There is something timeless about a portrait done in oil.  And timeless is a word that describes those qualities and virtues that define a man.   To know David Cordell was to know a loving man and a warrior.  The two qualities are not so far removed from each other as you may think at first consideration.  A loving man cherishes his loved ones.  David's love was for his wife, his sons and his grandchildren.  It also extended to the rest of his family and his friends.  A loving man also protects.  Dave was ready to fight for  all he loved—and there is no doubt he loved God, his family and his country.  In like fashion, he will forever be remembered as very easy to love and even easier to like.

I appreciate the idea of an oil painting of a person like Dave.  It's somehow fitting.  It captures an aura about the man.  It captures that admirable pride reflected in his smile.  Dave was a man of pride.  It was written all over his face.  And when his family was near, it glistened in his eyes.  Oil expresses  this better than the camera that captured the original countenance.  Dave's pride was the pride of satisfaction with his loved ones.  It was not the pride that goes before a fall.  This pride didn't precede destruction.   His was the pride of having a family any man would envy—it was also the pride of the task well done and the race well run.  It was the pride in doing the right thing for all the right reasons.  It was a pride for all seasons.

Oil is perfect for adding a man's life to that roll call of great men who came before us.  Many of the great ones lived before photography was invented.  Their image was preserved with brush and canvas.  It's fitting to add our own heroes in a similar medium.  It reminds us that dignity and decency are timeless.  They are also the building blocks of God's Kingdom.  It's been said often, but repetition doesn't detract from the truth, that how you live your life is still the best sermon.  If you knew our Dave, you were taught by a master.