Wednesday, February 07, 2018
Gary, Tommy, Cathy, Death, Jesus, and Life
So three people I knew and loved died this week. Two of them were church family, one was in my daughter-in-law's family. They did not all know each other and were not close.
Gary was a faith fighter. Life was hard but he loved Jesus and worked to be what God wanted him to be. He loved singing, he loved his family, he loved life.
So did Tommy. He loved life and Jesus, and he loved his family. He battled a lot of health issues the past few years but was always an encourager. He was a Firefighter for many years then oversaw the church building/grounds maintenance and upkeep. First as a volunteer and then as a staff member.
Cathy loved life and people. And Jesus. She was handicapped in many ways and life was difficult. But she was so friendly and so sweet.
So what connects these three very different people.
Jesus. They all loved Jesus. They showed in very different ways, but all committed. Gary loved to sing hymns. Led singing for me several times over the years. Tommy kept the building ready, but he also spent a lot of time sharing his testimony with other men. Cathy just by force of her sweet character was a living witness to the goodness of God.
Life was hard for every one of them. Long conversations with one about living the way Jesus wants us to, encouraging each other to not grieve over lost opportunities, struggles with physical and mental ailments.
They were all three happy people. No matter what. In spite of the difficulties and struggles. Because of Jesus.
I am a great admirer of each of them for different reasons. And they all loved me. One because I was somehow related to Jamie, one because we walked together thru some hard times, one because we shared a real passion to talk about Jesus.
And they are now all home. With healthy bodies. Sin defeated. Now in the presence of God.
They know each other now.
I'll see each of them again. Because we believe in the one who died and rose again.
That is what connects three very different people who actually had much more in common than the world could ever realize.
And that makes me happy.
So thanks God for Cathy, Gary, and Tommy. Thanks for making them special and for using them while they were here. And thank you for making it possible thru Jesus for all of us to be together again.
Gary was a faith fighter. Life was hard but he loved Jesus and worked to be what God wanted him to be. He loved singing, he loved his family, he loved life.
So did Tommy. He loved life and Jesus, and he loved his family. He battled a lot of health issues the past few years but was always an encourager. He was a Firefighter for many years then oversaw the church building/grounds maintenance and upkeep. First as a volunteer and then as a staff member.
Cathy loved life and people. And Jesus. She was handicapped in many ways and life was difficult. But she was so friendly and so sweet.
So what connects these three very different people.
Jesus. They all loved Jesus. They showed in very different ways, but all committed. Gary loved to sing hymns. Led singing for me several times over the years. Tommy kept the building ready, but he also spent a lot of time sharing his testimony with other men. Cathy just by force of her sweet character was a living witness to the goodness of God.
Life was hard for every one of them. Long conversations with one about living the way Jesus wants us to, encouraging each other to not grieve over lost opportunities, struggles with physical and mental ailments.
They were all three happy people. No matter what. In spite of the difficulties and struggles. Because of Jesus.
I am a great admirer of each of them for different reasons. And they all loved me. One because I was somehow related to Jamie, one because we walked together thru some hard times, one because we shared a real passion to talk about Jesus.
And they are now all home. With healthy bodies. Sin defeated. Now in the presence of God.
They know each other now.
I'll see each of them again. Because we believe in the one who died and rose again.
That is what connects three very different people who actually had much more in common than the world could ever realize.
And that makes me happy.
So thanks God for Cathy, Gary, and Tommy. Thanks for making them special and for using them while they were here. And thank you for making it possible thru Jesus for all of us to be together again.
