by Staff Writer Jamin Goecker

Tim Hawkins, an outstanding Christian comedian, once said that when people say you have a servant’s heart, it means they’re calling you a pushover. There’s a job they want you to do (i.e., stacking chairs after church).

But a pushover isn’t what comes to mind when I think about Odis, someone I had the pleasure of meeting on a missions trip to Alaska.

My group and I traveled to a small town on the Alaskan coast to help build a parsonage, and Odis was our supervisor. It’s no exaggeration to say he would work himself to death if everyone let him.

He seemed to always be lending a hand and a big smile when we were building the parsonage, from helping with sheetrock to completely tearing out a wall that needed to be moved. After working for hours, he would still be in as good of a mood when he finished. After dinner, we loaded up in a van and he drove us around to see the sights.

That trip to AK remains one of my best memories, primarily because of one guy who allowed himself to be a “pushover.” Thinking about Odis really inspires me to allow myself to be worked to the bone, whether that be in a church setting, helping out with ministries in town, or just being a good friend.

Jamin Goecker is an avid writer and enjoys playing Frisbee, playing guitar, hiking, hunting, and just about anything related to the outdoors. Contact him on Facebook or at his blog (scribe-jamin.blogspot.com)