I am honored to be chosen to speak at this memorial for my mentor and friend. He was most like a spiritual father to me and the only worthy father figure in my life.
Wow. This place is packed. I mean I’m not surprised, but I am. Amazed.
He would be amazed too. If you knew him well, you know that he expected to be looking down on this event. He would give credit to God. Like an apostle from the days of Christ’s life, he always credited God for the positive impact he had on others. I was blessed by his healing touch, or as he said, “Christ in action.” I know many were healed, physically and mentally, but even more were called to follow Jesus through the example of his life.
It’s no secret that he was shot by someone he was striving to help. A young man with a history like mine. The violence of my past is long dead, thanks to Christ, but I’d like to state that the young man has already been forgiven. That moment of realization that he pulled the trigger and shouldn’t have done so. The change of expression on his face in the video is remarkable. His demons being exorcised by their own choice of violence.
The man put himself in that situation where he could be influenced by evil. But the moment the evil passed through him, instant regret and repentance filled his expression. He was forgiven by Adam, but more importantly by Christ. We must repent our failures and seek always to deepen our relationship with Jesus. May God protect us all from the influence of evil.
It is tradition that I share something personal from my own experiences with Adam. Most have heard me credit Adam for turning my life around, but I have never shared that exact moment. I never even told him. It was a sacred event in my life. Too personal to expose to sunlight and too deeply transformative to easily explain.
However, now is the time to try to do so. Not only to remember this man, but also to glorify God. How God can work through his disciples. There’s no doubt in my mind that Adam is a disciple of Christ, perhaps unlike any other.
I come from a blended family. Sounds nice doesn’t it. Blended like it’s all mixed up into something better. It wasn’t better. I have three siblings, two half-brothers and one half-sister. Each of us has a different father. And frankly at the rate that my mother used men, none of us are certain who was fathered by whom. By the time I reached my teens, I hated my life. I hated my mom. My hate extended to any adult who gave me a sideways glance or who asked about my life.
I’m sure he meant well. However, when Mister Young, my high school algebra teacher asked if everything was alright, I exploded. He never saw my punch that knocked him to the ground. Whether he was just stunned or if he was unconscious, I’m not certain but I stamped and kicked and punched until the school safety officer pulled me off Mister Young. I don’t remember much about the incident except when the paramedics wheeled him out of the classroom on a gurney. I thought to myself, “Did I do that?”
Mister Young would eventually recover but not until I had been placed in a juvenile detention and rehabilitation center. I thought I had seen abuse from my mother and several of her boyfriends. I wondered if she paid them to beat us. But juvenile detention was another level of violence and insecurity.
One Saturday, I saw Adam Hinter walking through the civilian hallway at the center. I asked one of guards who he was. The guard arranged for me to join the class Adam was giving on the gospel. I had one more year of ‘rehabilitation’ and each Saturday, I attended Adam’s class.
When my release date approached, Adam asked about my plan after lockup. I admitted that I had none. I couldn’t return to my mother. If there’s no support from the government, I guess I will be on the streets. It was a sober admission and realization that my life could get worse.
Adam told me that he had a big place and that few other young men stayed with him while they got their lives together. I don’t want to disrespect the deceased, but I have to explain something about the love, the love felt from a disciple of Christ. I think all of you are here because you felt it.
I felt warmth and compassion from Adam during the Saturday classes. But there was a barrier between us. He lived a normal life and I was locked up in a detention center. When he offered that I might come and live with him, my Spidey sense alarmed. I remember our interaction like it was yesterday because it changed me forever.
“I’m not gay, Mister Hinter.”
“Good, because neither am I.”
“I’m confused because I’ve never felt love from anyone like I feel from you on Saturday mornings.”
“That’s Christ. It’s not me. Human love is selfish, but the love of Christ is transformative.”
I broke down sobbing. I think that I sobbed for the entire week. When I attended the class the following Saturday, I approached Adam with my head bowed.
“If you still have a place for me, I would like to try it.”
I spent three years living at Adam’s place while I completed training and apprenticeship for an electrician. He became more than a role model for me; he became the father that I never had. I met other young men who were building positive futures, some have become like brothers in this family of disciples. However, there were a few who couldn’t succeed no matter how much love Adam tried to give to them. The first time I saw someone take off, I was confused. Why would someone give up the opportunity Adam offered. The second time I realized that no one can force Christ on another. Everyone wants to be loved, but not everyone is ready to choose love.
I am married now. My beautiful wife and three children are here in the front row. Like me, they considered Adam to be my father. The only father who matters is one who fosters a love for God in his children. Adam saved me.
Sorry, Adam. I know you want me to say that Christ saved me and that you were just his servant. That’s true, but the good servant represents the master when the master is away. For me, the difference between you and Christ was this. You physically intervened in my life when I needed it most. I am grateful to be one of your spiritual children.
I’m confident that Christ has already crowned you with his glory and declared, “Job well done”.