Tim Bellamy

This week we lost a good man. It seems that heaven’s gain always comes as our loss.

Tim Bellamy (55) was a very bright man with a wry sense of humor. The world knew him was a software architect and a musician. Friends knew him as a loving father and a humble follower of Jesus. Tim had the ability to see through all kinds of pretension and make a quick comment that would cut to the heart of the matter in a way that would make those who listened realize that he wasn’t just a country boy from Mt. Sterling KY. And he was curious about all kinds of things … but mostly about things that mattered. He always had a book he thought you should read and appreciated it when you had one you thought he should read. I remember the Sunday we discovered we were both reading Anne Lamott’s Traveling Mercies. He could really get excited about a good read! He was also one of those rare people who spent more time listening to you than talking about himself. In fact, he seldom talked about himself.

Tim and I served together in the same worship team for almost 15 years. He was an excellent keyboard player and knew intuitively how to use his gifts to help the congregation to worship without getting in the way. And no one who was part of that congregation in those years will forget the Sunday’s when Tim came early and told me that he would like to give the communion meditation. When the time came, he would stand nonchalantly in his jeans and plaid shirt and begin telling a story that would have the congregation thinking to themselves “where in the world is this going?” But as barely believable as some of those stories were, they always led to Jesus. As did Tim. It’s how he lived. It’s what he did.

In the last few years, our paths went in different directions into different congregations and I didn’t really have much contact with Tim. Then just a couple of months ago I posted a book review of something I had read and Tim came right back with a positive affirmation that he appreciated the recommendation and had enjoyed the book. Tim was always paying more attention to you than you were to him. I miss him already.