Today, Monday January 16
Honoring a Dear Friend!
Psalm 32:1-7
“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit.”
Today I am attending a memorial service at the Tabernacle Church in Danville, Virginia, for Dr. Lamarr Mooneyham, a dear friend that I met at Lynchburg Baptist College, now called Liberty University. Lamarr, along with his wife Debbie, came to LBC the second year the school was in existence in 1972. He came with a group of other students from North Carolina who were pretty excited about Jesus. I remember thinking that they were kind of a wild group, hooping and hollering, and throwing their Bibles in the air in our regular chapel services. Honestly, I think Lamarr was on the more reserved side of the group.
Lamarr and I had the privilege to play on Liberty University’s first football team in 73. I think we were the only married guys on the team. We called Lamarr the Hollywood Preacher because he could take his helmet off and his hair would still be perfectly in place. We became close friends during those years, studying the Bible together in many classes, doing evangelism and visitation, and spending lots of time together going to practices and games! He would preach for me in the church I pastored in Winchester Virginia on special occasions. He had his wife Debbie were faithful servants of the Lord and were greatly used to advance His kingdom.
The following is from Lamarr’s obituary: Dr. Lamarr Mooneyham, (74), was born on October 3, 1948 in Greensboro North Carolina, and passed away on January 12, 2023.
During his college years, Lamarr planted a church in Boydton, Virginia. After his graduation in 1976, he would plant another church in Durham, North Carolina. He made political waves during the Helms-Hunt Senate race of 1984, then served as an interim pastor at Northside Baptist Church in Charlotte, before accepting the position of senior pastor of The Tabernacle in Danville, Virginia, in 1986. He would serve in this role until his retirement in 2016, picking up a doctorate from Liberty University along the way.
Lamarr is survived by his bride of 54 years, Debbi, and their four children: Isaac Mooneyham of Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina (wife Corrie, daughter Olivia, and sons Michael, David and Benjamin), Kelley Nix of Fairfax, Virginia, (husband Jason, sons William and Jacob, and daughters Phoebe, Evelyn, Ophelia and Eliza), Jacob Mooneyham of Bethesda, Maryland (wife Gena), and Joseph Mooneyham of Bethesda, Maryland; as well as numerous members of his extended family.
Aside from his love for pastoral ministry, Lamarr was most passionate about missions. He will be remembered as a friend and advocate for the orphans of Haiti, the Jewish refugees, and countless other missionaries and mission organizations.
I also personally want to note that Lamarr loved my parents, J.O. and Albertina Grooms, and made sure they received a very good financial support from his church. After my dad passed, Lamarr was very specific about my mother being taking care of with their support. I’ll miss my dear friend, but I know he is greatly enjoying heaven because of his faithful service to the Lord. He no doubt heard these words from the Lord when he entered heaven the other day, “Well done you good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord”.
I just wanted to use my chat today to honor Lamarr’s memory and celebrate his life! Truly the greatest blessing Lamarr enjoyed was what we read in Psalm 32:1: “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit.”
Lamarr is in heaven because one day he found forgiveness through the precious blood of Jesus Christ!
Are you ready for heaven? Have you ever experienced God’s forgiveness?
God bless!