Our observance of the Fourth of July was saddened this year by the death of James White. James, his son Adam, and some other friends were riding their motorcycles in Tennessee on the morning of July 4, when a tragic accident occurred. A vehicle that they were meeting veered into their lane of traffic. The vehicle struck James’ motorcycle, and he was killed instantly.
James’ death left all of us in shock. James and Linda and their daughter Jennifer and her family have all been members of our church for several years. We have grown to love the entire family. James was a kind and caring man who served on several committees in our church where he put his faith into practice.
In addition to being someone on whom we depended in this church, James was also someone we depended on when it came to our cars and trucks. James owned and operated “White’s Tires” where he sold tires and serviced automobiles. For must of us who know very little about automobiles, James was a voice whom we could trust when it came time to get our vehicles serviced.
When you went to see James about a problem, he usually had a very low price or would not charge you at all for his service. I say usually.
When it came time to do the funeral service for James a few days after his tragic death, James’ family got Bro. Jack Whitley, an old family friend, to assist me with the service. Jack told about often going by to see James at his store with some problem with his tires. He would pull in and ask James to fix a tire that was leaking air. James would find the hole, plug it, and air the tire back up. Jack would ask, “How much do I owe you, James?” James would respond, “You don’t owe me anything. I’ll catch you next time.” Later, Jack would go by needing to have his tires rotated on his truck. James would put the truck on the rack, rotate the tires, and soon have it ready to go. Jack would say, “How much do you I owe you, James?” James would say, “There’s no charge on that. I’ll catch you next time.”
After several visits like this, Jack went by one day to inquire about buying a new set of tires for his truck. He told James what he wanted, and asked how much they would cost. James took a few minutes to work up an estimate, and then told Jack, “That will be $650.” Jack gasped and said, “Six hundred and fifty dollars? What about ‘catch you next time’?” James smiled and said, “This is next time!”
Next time—it has a way of coming for all of us. We may get the impression that there is no price to be paid for sin. We can simply wait and pay it next time. Don’t be misled. Next time always comes. It is the time when we receive the bill and have to pay the cost.
We miss James around here. Our fellowship is diminished by his absence. James taught us a lot of important things. One thing he taught us is that “next time” arrives sooner or later for all of us.
