A Tribute to Steve McRee by Pastor Brent Lokker

A Tribute to Steve McRee by Pastor Brent Lokker “Take as many mulligans as you want on every shot,” my dear friend Steve McRee would say to me with a glint in his eyes and a sizable grin on his face, “Why keep score? We’re here golfing to have fun, right?”   And that’s the way Steve and I played golf.  I know you golf purists out there are wincing…but, oh well. We easily played 100 rounds of golf together over the past 20 years and I’m sure I wouldn’t be able to count the number of mulligans we took (that’s a free do-over after a bad shot for you non-golfers), but boy did we know how to laugh together!  And you know what? By unashamedly hitting mulligans whenever we needed to, we ended up hitting significantly more impressive shots by the end of the round—making moments that would prove to be far more memorable than if we had spent the time muttering after a poor shot.   As many of you know, Steve’s life on this earth ended suddenly and without warning on Tuesday morning as he entered into the bliss of heaven’s reward with Jesus who he’s always been so in love with.   God, in His brilliant masterfulness, brought Steve and Carla McRee to our Tri-Valley 20 years ago to take the beautiful dream of a woman named Alice Ann Cantelow to help homeless and battered women and children regain their lives—a place called Shepherd’s Gate—to a whole new dimension these past two decades. The impact that these two have had on this region, with ripple effects to the world, is unfathomable.  Please be praying for Carla, who is leaning into the loving arms of Jesus as she navigates her life without Steve’s companionship.   Steve endured a tragic accident three and a half years ago that left him paralyzed from the neck down with doctors saying he would never have the use of his arms or legs again. We knew differently because of the miracle working power of Jesus. Steve not only regained the use of his limbs, but I even took him out to the driving range on a beautiful, sunny day last Spring to hit a few golf balls. Okay, so they only went about 20 yards, but straight up the middle, which I was quick to remind him rarely happened before his accident.  This, of course, caused Steve to laugh out loud which became another memorable moment etched in my mind. (Pictured below)

Steve, I will greatly miss your friendship, your laughter and your smile…until the day we’re sharing moments again in the glorious presence of Jesus.   So often we’re taking ourselves way too seriously and missing the moments of joy along the way that Papa God intends for us to have each day. It’s true that we’re going to have difficulties in life—sometimes painful ones. Yet even in the midst of our difficulties, our less-than-stellar days and our miss-hits along the way, God says to each one of us, “There’s plenty of grace for that. Why don’t you go easy on yourself and try again? Take as many mulligans as you need. We’re here to have fun along the way, remember?”   Please give yourself permission to laugh more and make more memorable moments with the ones you love. It's true that life is short, but it can also be filled to the brim with moments of love and laughter. "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." ~Jesus in John 16:33   "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9