One of Dad’s favorite verses was Proverbs 22:6, which says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

But here’s the thing; that doesn’t just mean you tell your children what to do; it means you show them with your actions and your good example. And our father did that.

Glen Ray Hines was an example. He was a role model:

An example of a Christian husband.

An example of a Christian father and grandfather.

An example of a humble Christian servant.

An example of a good and loyal friend.

This is the legacy he gifted us. And these are the things we will remember.”