Remembering Jamie

Remembering Jamie

The Following is the message I gave at Jamie's Memorial Service.

Jamie Edward Arnall though young, packed a lot into twenty-nine years of life. As a boy, Jamie desired to spend his life as a farmer, but later due to his love of animals, decided he should serve as a veterinarian. But one summer while spending some time with his grandparents, he purchased a micro-cassette recorder which would help define his future career. He spent those two weeks following his grandma and grandpa recording every action and placing the story into a final edited version of his trip. Later summers would involve video projects using a home video camera and VCR to edit videos pertaining to the Bible and Family, both passions in his life.

Jamie loved to please people but loved to please Jesus more than anything. So it was that during a mission trip to the Baltic State of Estonia that Jamie witnessed the work of Ron Quick and learned quickly that he wanted to serve the Lord by working in church communications. This was in 1993 when Jamie was 17 and interestingly enough, Clay Farwell was on that same mission trip. So it was that he chose Broadcast Journalism as his field of study and the Lord directed him to the church as the venue for his short life work. He studied at Southern Adventist University where he graduated in 1999. Then the Lord opened the way for him to serve at the Georgia-Cumberland Conference where he interned with Fred Knopper. With time however, Jamie would later transition to Director of Communications.

In Jamie’s kitchen at home hangs a beautiful plaque. On it rests three little words. Live, Laugh, and Love. These are qualities that exemplify the life of my brother.

Jamie enjoyed life! He lived it well. I believe one of the biggest defining moments in his life took place in the back seat of a 1978 Monte Carlo. You see Jamie and I had been involved in second grade with a larger group of boys in destroying a paper mache dinosaur project that the third and fourth grade class had made. I don’t know that we were fully aware of whose it was at the time but none the less we were involved in the destructive act of throwing that dinosaur around on the playground. Jamie and I felt bad but Jamie decided as we rode in the back of that Monte Carlo to clear his conscious of sin. I remember him sharing with Mom and Dad what he had done. This one act on his part led him and I both to confess and share, over the next few weeks with Mom and Dad the bad things we had done in school. This simple little act, marked a transition in his life and consequently in my life as well. In other words, I am not sure he nor I would have turned out as we did, if it hadn’t been for that act of confession by Jamie in the back seat of the car that Sunday afternoon.

You see Jamie was sensitive and very honest. He wanted to make sure things were right. We shared a room together growing up and he slept on the top bunk and I slept on the bottom. I remember each evening when the lights were out and we lay there trying to go to sleep, one of us would say, “I’m sorry, ok?” to which the other one would reply, “I’m sorry too, ok?” We would then both say, “ok” and then go to sleep. Jamie was a man of integrity and thus lived his life honestly and faithfully. If Jamie were to get a quote from you for a news article, you could know that he would be faithful with what you said. If he wasn’t sure that he was stating what you said accurately, he would call you up and review your quote with you.

But Jamie not only lived his life well, he enjoyed it. Laughter was a part of who Jamie was. He loved to laugh and make others laugh. Jamie came into the world grinning. We were born almost a month early back in 1975 and I still think it was his idea because he came out first and always carried a big grin. I never seemed to look as amused in those early months of life. While I usually looked all serious, Jamie was tossing his head back and laughing big time. Jamie liked to smile and make others happy! This brought him His greatest joy. Jamie loved to make his dear wife Erin smile. I can still remember him teasing her and calling her his little Georgia peach! If he could make her giggle, then he was happy! If I was upset about something or frustrated over something, Jamie would sometimes playfully wrap his arms around me and say with a silly voice, “Oh Jeremy Jeremy Jeremy!”

Jamie traveled a lot with his work around Georgia & Tennessee and one day un-be-knownst to my grandfather, Jamie was near their house in Atlanta. So Jamie called to talk a while to our grandparents on the phone. As he was talking He pulled up in their driveway while they were still on the phone. While continuing to talk to them, He snuck quietly into their house and as Grandpa sat at the kitchen table talking, He looked back and was stunned to see Jamie walking towards him. That was Jamie, He loved to surprise you, to make you laugh.

