Tomorrow
TOMORROW will be my first day back to reality since Dad went to receive his eternal reward. I have been in a fog since he passed away late last Monday night. Much of what has transpired in the past five weeks seems very surreal.
TOMORROW I will preach my first sermon sInce Dad’s passing. It will not be an easy task. As a matter of fact, it will be my first Sunday without having a Dad or a Mother.
TOMORROW when I walk into the pulpit to proclaim the Word of God I will be holding my Dad’s Bible. It is the same Bible that he has been using to preach God’s Word.
TOMORROW when I preach I will be using the outline from the final sermon that Dad preached before he became ill. If you would like a copy of the outline I will be happy to provide you with one. I would post it here, but if I did the members of my Lewisville family who read this might not listen to the message:)
TOMORROW I will worship with more the 700 of God’s people and attempt to say “thank you” for the love they have showered upon us during the past few weeks. Our Lewisville church family has been better to us than we deserve. You have once again reminded us why we are so richly blessed to be of one of the finest churches anywhere in this world!
TOMORROW I will weep because one of God’s greatest spokesmen will not be audibly proclaiming the message as he so faithfully did on thousands of occasions during his life. I will weep because I can’t call Dad and say, “How did the day go at Roebuck Parkway?”
TOMORROW Dad’s proclamation will continue to be sounded forth through the hundreds of other preachers he influenced in his life as well as through the thousands of people he taught. We want to express our deep gratitude to the hundreds of our preaching brothers who came to support us at the viewing and at the funeral. We have been overwhelmed by the words of encouragement we have received from our fellow preachers through phone calls, emails, FB notes, and personal visits. It reminds us again why we love preachers so much.
TOMORROW Heaven will be richer than it was last Sunday because another faithful servant has finished his race.
TOMORROW we will pray a special prayer for the wonderful people from the Roebuck Parkway church because the one who has been their preacher for 44 years will not stand before them. We know that tomorrow will be an extremely difficult day for you. We will also pray a prayer of thanksgiving for this wonderful church. During the last few weeks they have showed our family the true meaning of Christian kindness. They have tirelessly given of themselves to encourage us during the most difficult days of our lives. They have gone way beyond the second mile in serving. There is no way to properly thank them for all they have done. To our Roebuck Parkway family please know that our love for you is immense.
TOMORROW, just as today, I will miss my Dad. I fully realize that my life and this world will never be the same. My life has changed forever.
TOMORROW I will thank God for family. During these past few weeks my love for family has become stronger. I have watched our family surround the Patriarch of our family with God's love in spite of the tears we have shed. I want each of you to know how much I love every one of you.
TOMORROW we will praise God because He is good. We will praise because His mercy is great toward us. We will praise Him because He still reigns in our lives. We will praise Him because He will help us continue the legacy that has become ours.
Dear God we thank You for tomorrow. We are thankful that it is Your day. We are thankful for the opportunity to praise You for all that You are and all that You have done for us. Thank You Father for the love that has been shown to us through Your church. Help us to extend that same love and graciousness to others. In the Name of our wonderful Savior we pray, AMEN.