My good friend…

My good friend, Tim Shelton, unexpectedly passed away Sunday, October 8, 2023, competing in the Memphis St. Jude Ironman race. Few have impacted my life as much as Tim.

Many would describe Tim the way that I describe him above, as a “good friend,” because to meet Tim was to have a “good friend.” And, countless would also say that their lives were impacted by this man of God. To say that he left a legacy on this earth is an understatement. Each and every person that rubbed shoulders with Tim Shelton left a better person and left closer to Christ.

In the Bible, Barnabas was a great encourager. When he visited the new believers in Antioch, he didn’t question their faith, he embraced and encouraged. He recognized the grace of God and encouraged them to remain true to the Lord.

News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. Acts 11:22-24

This is Tim. In fact, if I had one word to describe Tim Shelton, it would be faithful encourager. Two words I know, but one word can’t encapsulate Tim. And, if I am describing Tim, faith has to be a component. So, yes, Tim was a faithful encourager. These two words perfectly describe my friend.

When I first met Tim, I knew him as this guy that left an incredibly successful, blossoming business career, as he felt called to the ministry. This was my first clue that he was different. When everyone was focused on material possessions and all this world could offer, Tim focused on Jesus. Tim’s decision to answer the call of God on his life would impact hundreds, dare I say, thousands of people.

There are so many ways that Tim influenced my life, which in turn, have influenced my family’s life and others. I’ll touch on a few but there are so many more.

Tim led me to deep Bible reading. He was the one that inspired (demanded) that I read the Bible in a year and journal as I read. This discipline literally changed my life. Tim would have these daily journals printed each year to assist in reading the Bible through in a year. For many years, he would pass these journals out to friends and family, and, my friend would hold me accountable throughout the year to see how the journaling was going. It stuck. Each year, I remember looking forward to getting that journal and diving into God’s Word because the previous year had been so impactful. In fact, this was so ingrained into my being that after I moved from Memphis, I used to have Tim send me a journal. Today, I have no less than 15 journals and have read through the Bible 15+ times. I don’t say that to point to anything I have done, I only state that to show the impact that Tim had on my life. For this discipline taught by Tim, I am forever indebted.

And, running, Tim was a leader in pulling us together for early morning workouts. Some of you reading this know what I mean. You get that text from Tim that he has a plan for us to meet up every morning at 5 am and go for a 3 to 6 mile run through the streets of Germantown or at Shelby Farms. As we rolled our eyes, Tim felt it would be a great way for us to spend time together and start the year off right. So, there we would be, in a circle, in 30 degree weather, following our encourager. A half mile into a fast pace, I would start to slack and that voice that I can still hear ring in my ear would say, “Push through it, Mike. Push through it.” I miss those runs, because there was something about being with Tim that made you start the day off right.

Tim was a rock in my life. He was always stop number one for me when I had a big decision. Tim offered me Christ-centered, Biblical counsel like no other. From moving from Memphis to leaving my job for small business to different ministries that I was involved in, Tim was in the background encouraging, leading, and coaching. I still remember many of those words of wisdom. And, he didn’t mince words, but he had a way of encouraging while correcting. Once, I made statement like, “why wouldn’t God bless me?” Rather than pointing out that flaw directly, Tim asked me to clarify, to repeat what I had said. He then asked how God had already blessed me, and I quickly knew what he was saying. God had so richly blessed me, how could I dare say that about God? I had many, many lunches and counseling sessions with Tim offering advice. And this never ended. Living in Arkansas now, my first call when facing an important decision was always to Tim Shelton. I’ll miss my rock, my steadfast counseler.

Tim was indeed a great encourager, but he also challenged. Every time I was around him, I walked away encouraged, but he also had this ability of challenging. He was an incredibly creative thinker, so when he looked at my life, he would point out the great things, but also the missed opportunities that were unseen to me, the blind spots. He would look at my life, encourage me, and say things like, “but what if you tackled it like this, or added this, or did this.” It would often be a light bulb moment for me, as he encouraged, built my confidence, and sent me on my way. He strengthened me, straightened my thinking, and gave me optimism for the future, always Christ-centered.

Finally, my man Tim taught me how to manage the expense of kids. There was no one who was as dialed in to “kids eat free” restaurant offerings than Tim Shelton. We all had young kids, and we all needed to stretch our budgets. Tim showed us the way. Every Sunday after church, Tim would lead us to the restaurants where kids could eat free. The managers must have rolled their eyes as we came walking through the door. The restaurant would be out of control with all of our kids, food everywhere, and, upon leaving, we would all clean the table and floor really good because we felt so guilty. Before long, we all had lists circulating, highlighting the “kids eat free” offerings around Memphis. Tim made it happen for us.

I could go on and on about my good friend. He will be forever missed. There will be a hole in my heart without Tim, but, his memory will always encourage and challenge me to be a more passionate follower of Jesus and a better husband, dad, son, worker, and person. Thank you, Tim. I was incredibly blessed to have spent that time with you in Memphis and to call you friend. See you soon.

I love you Susan, Jack, Gray, Sam, Drew, and John David. Your husband, your dad, was the best.

Impact others. Live generously.