Jamie also had the gift of love. He loved the beauty of God’s world. He loved to capture on film the beauty of light and color. So maybe it was the way the light hit her hair or the rosy complexion on her cheeks that caught his attention when he visited with me while I was in seminary in Berrien Springs, MI. My wife Tina and I had met a girl at church there in Michigan that we thought looked right for Jamie. But we dare not say anything as Jamie needed to discover this treasure for himself. So it was that while she played the organ one Sabbath at Church that Jamie leaned over and asked Tina, “Who’s that playing the organ?” and then followed that question with “Is she dating anyone?” Quickly a spark ignited. We watched as a love developed and Jamie asked for her hand in marriage. I had the honor of performing my first wedding ceremony for Jamie and Erin Arnall on October 7, 2001. They were a wonderful match. For you see Erin too loved beauty and life. And their love for each other was able to grow and develop over the next three years. They worked in the yard landscaping. They painted their home together. They new how to make anything special by appreciating the beauty of the moment. This past Thursday Jamie arose early in the morning to get ready to leave for work. Erin had gotten in from work in the wee hours of the morning and thus was still in bed. But for some reason she awoke as Jamie was dressing. She looked up to see Jamie wearing the new green shirt she had recently gotten him. She asked him, “Turn around, let me look at you.” Jamie turned around and asked, “What?”, to which she replied, “I just wanted to look at you.” He stood for a moment with his tie around his neck and then said, “Erin, I’ve got to get ready and go.” After all, he did have a flight to catch. Praise God for the beauty of that moment. Before he left he gave her what would be their last good by kiss.

Jamie flew with Dave and Jim to Collegedale where they each made their presentations for the pastors in the Collegedale area. Jamie loved His work as did Dave & Jim. After their morning meeting, they gathered for lunch that day at Southern’s Cafeteria. Jamie shared lunch with his pastor and discussed plans about his new role as an elder in the church. Though Jamie had worked for the church on the conference level for several years, he hadn’t been able to serve as fully on the local church level. But he told Erin of his desire to get more involved. So it was that his last real conversation was regarding the work of the local church and how he could serve.

Though Jamie’s life had only minutes remaining, I thank God that he had enjoyed a good meal, good fellowship, and was able to be doing the work that he loved. He boarded the plane with his brothers in Christ, those he had lived, laughed and loved with and the door sealed shut. They were flying out to make another presentation to us in Knoxville. I know Jamie was looking forward to seeing me as I was him. But God allowed their lives to end on that positive note. I don’t know why exactly, but I know God and so I trust, for that’s all that’s left.

Our parents have always told us the story of how when we were still babies and unable to talk, except between each other, that they placed us in separate cars to go on a short trip. We were of course in car seats and as they placed us in each car, we saw what was happening and began to cry. Mom and Dad thus placed us back together in the same car side by side. It was then that we took each others hand and held hands for the rest of the trip which lasted more than hour. We didn’t need to talk, because we were together.Jamie and I were separated last Thursday. I tried to hold his hand yesterday, but he didn’t squeeze back.

But I have this hope. You see, word has it that Jesus is coming. And they tell me that He’s bringing a big band of angels on a brilliant cloud in the sky. And word has it that he’s going to invite the dead in Christ to join him first. Jamie did always like to be first! And word has it that then we who are alive will be caught up with them in the air. And as I understand it, where we’re going has streets of gold with a river of life running thru the city. And Word has it that the lion will lie with the lamb. And I hear that when we get there we will sit at a very long banqueting table and that Jesus will be the host. And they say that Jesus will wipe away the tears from our eyes. I plan to sit with Jamie that day. And I plan to take his hand and hold it once again. I am going to miss being mistaken for Jamie here on this earth. But I will look forward to heaven, where I hope people will still mix us up occasionally. For Jamie was my twin, and that’s a gift I will always treasure.