This is my tribute to Bob Burton, the man that God used in my life to “close the deal with God.”  It was  February 1969, I was 22 years old, my wife had just become a believer in Jesus Christ and I was struggling with how to process this.  I loved her and wanted us to do life and marriage together, but was convinced that being a Christian was not for me.

One weekend she asked, “Can we go to church?”  Though I really did not want to since I had no idea what went on inside a church on Sunday morning, I relented.  She found a church a few miles from our home that she thought would a good one.  Well, it was a memorable experience because of how out-of-place I felt that day.

The next week, knowing I had a bad experience the week before, my wife asked if we could try again. She had found a different, but similar church closer to our home.  So we went.  The pastor of the church was Bob Burton, a man I came to love and respect in short order.  I liked Bob because he didn’t fit the stereotype of Christian men as I thought they were – weak, unsure, and unmanly.   We attended the church for three weeks, and though I don’t remember a thing he said from the pulpit, I do remember the moment at the back of the church when he asked me if I was a Christian.  I knew I wasn’t, but all I could think to say is, “I don’t know, but I would like to talk about it.  Can you come visit us?”

He pulled up to our humble dwelling (a mobile home) in an old VW bug – the same car I was drivng at the time.  I knew there was a reason I liked him! He loved to ski and played the trumpet, as did I.  So right away we had a lot in common.  As we talked together, he faithfully and patiently answered my questions and objections to becoming a follower of Christ.  Finally, when he asked me if I was ready to pray to receive Christ, I found myself on my knees, repenting of my sin and asking Christ for forgiveness.  Wow!   What a moment in time and eternity.

Bob continued to be my pastor for the next couple of years, and I can honestly say that he discipled me toward maturity in Christ from both the pulpit and his personal life.  He believed in Christ and invested in me.  His wife Lorraine and his children Tom, Connie and Greg are indeed blessed to have the legacy of faith and faithfulness he left behind before going on to Glory . . .

Gratefully,

Marty Granger
Springfield, Virginia