Ten years ago, February 24, at the age of 91, Oden E. Lockhart died.

At the time of his death, he was still conducting his radio ministry on multiple stations in the Appalachian region of this country.

He had been an encourager to me for 35 years since I was in college back in the early 70s.

I knew him as "The Old Time Preacher Man," but I simply called him, "Preacher."

He first introduced himself to me in 1974 as "The Old Time Preacher Man from Way Back."

When he was 90, his church in Bluefield, West Virginia, celebrated 60 years of his voice in radio broadcasting.

The more important of the two questions posed in the title is, "Who is Oden E. Lockart?"

Oden was the reluctant, but faithful pastor of East End Baptist church in Bluefield when he took me under his wing as Associate Pastor and Youth Director.

He gave me the opportunity to conduct my first Lord's Supper and my first baptism. He taught me more about visiting, evangelizing, and loving people than any one pastor before or after.

He even let me preach on his radio broadcast.

I say he was a reluctant pastor only because his heart was in evangelism and his radio ministry. He was unique in that second ministry in that he actually pastored the people who were his regular listeners.

Since the broadcasts were on regional stations in a number of Appalachian states, he could visit their churches and homes. He took the prayer requests he received very seriously, and often followed up with calls and visits.

When was the last time your favorite radio or TV evangelist personally contacted you?

The Preacher was in his late 50s when I met him and he was married to "Mama." I must have known her name at some time, but I never really learned it.

Preacher and Mama lived in a "holler" in Abbs Valley, Virginia where the Preacher had worked in the coal minds for over 30 years and contracted Black Lung. He wasn't supposed to live much past his early 60s. That is something for a 90 year old man to chuckle about, especially when he was still preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I have been known to "fret," but I never saw Oden E. Lockhart fret.

He was an Independent Baptist, Fundamentalist, King James-Only preacher. I m none of those things and yet, I learned more progressive ideas and deeper compassion from him that from 10 other more "enlightened" preachers.

He embodied the heart of Christ.

Some of his more memorable quotes and terminologies were:

"I don't need a doctor to work on my Bible. It never was sick."

"I don't need a Living Bible. Mine never was dead."

Hollywood was "Hellywood" and television was "Hellivision."

In early marriage, my wife and I had the opportunity to stay in the Lockhart home together and I took delight in pointing out to her the side by side, his and her bathrooms to the left when you went in the main entrance, the studio where so many broadcasts originated, and the unique way that the folks stored all their dishes in the dishwasher because it saved several steps and you might as well wash them all at the same time.

Mama Lockhart passed away many years before the Preacher did.

One day, years before Oden died, I received a call from a lady named Betty Quick. I quickly remembered her as the clerk of East End Baptist Church. I always liked Betty but I remembered that she and the Preacher had always had a running battle. She was always on his case about something and he sought to remain as sane as possible while getting a little gleam and twinkle in his eye when ever he had the chance to antagonize her a bit.

After renewing my memory for a moment, she said, "I have someone here who would like to talk to you."

"Tommy, this is Oden E. Lockhart. How are you? Betty and I got married."

Nothing shocks me any more – almost nothing – but this did.

She returned to the phone after a while and wanted to make one thing perfectly clear. He had contacted her after her husband died to provide pastoral support, comfort, and prayers.

"We didn't marry for convenience (she might have said, "companionship)," she declared, "I fell in love with that old man."

So there.

Every Christmas he sent me a thick envelope with a nice card and a whole pile of evangelistic tracts to give away.

She continued that tradition as long as she could. Her last card simply said, "I'm lonely."

I fell in love with that old man too – many years ago. He was a mentor, friend, father figure, and discipler in my life.

Sometimes I stop and ask myself if I am being faithful to the investment that he and other elder pastors and teachers have placed in my life.

Until he contacted me after decades, I wondered where the preacher was. I sometimes wonder where I am.

Where is Tom? I'll tell you this, I would not be anywhere near where I am without folks like the Preacher. I honor him and think of him fondly, thanking God for his influence on me.

We are shaped by many people who breath into our lives and allow us to stand on their shoulders. We seldom turn out as carbon copies of them, but we owe them much of who and what we become.

I learned from this man to love the people and give them a simple gospel.