Good bye, Good Friend

Early Monday morning, my good friend Steve lost his battle with cancer. In the short eleven years that I've known Steve, he has grown an incredible amount. When we first met at Hopedale Baptist Church, Steve would barely speak in Sunday School class and although he was far from shy, he didn't talk to too many people one on one either.

I remember when he decided that it was time for him to read through the Bible. He really began to grow in his Christian faith and began to share in small groups in class. As he grew in spiritual maturity, others noticed and it wasn't too long before he was ordained to serve as a Deacon.

Steve continued to grow and loved to serve God by serving His people. He was a story teller extraordinaire! His humor and laughter was infectious. Over the years, I had a lot of breakfasts and lunches with Steve. I know that Steve truly loved Jesus and fully trusted God to take him home at the end of his struggle with cancer.

I know that he waits in heaven to greet those of us that have loved him in this life. And even though his wife Rhonda and kids Eric and Heather know that he is in heaven, I know that the coming days will be filled with grief and there will be an incredible emptiness in their lives. We will all miss him terribly.

The funeral is tomorrow. It seems that we have had far too many funerals in our Hopedale family recently. They are painful reminders that our lives are fragile and temporary. Death is a sure thing for every living being. It is my hope and prayer that each reader is as prepared to meet death as my friend Steve was; that each has made his or her peace with God by trusting in His Son Jesus. If any of you have questions about what you need to do to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour or maybe you want to know why you need to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour, please write, call or comment. I'd love to tell you about my Lord...and maybe share a story or two about my friend Steve.

John