Memories of a Man of God A Tribute to Ewalt W. Bartel By his son at his "homegoing" My fondest memories of my dad are not memories of his wealth or position, but of his character. Let me identify a few instances of character I observed in over 50 years of watching this man’s life up-close. Work ethic Dad believed that one of the most gratifying experiences a man could have was to go to bed bone-tired, with the knowledge he had put in a full day’s work. He instilled that value in the lives of his sons. His hands revealed it – they we padded with calluses. Excellence I remember, as a young man, watching him sharpen a sickle-blade for a mowing machine on the farm. I thought to myself – “Will he ever finish that blade?” But he kept on, meticulously sharpening it. Finally the magic words came – “That’s good enough.” I’ve asked myself over and over again in life, “When am I willing to say something is ‘good enough?” Thrift and Resourcefulness The hard years of the depression taught him this. I am convinced we were to only farm in the country that had a tractor with a cracked head that had been repaired with a kind of epoxy. Dad used a lawnmower that had once had a bent crankshaft that he had straightened himself using a pencil and a hammer. He drove a pickup he had built with spare parts from other wrecked vehicles. Toughness and Tenderness As strange as it may seem, Dad evidenced both of these character qualities at the same time. I can still remember how after we had gotten stuck on the way to a haystack with the truck after a blizzard, to get hay for the cattle, he pulled off his gloves in sub-zero temperatures to put on the tire-chains. Yet I can also fondly remember the tears of the same man falling silently on his Bible as he read it during his daily devotions in the evening after chores were done on the farm. Conviction Dad believed in righteous living – in integrity even when it hurt. He thought people who claimed to be Christians should avoid “even the appearance of evil.” He believed a “clean mouth” came from a “pure heart” and practiced it. He believed in the absolute necessity of a “born again experience” to reach heaven. He believed passionately in the power of prayer. He believed in the miraculous – God’s power to do anything! He staked his life on these things ! Sensitivity to God Dad believed when God spoke to your heart you should respond. During more than one “altar call” at our little church in Montana, I remember cringing as a teen when my Dad would raise his hand, step to an isle and walk forward one more time. I’d find myself saying, “Aw com’on Dad, you’re a Christian – you’re right with God, why do you need to go forward? What will people think of you?” But he felt there was something in his heart that wasn’t quite like it ought to be – there was a need he had that only prayer would solve – and so he would walk an aisle one more time. Today, I find that sensitivity and honesty with God very attractive! Faithfulness A commitment was like a solemn oath to my Dad. His marriage vows were inviolable! He paid his bills and would never entertain doing otherwise. Church membership and regular church attendance were not negotiable. I remember after Montana blizzards would come, how he we would push the family car to the main road, and then travel to church only to discover that we were the only ones that had braved the storm. My Dad gave God the tithe first, and offerings on top of that, even when it hurt. Faithful – the man was faithful! The Power of Prayer Oh could Ewalt Bartel pray! PJ, my youngest son, remarked one day shortly before Dad died, about the power of his Grandpa’s prayers even after a stroke had confused his thinking. PJ said, “Dad, its incredible, his mind can be so confused, but when Grandpa begins to pray you can feel it!” Would you allow my to express my feelings about my Dad this way? “Dad, I want to be just like you! – Steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)
Posted on: Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:17:13 +0000
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