Bigger Than Life

When you are standing in front of a congregation of 400 people each week, you begin to try to read people.
Some smile. Some are thinking. Some nod. And some nod off.

But there was, once upon a time, a man named Rick.

Rick Petzolt.

Think of a bald strong circus man with a mustache so thick, you could never tell if he was smiling (he wasn’t).

Yup. That was Rick.

I remember my first sight of him. He sat about five rows in from the back. On the aisle. (Cops and criminals sit on the aisle)
He didn’t move one inch during the entire service. Didn’t smile. Nod. Or nod off. No note-taking and no Bible. He stared at me like I was the only thing between him and watching the Green Bay Packers.

His wife, Debbie, was the exact opposite. She beamed the entire service. Laughed. Turned the pages of her Bible with me. Gave me a big hug after service.

I think Rick grunted when we shook hands.

Oh well…I thought…have a good life. I won’t see him again. I wasn’t his cup of tea. Or should I say, strong coffee?

And then next week comes, and Rick is back. Same exact replay.

Next week. I’ve seen this movie before, I think to myself.

And then we begin a Men’s Bible study. It was our tradition to launch a new study following the first of the year. Guess who shows up. And not only shows up, but is the first man there. The Strong Man. And he has donuts and coffee with him for a small army.

So now I am even MORE curious. Who is this guy?

I begin the morning Bible study with a hearty “Good morning men!” And to my surprise, I hear “GOOOOD MORNING!!”

Now this is a room with over 80 men at 6:15am. I rarely get a peep at that time. But Rick is engaged! This IS his cup of tea!

And for 11 years, that how each Wednesday morning began. And I mean EACH Wednesday for 11 years.

Rick would go on to become my hospital visitation partner, always arriving before me to get the room number. He was on the Men’s Council, helping to create the annual Men’s Retreat and was the unquestioned master “griller” at all of our Men Eating Meat Mondays (Rick loved onions and green peppers on everything. He loved to minister to veterans, and ultimately passed as a result of picking up an infection while serving with Samaritan’s Purse following a hurricane in Florida. They had him on speed dial.

With all that Rick and I did together, he will leave an enduring, and endearing, memory for me from a single moment in time. He and I were visiting a friend, Allen, who was near death. We both knew it was time to say goodbye. We sat with our barely conscious comrade, one on each side of the bed. And Rick did something that I will never forget.

He held Allen’s hand.

This giant tough guy. A mustache so thick you could never tell if he was smiling (He wasn’t). Vietnam Veteran’s cap, now placed on the bed. And Rick is holding his hand. So I grabbed the other hand, following his lead.

I’ve been following it ever since.

Rick Petzolt, circus strongman and gentle giant, you are gone but not forgotten.