I liked to call him “Captain.”  He achieved the rank of Captain in the Coast Guard.  That achievement required a lot of work on his part, but it wasn’t just because of this attainment that I called him “Captain.”

That title suited him.  Dr. Thomas Edward “Eddy” Lenoir embodied the qualities of a profound leader.  I am one of many who deeply respected him.  That respect was deepened because it was accompanied by great love.  Deeply loved, highly respected: that is Captain Eddy.

I enjoyed many conversations with Captain Eddy (now I only wish I would have had many more), but there is one that I will remember above all others.  It was in a room at Providence Hospital.  I visited with him one day when it was just the two of us.  He was wearing a high-flow oxygen hose and he was very tired, but he said he wanted to talk with me.  So I pulled up a chair and listened to the Captain.

“If I don’t survive this [speaking of his damaged lungs], I don’t want anyone to think it was because I didn’t fight it,” he explained.  “Sometimes, you are beaten.”

Eddy was a fighter.  He fought for things that were important to him.  There was nothing he wouldn’t do for his family.  He wasn’t just a fighter; he was a fixer.  He would repair things like broken vases.  He could do very delicate work, something you might expect from a gifted dentist.  He was a “fixer” of problems, too.  He took care of people.  If someone he loved had a problem, he would do his best to help solve it.  He wanted you to know that he was on your side.

Yes, Captain Eddy was a fighter.  But “sometimes, you are beaten.”  That was another profound insight from the Captain.  There are some things in this life that you just can’t overcome, no matter how hard you fight.

Then, you have to know where the real victory is.  “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).  That statement of victory is found at the conclusion of the great Resurrection chapter.  Death is described as the last enemy in that text.  The great victory comes in the resurrection, and the key to victory is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We may lose some battles on this earth, but Jesus Christ won the war!  Because He died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day, through our trusting obedience, we can share in His victory and look forward to living eternally with God in heaven.

God will share the victory that Christ offers to those who will place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).  He will continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7-9).

It is of great comfort to me to know that Captain Eddy knew the Captain of his soul.

“For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation [Jesus] perfect through sufferings.” – Hebrews 2:10 NKJV

Never forget: Christ suffered for us – for our sins – so that we can share in His glorious victory.  In this life, we may be “beaten” by some things, but through Christ we can be victorious.

-- David A. Sargent

* In loving memory of Captain Thomas Edward “Eddy” Lenoir (1946-2023).  Until we meet again.

David A. Sargent, Minister

Church of Christ at Creekwood 
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama  36695

Archived issues of Living Water can be viewed and accessed from our website at: www.creekwoodcc.org