I wanted to pass on a few highlights of Skip Gray‘s memorial service from Sunday, March 20, at the Great Hall in The Navigators’ Glen Eyrie Castle. You can watch the service in its entirety, and if you have 90 minutes, I recommend you do so. You will enter into the heart of a man who was wholly dedicated to God and to investing in people – one-to-one discipleship, a hallmark of Navigator ministry. I’ve already shared the outline of the sermon.

Skip was master of the one-liner, and most speakers referred to that trait. About using one-liners, Skip said, “People remember one-liners better than they remember long-liners…A sermon does not have to be eternal to be immortal.”

Here are some of the one-liners folks shared during the sermon:

• John 12.24: as a follower of Jesus, I have no rights.
• Jesus lived life at 3 mph: he walked wherever he went
• Bitterness is a pill you take and hope the other guy dies
• Jesus said, “Take up your cross daily:” that’s almost every day!
• You can spend your life or invest your life
• Loners don’t make it
• Life is like a baggage carousel; your name is not on every suitcase
• You teach what you know; you reproduce what you are
• The crucifixion: Pilate relased a guilty man and condemned an innocent one. Later, God did the exact same thing. Pilate did it to save his own skin. God did it because he loved the world.
• There were four women in Matthew’s genealogy: three were Gentiles with bad moral reputations. Matthew passed over the likes of Sarah, Rebecca, and Rachel to communicate that God cares about the weak, the abused, the marginalized, and the sinful.
• When Jesus’ heart stopped, I was delivered from the penalty of sin. When Jesus’ heart started again, I was delivered from the power of sin. When my heart stops, I will be delivered from the presence of sin.
• Pharisees prayed, “I thank God that I am not a woman, a Gentile, or a slave.” The first converts in Europe [see Acts 16] were a woman (Lydia), a Gentile (the jailer and his household), and a slave (the fortune-telling woman).
• Perspective: Goliath could dunk flat-footed. Saul said, “He’s so big, he’ll kill us.” David said, “He’s so big, I can’t miss!”

In keeping with Skip’s philosophy of “less is more,” I’m going to stop here. I think that’s enough to meditate on: choose one! More memorial service highlights tomorrow.

¹  The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
²  To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight,
³  to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity;
⁴  to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth—
⁵  Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,
⁶  to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. (Proverbs 1.1 – 6, ESV)