The Legacy of a One-of-a-Kind Saint

The unique ways my big brother shined for Christ
Picture of Greg Stier
Greg Stier

Doug was truly one of a kind. In my 59 years on this planet, I’ve never met anyone quite like my big brother, Doug Stier.

Doug had a relentless joy that beamed through his smile and radiated through his eyes. He was always laughing, always joking, and always hopeful.

His joy erupted from a deep love for Jesus and his passion for the Gospel. It was obvious to anyone who met him.

From the time we were young, Doug loved cleaning and organizing. In my weekly calls from him, I would often get a video of his immaculate garage, his precisely manicured lawn, or his newly waxed floor. He would chide me by asking how my garage looked. Sometimes I would answer with a video of my garage, and he would cringe and say, “I need to get out there and clean your garage!”

When I was growing up, my ma would often ask me, “Why can’t you clean like your brother?” And I always thought, “Who could?” He was born to scrub, to shine, to organize, and to make messy places immaculate.

All for God’s Glory

Doug worked for God’s glory. Just this morning, I received a message from an old friend, Erick Woodell, who did custodial work with him four decades ago. Here’s what he said about working with my brother:

From the time I began working with him, he’s always held a special place in my heart. He was a simple man who loved to express his love for Jesus, family, and you, his little brother. He would beam with pride talking about you. I worked with him for only a short time, but came to love and respect him. That brief time impacted my life, as I watched him go about his work. The pride he took befitted someone who viewed their work not in its substance, but as a service to His King and a sacred means of taking care of those he loved through that work. I also saw the wisdom and common sense he applied to those that he supervised. He was kind, but firm, when dealing with workers who were not completely reliable. He was honest, straightforward, and humble—and in that humility, to me, he carried the majesty and image of Jesus. He made a mark on me that has lasted to this very day. I look forward to seeing him again. I can imagine his childlike joy, wonder, and awe as he appeared in the presence of the Lord.

Well said, Erick.

My dear brother loved his family. He met Mikki, his wife of 43 years, at a Perkins restaurant. She was a server there, and he thought she was cute. But he had a strict, I-will-not-date-an-unbeliever policy. So he called her over, explained the Gospel, invited her to believe in Jesus, and when she immediately accepted the invitation, he then asked her on a date. On the second date, he asked her to marry him. She said “yes,” and six months later they walked down the aisle. Doug adored Mikki, and she adored him. So did their two sons, Thomas and Zach, and their granddaughter, Addison.

A Love for God’s Word

Doug was not only a great husband, dad, and grandpa—he was also an amazing big brother to me. Although he had all sorts of struggles growing up (epilepsy, learning disabilities, being bullied, etc.), he never failed to be my protector in our high-crime neighborhood. And even though we lived 700 miles apart as adults, we never lost contact. Almost every week for the past 40 years, we have either spoken or left messages. He was a great brother to me.

Yet more than anything, my brother loved the Bible.

When I asked him why he nicknamed me “Big Brother” as a middle schooler, even though he was seven years older, he said, “You understand the Bible better than I do, so I’m calling you ‘big brother.’ I may be older than you, but spiritually, you are my big brother.”

I remember once when I was 12 years old, I was watching television while he was studying the Bible at a table in the corner. Doug would come over to me at the commercial breaks with his Bible opened and his finger pointed to a passage and ask me, “What does this mean, big brother?” I would explain it, and he would say, “Thanks, big brother!” and then go back to studying. This happened over and over again.

He loved God, and he loved God’s Word. He longed to understand it and refused to allow his learning disabilities to keep him in the dark about the Bible.

Because of his tough background, poverty, disabilities, awkwardness, struggles, and epilepsy, Doug had every excuse to keep quiet about Jesus. But when it came to sharing Christ, Doug refused to be excused or to make excuses.

Once he’d put his hand to the plow for God’s Kingdom, he never turned back. Every conversation with every stranger was an opportunity to share the clear Gospel of grace. He loved the words of Paul found in Ephesians:

For by grace you have been saved through faith—and this is not from yourselves; it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

If Doug heard a pastor share the Gospel unclearly, he would approach that pastor after his sermon and say, “Your Gospel message wasn’t clear. You need to preach a clear Gospel so people can understand it.” This led to a lot of frustrated pastors who didn’t understand Doug’s passion, or the importance of preaching a simple message of grace.

A Legacy of Sharing Christ

For 30 years, Doug was a custodian at a public school in Ankeny, Iowa. He used to tell me, “I’m a stripper for Jesus! I strip and wax floors for the glory of God!” As he mopped hallways he would sing or whistle Christian songs and hymns. He would share the Gospel with students, teachers, and administrators in the hallways of the schools. When the administrators would remind him that “proselytizing is prohibited in a public school,” he would think to himself, “I don’t know what those words mean,” and just keep sharing Christ with his life and his lips! Nobody had the heart to fire him. After all, he was an excellent custodian.

Doug eventually had to retire early because he developed dementia. And although he became increasingly forgetful over the last several years, he never forgot the simple Gospel of grace. In his weekly calls to me, he would often tell me the latest story of the latest person he had told about Jesus.

As the founder of Dare 2 Share, I’ve had the privilege—for more than 33 years—of equipping millions of teenagers around the world to share the Gospel.

One of the biggest reasons I’m leading Dare 2 Share today is because of Doug, who showed me that anyone can share the Gospel, no matter what their struggles, background, age, or disabilities.

Just four weeks ago, after 20 years of being seizure free, Doug started having severe seizures again. The last one that hit him on Saturday, catapulted him into the presence of Jesus forever.

Now Doug stands in the presence of his Savior seizure-free, dementia-free, confusion-free, and stress-free. He now sees Jesus in all of His glory. I’m sure his smile is bigger than ever, as he rivets his eyes on the object of his ultimate joy, his Lord Jesus Christ!

Please pray for his widow Mikki, my two nephews, Thomas and Zach, and his granddaughter, Addison, as they struggle with the loss of their beloved patriarch.

Pray God’s peace will surround Doug’s family in the midst of their grief.

What We Can Learn from Doug

My prayer for you is that you learn from my big brother’s life. I pray you learn there is dignity in any job done for the glory of God. I pray you learn the Word of God must be mastered until it masters you. Learn that joy, true joy, comes from being rooted in Jesus. Learn to love your family with the love of Christ. And learn, like my brother Doug, to be absolutely unashamed of the Gospel of Jesus. Share it relentlessly. Share it clearly. Share it boldly.

Thank you, big brother, for a life well-lived—a life of magnifying God’s glory and declaring His story!

Radical Like Jesus

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