A Tribute to Alf & Mary Miller

Have you ever been around someone so wise and delightful that you almost felt you were in God’s presence Himself? Alf and Mary Miller are a sweet older couple from my home church in San Antonio. They began praying for me when I first moved overseas as a single, and I truly believe they have never stopped. Whenever I have been around them, Jesus bubbles out of them like a super-fizzy soft drink that simply won’t stay in a glass.

Alf passed away last week while we were still in the US. I had received an email only a week before saying that he was sick and wasn’t expected to live much longer. I called Mary one afternoon to see how they were doing. It was Alf’s voice on the answering machine, reading James 4:6-8,

“God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”

Now if I read this verse on my answering machine, it would sound like any other person reading the Bible. But when Alf read it, it sounded like the voice of God. I momentarily forgot why I was calling and drank it in. I, who called to minister to Mary, was being cared for by Alf. I wanted to call back, just to listen to him read it again. That afternoon Jim and I talked about Alf and Mary… It seemed wonderful to think that in just a few days, he would be with Jesus…and now he is.

Later that evening, Mary called me back. She wanted to know how Jim & I were doing. She, whose husband was dying the hospital, seemed much more interested in our needs than her own. I can only think of one other person I know who was so concerned about others in the face of death…that would be Jesus. She asked me to pray that the Lord would take Alf quickly, as he was anxious to go Home. He answered that prayer, and I imagine that they were delighted to see one another.

I keep wondering if I will be like them when I grow up. If I make it to my 80’s, and the Lord is gracious, I could aspire to nothing more than exuding a sweet and beautiful Christ-likeness I have come to treasure in these two dear servants of God.