10.28- Have the same mind set as Jesus Christ

10.28-

I think tomorrow, 10.28.17, is the 13th year since my brother, Reed, moved to be with the Lord in heaven. I still miss him.

He could see the inconsistencies in life in the real world and yet continued to live a life of love and integrity.

He handled the mistakes in those around him with forgiveness, grace and mercy. I have experienced him constantly overlooking some of my own personality rough edges and at other times knock them off when he could and keep on being close to me.

He had a strong respect for good Christian leaders. My grandfather Woods, Dad, Gene’s dad, My Uncle Bob Wishard and Alan Sowders as well as other men in our family and Gene’s family. These were some of his men of example, yet he did not follow them in their weak areas.

He was a faithful worker with Dallas Power and Light for many years and retired from there. This required for him to learn that the boss was not always right, but he was always the boss.

He felt joy in his life and loved to laugh with others. He was not the type to be oversensitive to those who made a joke at his expense. He came to love being a source of humor. This bothered those of us who loved him more than it did him. I think this was because he was very secure in being a son of God.

He did not compete in a way that made him envious of the success of those close to him.
He loved the state of Texas. He was in the Army and lived in Ft Dix New Jersey, but he loved his home state. He was blessed to go the state Fair in Dallas with our school group. What an education for him just to see the big city of Dallas.

He did not jump to conclusions about people. He reserved judgement. He tried to believe the best about people, but once they had shown him who they were he moved on from those who were harmful to him.

He never shamed me when he saw me doing something foolish. He saw an apartment where I lived in the summer of 1966 in DeRidder LA and it was dirty and junky and he jumped in and helped me clean it up saying. “Your mother would whip your bottom. Let’s clean this up.”

He was nine years older than me and yet as a young teen he took me with him often. We were in Bonham Texas for the funeral of Sam Rayburn when several Presidents came to town to honor him.

He trusted God. Life had dealt him some challenges. He was blessed with the short, stout body type of my mom rather than the taller genes of dad. (Like me.) He still kept good self confidence in life. He trusted God.

He was wise in picking a great wife. Gene, was perfect for him. She had skills that worked well as a partner in life. They brought to this world two great kids, Alan and Gena. He joined Gena in heaven on 10.28.04.

Alan, Charmaine and Austin along with Gene continue to do their work on this earth but all of us keep Reed in our mind and are inspired by his example.

Larry Wishard

Philippians 2.

2 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ² then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. ³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

⁶ Who, being in very nature^[a] God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature^[b] of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.