Tom Logue

We’ve lost a real friend and colleague. Tom Logue, for many years the Arkansas Baptist State Convention’s Baptist Student Director, and then in retirement the Coordinator of the Arkansas Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, died Saturday night. His service will be Tuesday, March 9, at Second Baptist in Little Rock (see my newsletter column from March 9).

Tom joined Second Baptist a few months ago, along with his daughter Louise. For years Tom was faithful to the Lakeshore Drive church (formerly University Baptist). Lakeshore Drive has just about died, if it hasn’t ceased worshiping altogether. Tom loved that little church and gave his heart and soul to it, as he did anything to which he was committed. As long as he was the CBF coordinator, he kept his office at the church.

Most of all, Tom was committed to Jesus. I have told many people, and I’ve said it in front of Tom, that he’s influenced more people for Jesus than anybody I know. He didn’t do it by confronting people; he simply loved them. He did this despite his own personal pain. His eldest son, Tommy, died in 1972 at the age of 17 from muscular dystrophy, a slow, debilitating disease. As Tom put it, “His cup was measured and he savored every drop.”

A funny thing happened on the way to this blog... Just before I sat down to my computer to form these thoughts, I got a call from a woman representing the local muscular dystrophy association. It seems that on April 7 I will be “arrested.” My bail is $2000, and I have until then to raise it.

What an aggravation, I thought. I don’t have time for this, and the only means by which to raise this kind of money is through my contacts at the church. And yet, I don’t want to ask my congregation to pony up. And then I thought of Tom. Years ago he wrote a little book – actually, it’s a compilation of his daily journal thoughts during the time Tommy was ill – entitled God, Could You Talk a Little Louder? Now, I’m wondering if Tom is talking to me from the other side.

You know what, this is a small thing I could do for MD, to help them raise funds to send children like Tommy to summer camp. I think I’ll ask them if we can do this in Tom’s memory.