Jackson and Barbara Boyett

Jackson Boyett

Shock. Disbelief.  It can’t be.  Kenny Smith called me Wednesday morning, early, and asked if I had heard on the news that Ernest Boyett and his wife had been killed in an auto accident in southwest Austin the night before.  Was Jackson’s name Ernest?  Kenny was sure it was, but I had only known him as Jackson.  It couldn’t be, but it was.  Two lovely people, gone from us in a flash.

The internal struggle to rationalize something that is random and makes no sense whatsoever churns for days.  I don’t remember when I first met Jackson, but I remember we hit it off, having a similar sense of humor about religious things and we were both intent on living a life of faith.  We both attended Central Assembly of God in the mid 1970s.  Our community was full of life and activity and our youth-ish group, like many, resurrected the ever-cyclical  ‘coffee house’ setting.  Jackson was a student at Austin Presbyterian Seminary and he and a friend, Jim Gill, were regular performers, sharing in song and stories with gospel centric themes.  Jackson and Jim were both very talented, artistic, relevant and downright funny.

One memorable night, Jackson appeared on stage, a colored sheet wrapped around, robe style, and proceeded to perform the book of Philemon.  I know, it is only one chapter, but, it was the first time I had seen someone do this, dramatically presenting this sacred text as if he were Paul, writing a letter to a dear friend.  The story leaped off the page and into my heart.  Not just words, but an event of life.  Later in life, he memorized and performed the book of Mark, and probably much much more that I missed.  Amazing memorization and even more amazing talent to pull this off well.

Jackson was so quick witted.  He was a radio DJ for a while.  Once, he neglected to flip the proper switch and ‘dead air’ ensued for a minute or so.  The dreaded ‘dead air’ time is feared by radio people.  Realizing his mistake, Jackson quickly reset the switch, and spoke into the mic “This minute of silence is brought to you by the Austin Public Library system”  and continued on with the regular programming.

Jackson played a Martin guitar, played it well and was stunned that I didn’t play.  He grew up in Junction, Tx., similar to my hometown of Wink in its isolation, desolation and any other “ation” you can think of to describe our little desert habitats.   He would look at me askance, and say “How can you grow up in west Texas and not know how to play guitar?  There is nothing else to do out there!”

Most of my memories are of Jackson, as we did so much together so I don’t recall much about Barbara, but what a gracious, kind, beautiful lady.  They were probably already married when I first met Jackson, but somehow she escaped me in those years.  Later, as we would get together, I recall that soft southern voice, that look of “Jackson, your friends are crazy and infantile but I’ll put up with them because I love you” …  One of the elders of Dayspring Fellowship described them as a couple perfectly suited for each other.  I have to agree.

Jack and Deb Wedding Party

My friends Randy and Becky Schmidt were married by Jackson, and it was his most likely his first wedding to perform.  When Deb and I married, we invited Jackson to be part of the wedding and pray a pastoral prayer.  July 15, 1978 the temperature in Altus, Ok. was 110 degrees, plus or minus a degree or two.  Yessir, that was hot, even for Oklahoma.  The church building was packed, the A/C was groaning, trying to keep the internal temp below 80.  The prayer was early in the ceremony and what an eloquent prayer.  Jackson began in Genesis. He noted that God called all His creation good, but the first ‘not good’  was for man to be alone.  I loved that thought.  Little did I know that he was just warming up.  When he got to the Psalms, he soared.  The New Testament entered and the content included the wedding at Cana.  When we finally arrived at the great wedding banquet in Revelation, I felt sure we had covered the Bible and the Amen was near.  The photographer had chosen this time to take natural lighting photos.  He had lots of time, took many, many photos.  We may have used up most of our film budget on this moment in the wedding.  We were also in danger of candle burnout, as well.  However, I am sure that our wedding that day was well prayed over.

Once Jackson and I were talking late into the night about music and somehow we came upon the old song, “Job’s God is True.”  The refrain begins “Tho God slay me, yet I’ll trust Him”.  Jackson said that it was made somewhat famous by an evangelist named Jack Coe.   I’ve only heard 3 people sing this in my life.  My mom occasionally sang it in services as a solo.  Jackson sang it at one of our coffee house events.  My dad was in a coma for a couple of weeks in 1974, and occasionally we could hear him humming the tune to a couple of songs.  This was one of them .. “Tho God slay me, yet I’ll trust Him.”

Both my parents were beset by life-altering / life-shortening diseases.  Jackson and Barbara certainly had their productive lives cut short, in an instant gone from here to indescribable THERE.

It just isn’t right.  How am I to respond to this?  There’s a great sense of injustice, of wrongness about all of it. If I think about it, there’s a deep outrage …”This is not fair, this is not how it should be, how will this be made just?”  Sometimes we are afraid to express these emotions, as if our anger, disappointment – when verbalized, would display lack of faith or distrust in God, as if God will be insulted by our cry.

Many of the Psalms are laments, cries of outrage, suffering, anguish, despair, and more. After several thousand years, we have not become immune to injustice, pain and death.  I have decided that God can take my honest anger and outraged cries for awhile. It’s my real emotion expressed with no disrespect to the one who can change things.  It fuels my prayer and strong desire for ultimate justice, for an end to the brokenness of creation as is.

“Though God slay me yet I’ll trust Him.” Those words speak of eternal faith, a faith that endures all the trials off life and ushers into the next life.  Jackson and Barbara, Mom and Dad … they all lived with this thought.  Even in song, they expressed their faith.  Whatever comes, I trust God with the outcome.  Another way to say it, “It is well with my soul.” Farewell for a little while, Jackson and Barbara. You are great people, worthy of respect and honor here.   We loved you dearly while you were with us.  We cherish memories.  You beat us to the finish line.  “We’ll meet you in the morning.”

PS. Words to the song, public domain:

JOB’S GOD IS TRUE

Lyrics by S. N. Greene  [Public Domain]

1. I can feel…..the hand of Satan…….
As the tempter….presses me sore…..
He has been before the Father…….
Asking leave….to tempt me more….

Chorus:

Though God slay me….yet I’ll trust Him….
I shall then…..come forth as gold…..
And I know…my Redeemer liveth…..
For I feel….Him in my soul…….

2.  I can hear the Father grant it……..
Saying do not touch his life…..
Though you crush him He’ll not falter….
He will rise….above the strife….

3. Though I struggle….I’ll not stagger….
By His grace….I’ll make it through….
For His grace….is all sufficient….
And I know….that God is true….

4. When I have looked….all around me……
And His face….I cannot see….
Then I know that through the lattice……..
He beholdeth even me……