Nigel Lee has been a man that the Lord has used to encourage, train, rebuke and correct me in equal measure. He’s now in the home straight of his portion of ‘the race’. Nigel has been ill with cancer for some time and it seems that his days here are drawing to a close; Nigel has recently been admitted to a hospice; barring God’s intervention, Nigel will soon be Home.
God used Nigel at almost all of the major transition points of my life in the last 14 years.
As I took on CU leadership and prepared to get married later that year, Nigel, the speaker at the St Andrew’s Mission in 1992 took me on a long walk and encouraged me to lead with Christ to the fore and me to the rear. He pointed out the pitfalls of pride and spoke to me of leading with integrity and vision. He also pinpointed some weaknesses in me at that time, with painful accuracy but also with grace-filled hope. He showed me that weakness and even the propensity for sin are, under Christ, no bar to living as a Godly leader or husband. By word and in example, he led me to want to emulate his confidence in Christ and His Word – simply put, Nigel made me
want to follow Jesus: in the last 14 years that has served me well.
Later that year as I was considering what to do after University and at UCCF's leadership conference Nigel spoke about the project that would become Relay. He’d recently become the UCCF Head of Student Ministries and he said “We’re starting this new thing, a sort of ‘trainee staff worker’ thing – why don’t you think about it?”. I could think about nothing else and after I’d written to him for more details he pointed me to the newly appointed Relay Co-orindaotor, Nigel Pollock.
It was Nigel Lee who led my interview for UCCF staff during my year on Relay. It was a disaster – I tried to bluff where I shouldn’t (should we ever bluff?), wasn’t clear enough where I should have been and demonstrated something that put others off. Nigel Lee later said to me (after I’d been in the job a while), “you were hopeless, there were some who were not convinced we should appoint you, but I argued your case and the case has now been proved.” There are not many who would be willing to take such a risk, I praise God that Nigel not only took the risk but backed it up with correction and rebuke when needed.
After we had had our first child, Nigel and his wife Trisha, took time out of a conference to encourage us that parenthood is hard and at times unrewarding but that, like the rest of life serving Christ, it is worth having Jesus at the centre and the height of our ambitions for our children. They also encouraged us to enjoy parenthood and to use it to Christ's glory.
Towards the end of 5 years on UCCF staff I applied for a UCCF team leader position that I did not get. Again Nigel had led the interview panel, "you were pipped to the post," he said, but God has other things for you”. A week later, in the middle of a team day where Nigel was teaching on the nature of faith from Hebrews 11, he again took time out to talk to me, explore my future and put an offer on the table. “How about a 6th year on UCCF staff, to take time to reassess what’s going on and to explore the future?” Eight months later that exploration led to me being offered the position as Relay Coorindator.
2 years ago, as I was beginning to consider what would come next after UCCF – Nigel Lee was once again on hand, again in the midst of a busy conference. “The thing to do is to plan for the future, being thankful for the past and recognising that you must go where God leads”.
There are a myriad of other things that I have learned from this man, his humour, gentleness in rebuke, ferociousness in defending the gospel, patience in suffering, love for God’s people, humility under correction, repentance after error, tenderheartedness in evangelism and faithfulness in teaching. I owe him a lot. Anyone who had benefited from the ministry of God’s Word through me, also owes Nigel Lee: I have learned so much from him.
I praise God for him - he is a great mentor, leader and friend. I do not understand why the Lord is taking Nigel now: but that is not my business.
Toward the beginning with the brush with cancer Nigel wrote a short article on suffering. This is from it:
"Do people die of this?" I'd asked the Macmillan nurse. "Oh yes," she said, beaming at me, as if this was an everyday occurrence. But not to me it wasn't! The seriously ill men on my ward were facing their future in different ways, some with anger, some with fear, even despair. At the end of the day, when the visitors had gone, we would talk quietly together.... I found that Christian faith grew stronger under these circumstances. It's about hope - not the sort of hope that buys lottery tickets, but a certainty concerning life after death, based on Christ's explanation of his own resurrection. It's also about experience. As I had more time to read the bible, I found the risen Lord stepping off the pages, talking to me about my soul, my relationships and my future. We need anchors like this when life stops being a TV drama and becomes really scary.'
As Nigel approaches the home straight – he leaves a legacy of much value, not only in my life but in many more.
As he approaches the home straight he heads toward an inheritance that will not diminish with time and where cancer cannot mar his joy anymore; where the Risen Lord will step up and provide a rich welcome for him.
Pray for him - that he will experience much comfort in these last days.
Pray for his family – for whom there will be more loss than gain in the short term, that they might know the great comforts of God's presence and gospel certainties.
Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers;
but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
They are like trees planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.
The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalm 1.1-6
Addendum:
Nigel Lee died on March 30th
dawn or sunset?
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