Tuesday, November 24, 2009

James Cayler Hale, 9/11/39 - 11/23-2009

My dad passed away last night after a long battle with cancer. He fought very hard, even the last hour. I am very proud of him.

Here's the obit.

Right now, I think we are all just really, really tired. I've got several things I jotted down from the last few weeks --- & I fully intend on blogging about those at some point --- but I think I need to just do nothing for a while.

Thanks to everyone for the calls, the visits, the calls, the everything. My family & I appreciate it greatly.

My hero may have passed from here, but Grace & Peace are enough to still us in His Prescence.


6 comments:

Georgia Mountain Man said...

So sorry to hear about this. Even with the long and inevitable battle it is still hard to give up a parent. He will live on in the lessons that he taught and that you in turn pass on to your children. My prayers are with you and your family.

Gene S said...

My sympathies.

My father died in 1990 after a battle with liver cancer. He wisely decided to let nature take its course since there was no promise of a cure, and treatment would make his last days miserable.

By the grace of God he was spared pain and suffering except in the last few days. That came at a time his mind was in the past and the body was responding without him really feeling it.

In his passing, I lost my mentor, model, hero. He was called to preach in the red hilly fields he was plowing outside Athens, GA. He came from a rural church filled with ignorance to the point the old ladies told him not to attend Mercer for it would ruin him.

He laughed and hitch hiked arriving with 10 cents in his pocket. He peeled potatoes and cut hair to get through! He repaid every cent loaned to him by a gracious local couple and established a loan fund in his and momma's name, Claude and Lucretia Scarborough.

After 3 years at Andover-Newton, he came back south to discover the Southern graduates had an upper hand with any large Georgia church. So much for Baptist openess!

Despite having a non-Southern Seminary degree, he rose to pastor the FBC Clarkston and was fired for refusing to bow to the lawyer/mayor who was using church funds to harass an opposing case against his client. So much for lay honesty!

He started a new Mission Church and pioneered Juvenile Rehabilitation for the HMB while serving as Assistant DOM of the Atlanta Association during high growth years. His counsel was sought by many pastors and laymen across Atlanta.

His story proves that cream rises to the top--always! So much for anyone selling out his integrity for popularity!!!

I pray your father was such a source of guidance and his influence lives on through you!

That Baptist Ain't Right said...

Gene: Thanks for your story! I can totally relate to the horror stories about how churches & church folk operate --- I have been through before & it is not pretty.

Gene S said...

Alfred E. Newman -- one of my favorite characters of the 60's.

Man, you know how to pick them, AND only us wild children of the 60's can relate!!

I had a hunch we had more in common than we knew. Baptists, indeed, are crazy and will forever be the favorite insane assylum of the religious world!

We might as well laugh as to cry!!!

TheoPoet said...

Sorry to hear about your dad passing.

foxofbama said...

Ryan:

Sorry to hear about the passing of your Dad.
He will be with you always but you will be stronger bearing his memory as he will live on in you.
I have found that Faure's Requiem and Arvo Part's Magnificat are a source of deep and profound comfort in the loss of one so close as a Father.