My Lesson from Aaron's Funeral

Today I left Greenville, SC and headed up to Canton, NC to go attend something that nobody looks forward to. I went to a funeral of a life long friend, cousin and brother in Christ. These are never a pleasure but when it is someone so young it seems like so much more of a tragedy. However, there are glorious things to see even there.

Many people from this small town knew Aaron and there are many opinions out there that are influenced by rumor and media but those more accurate would better be learned from those who really knew him. Those who grew up with him in the school hallways, the football field, the baseball field and the wrestling mats and also in the house of God. Those are the ones who will tell you who he was.

I grew up with him in these places and that is the memories I have of him. After high school I did not see much of him and especially after I moved to SC I saw him even less. But of course being from a small town means that you don't have to dig much to get any news about anyone at any given times. I heard what we all did but was never sure what was true and what was just words. What I know about him is before all of this, that he was a child of God and every time I saw him he smiled real big and hugged me and asked how I was doing and offered words of encouragement. He had a big heart and God was in it.

I got there today and first I saw that he was loved by more than most people in this world. I had heard that the number of people that came to visitation was huge and the funeral was nothing short of that. I saw old friends that grew up with him in those halls and on those fields. I saw a mother, a father, a sister and many other family members hearts breaking from the loss. I see all the familiar images of most any funeral but there was a personal message that I believe God wanted me to see to remind me of something I had not been living so much lately.

A lot of people know all that I have been through in the last several years since being diagnosed in 2002 with Leukemia. That was the first time I had dealt with something so overwhelming that I had to give it to God and the first time I really experience God on that level. Through the storms I too continued to praise God and remained hopeful but last year when I was denied a lung transplant, I became bitter and have since struggled. I just felt like, this was it. I was finally going to have this behind me. No more oxygen and I would get so much of my life back and could move on feeling free once again. So when that didn't happen initially I was crushed so then I began to feel forgotten. I stopped praying regularly, going to church regularly and feeling down. I had felt forgotten so I myself had began to forget until I saw this example today.

As the first song was played and the first chorus began the first hand in the air to praise God was Tim Mathews. Sitting only feet away from his sons body who he just lost days ago, he raised his hands in glory. Many people would be angry and the last thing they would do is praise a God that allowed this to happen. This put a huge lump in my throat. Karen and Tim Mathews stood before everyone and spoke how it is important to praise God in the bad times in life just as much as the good. But not only are they saying this, they are living it as well. It is so important to keep a focus on Christ. He is not a fair weather God and deserves praise always because he is with us always. When you feel he is further away than ever He is still right there and He never moved.

Maybe if they did the transplant last year I would be dead today. Maybe down the road there will be a better procedure that is much more successful. I don't know what is down the road for me or how long I will be here in this world and neither do any of us but I do know that one day there will be no more oxygen tanks for me. I will have a new body and I will see Aaron Mathews that same day.

The reason the world did not end on 5-21-11

Many of us heard that the world was going to end on 5-21-11 at 6PM EST. Then when it came and went we are all left to wonder why Jesus did not come for us. I mean, we were so sure right? Surely God would not stick to what the Bible says. That no man knows the hour of Jesus's return. But we are the smartest generation ever and we are in the time of knowledge right? Surely we would know when He is coming. Could it be that we were wrong? Well of course not. He really was coming and this is what happened.


The day started and God woke Jesus up so he could get ready for the big trip to bring back all of his children. Well it turns out that there was a lot to do. The Golden Chariot had not been driven in so long that when Jesus was going over it he realized that there was a lot of work to do just do get it ready for the big trip. The oil and filter needed to be changed because obviously 2000 year old Quaker State was nothing but solid sludge. Ok no big deal, He could simply lay hands on engine and it would get a full tune up and purr like a kitten once again. Then he decided to check the tire pressure only to find that the tires had weather rot and were simply too bad to chance carrying His precious children. So He logged into tirerack.com to place a special order. Yes I said special order. How many people do you know that have a golden chariot? Thats what I thought. He noticed that they were on backorder so he spoke to the computer and demanded they be shipped immediately with one minute shipping and they were and it was good. So it seemed that it was finally ready but he noticed that the plates had expired and he had to go pay the taxes and get it registered again. Here is where He really got delayed. He has overcome engine trouble, tire trouble, order and shipping trouble but now he was gonna have to wait on the government. Since it was the weekend the offices were closed. He is going to go first thing Monday morning but there is no telling how long he will be at the DMV. 
I wanted all of you that was sure He was coming on the 21st to know this story. You obviously don't listen to what the Bible says so here is a story you can better relate to.