Jon

Written 11-27-06 in Memory of Jonathon A. Flowers

I sit here before you, blogging, mourning and rejoicing in the death of a friend. My friend Jon died today. Death is inevitable, death from this earth. Jon has life eternal. It seemed dumb to some, like I was giving up hope, that I prayed that he learned and accepted this man, Jesus, into his heart. I wasn’t giving up hope, Jesus gives hope.

I was on my way to church to do some unskilled labor when I got the call. I wanted to turn around and go home. I wanted... but what I want doesn't get what needs to be done, done. Besides, I didn't think that is what Jon would want, so I went, and I got a really gross job - thanks Jon.

I always seem to be trying to figure out where I fit in, like somehow I am different from everyone else. Today I realized, I am, right where I am supposed to be. I was Jon’s secretary for awhile, I answered the calls of his wife, many times. Many times, and those times, I spoke with her, we’d talk about vacations, and shopping, whatever. I grew to really like her. In the past months, I spoke with her again, my hope is that she found comfort when I called, and that she felt the prayers I was praying for her and her husband. I guess I fit in wherever God needs me.

In some ways I find it hard to be sad for my friend, in some ways I am a little jealous, he got There first. He got to meet Jesus and the most awesome God there is. The beginning, the end, and everything your heart could ever want in the middle.

It seems weird to start off a season of birth with a death. But I guess it’s because of Jesus that Jon will never die, he has eternal life.

I was listening to my new Mercy Me CD that I got today (I am well aware it’s been out for awhile) I heard this song… ‘Where I belong’. I felt like I have belonged all along, it was me who thought I was out of place, no one else. So here I am today, praising an awesome God, who gives life to those I love, theirs for the taking. That’s where I belong.

below is the kind of man he was...


As I think back on my relationship with Jon Flowers, the first word that comes to mind is encouragement.
I don’t think that there is a person that worked for Jon that wasn’t affected by the way he encouraged us.
We worked hard, but Jon made work our second home. He encouraged us to go back to school to get our degree, because he lead by example, and I watched him finish his Masters Degree, quite an accomplishment for anyone with a career, a wife, and children.
He encouraged us to take the next steps to further our careers. Many of us started out at UTA or Lear with Jon and he helped us to continue our careers, he believed that people should be given the opportunity to excel. I can remember the first time I ever had to go meet with the customer, I probably called him 10 times by 7AM (I think he may have been a little annoyed by the 6th call), he kept telling me I was going to be fine, he told me I was prepared, and most of all he believed I could do it. So, somehow I believed I could do it. He did that for a lot of us. When we didn’t think we could, he knew we could. I must have told him 10 times how much it meant to me that he helped me, he never took any credit. He always said it was me, and maybe it was me, but it was him too, standing in the sidelines, cheering me on.
Scripture tells us in Romans 1 that we should encourage each other. There are probably many people who could tell you the same story as I am today, how they remember what a great guy Jon was, about how he could make you smile or laugh just because he was laughing, that big hearty laugh, right from his belly. They will tell you how he made work not seem like work at all, that through it all, we were family. As long as I live, I’ll never forget what he did for me. Ever.