Remembering our hope is in the Lord our God!

Good morning and welcome to Wednesday, May 11, 2011. I have so many lost blogs. No. You can't help me find them because they only existed in my mind but before they made it through the pipeline to the page, well, they became officially missing. They are probably the best ones too. You just knew I had to say that. Right? The ones that got away. And, you are not fooling me one bit. You are reading this and thinking to yourself that almost anything would be an improvement. That's okay because maybe I'll land a good one soon and that will give you something to look forward to. What's that you say? It's not that big of a deal so don't lose any sleep over it? Now that you mention it, sleep may be the reason they got away. I had them in my mind safely secured but sometime in the other worldly atmosphere of that rapid eye movement deep sleep cycle they must have slipped out and made their escape. That leaves me with no other choice but to write about them getting away. I will get some of them back based on my experience and some will be replaced with new ones. There have been times when I've thought of a good one and I jotted down the subject. That, however, has not been a consistent habit, thus, we end up with today's version of me making it up as I go. That doesn't mean I've run out of things to say as proven by the very paragraph you are reading. This is mostly intended to be funny but it also reflects the struggle us older guys have in remembering things.

Bro. Robert Francis, 1957 - 2011

One thing I am not likely to forget soon is the last sermon preached by a pastor we knew. He was a fellow we had contact with here and there over the past twenty years. On Sunday, May 1st of this year he preached his last sermon. He didn't know it was going to be his last sermon. (Or, did he? That's a discussion for a different day.) On Tuesday of that same week he became very ill and was called home to his heavenly reward. His name is Robert Francis. He was 54 years old. He was a pastor, a husband, a dad, and a lover of all people. Here's the big set up. When I watched that last sermon, knowing what awaited him on Tuesday, it literally caused the hair on my neck to stand up. Why? I hope you will watch it and find out but I will say this. Brother Robert had just experienced a very special contact with the Lord God of the universe. His last message will be one that all who heard it in the congregation that day, and all who have watched it since that day, they all will ponder its profound significance in the days to come. They also have his memorial service video up on the same webpage. Talk about a celebration! Talk about laughter! Talk about a man who took what God had given to him and used it to make a difference in other people's lives! Both his last sermon and his memorial service are long, well over one hour each, and that is unusual by today's standard of dishing it out in soundbites. But, they are well worth anyone's time in watching them. Why? Because they speak to the very heart of what it means to walk with God and what it means to have God at work in your life. The memorial service honored the memory of Brother Robert, but more than this, it magnifies the greatness of the God he loved and served. I would suggest watching his last sermon first and then later the memorial video. You will be blessed. You have my word on it. I guarantee it. Here's the link: http://www.faithnlr.org/

I will tell you that it is powerful stuff. And as our Pastor often says, it's also, "That's good stuff folks." Are there questions in the hearts of so many within his family and the sizable ministry he oversaw? Many. Even the numerous men of God who stood and spoke confessed to having questions about God's timing. However, the good news is still the good news and as the old song says, God is always on time, every time. One of the preachers quoted from a past sermon by Brother Robert where he addressed our hope for heaven. Brother Robert had commented that while most believers know about this hope and they grasp it intellectually, often it is not the very essence of our expectation because if it was, then we would be excitedly looking forward to going home. We would be living out our expectation that when God calls, we will finally achieve the ultimate crowning of our life in Christ. As I heard this being said I could identify because Brother Robert was aware that most of us, including most believers, do cling to life here and we often think about heaven very differently than it being a very present reality in our day by day living. Here's my summary of all of this. I have believed for a long time that God rewards some folks with an early call home. They have honored him with their lives and completed the work He called them to do. That's why there was so much rejoicing along side the tears during that memorial service. Perhaps we all could use a little more of the expectant hope where we anticipate our wonderful call to our heavenly home, and we do so as a natural response to all that God has in store for us. Pretty amazing thought for today. Amen.   ........More later.