This past week, we said goodbye to a man who meant a lot to me during my college years: Forest Arnold. Though I only had him for a couple of classes, he also was my academic mentor, a faculty role in which he helped me plan my classes and discuss my spiritual life, struggles, and goals. Honestly, if you could somehow take love and package it, Bro. Arnold is what you would get. He was an incredible man who still inspires me many years after we said our goodbyes.
Arnold was a 3-time All-American basketball player for the University of Memphis, and some of his records are still unbeaten. They retired his jersey years ago, and it hung in the Memphis Pyramid before being moved to its current position in the Fed Ex Forum. In a special ceremony last week, they held a moment of silence there in his memory. Local news carried the story of his passing and spoke very well of him.
Bro. Arnold turned down a professional basketball career to preach the Gospel, and the next 40+ years he devoted his life to mentorship, preaching, Christian education, missions, marriage-enrichment, and inspiring young people to be all they can for the Lord.
In the beginning, I wasn’t too sure what to think of him. He wasn’t the typical college professor, and wasn’t known for being uber-intellectual. And believe me, he knew the oddity of his position. He was known for comparing himself to a turtle on a fence post. “When you see a turtle on a fence post, you know someone put it there.” In the same way, it was clear and obvious to all that God put him where he was at. One of the things that made him special was that he never tried to be someone that he wasn’t. He was such a real, genuine man that he brought inspiration to us all to be the same. He had his compass bearing so securely fixed that when he said, “Follow me as I follow Christ” you knew that you could trust him.
Here’s a link to a well-made montage of his life, well worth the time: http://vimeo.com/20385779
