My mother's brother. He was 89. Next to my own father, he was the Godliest man I've ever known. I cried the entire funeral - through four songs, reading of the obituary, the message, and the exit. The. entire. time.
The story:
He was close to his pastor. When it was evident that he was not going to make it - my cousin called his pastor. He made a bee-line to the hospital. He had already been up there a few times. My uncle was a gifted Bible teacher and speaker. His Sunday School class paced up and down the hospital halls as he lay dying. He could barely breathe and could not see anymore.
His pastor said today that my uncle's last words to him were the following. soft spoken and barely audible: "Oh, I'm so excited about Sunday's Sunday School lesson and I'm not going to be able to teach it!! Oh, pastor, I've got to teach it to someone. It's so good!" His pastor said that he taught it to him in a whisper as he lay dying and that it was good - from Isaiah.
Then my uncle told him, "Oh, can you imagine what my eyes are about to see? I can't even imagine and I can't wait. I can't wait!"
He lingered a couple of more days, non-responsive, and then the LORD took him home.
We, here who remain on this earth,......we have to do better. People are going to hell. We have to do better.
The story:
He was close to his pastor. When it was evident that he was not going to make it - my cousin called his pastor. He made a bee-line to the hospital. He had already been up there a few times. My uncle was a gifted Bible teacher and speaker. His Sunday School class paced up and down the hospital halls as he lay dying. He could barely breathe and could not see anymore.
His pastor said today that my uncle's last words to him were the following. soft spoken and barely audible: "Oh, I'm so excited about Sunday's Sunday School lesson and I'm not going to be able to teach it!! Oh, pastor, I've got to teach it to someone. It's so good!" His pastor said that he taught it to him in a whisper as he lay dying and that it was good - from Isaiah.
Then my uncle told him, "Oh, can you imagine what my eyes are about to see? I can't even imagine and I can't wait. I can't wait!"
He lingered a couple of more days, non-responsive, and then the LORD took him home.
We, here who remain on this earth,......we have to do better. People are going to hell. We have to do better.