I want to tell you a story. Not just any story, but a story about living and-dying.
Where to begin is the problem. There are really a lot of places ,so I guess I will just begin in the middle and work from there.
First, a little about myself. I am a Pastor. I have worn the mantle for the past fifty years. It has been my unique opportunity to share in some of the most important and happy occasions in a myriad of lives. Weddings, births, baptisms, family gatherings and similar life happenings have been a very real part of my life.
I have also walked the other side as well. Death, divorce, funerals, job losses, miscarriages, family trauma, and heartaches to numerous and intimate to count.
Indeed, it is one of those intimate experiences of life which forms the background for the story I want to share with you. I am not fully aware of where this story will take us. My prayer is at the end, you will have insight into one of life's greatest mysteries, and with that perspective perhaps a different view of what lies in front of you.
At the expense of sounding to "Pollyanna" this is a story about living a good life and dying a victorious death. It is a story of the reality we all share. Living...and...dying.
In this story you will meet my friend Bill. He has state 4 Prostate Cancer. It will eventually take his life. You will walk with him through his journey of diagnosis, disbelief, and even at times discouragement. You will also share in his moments of new self-awareness, and acceptance of his ultimate end. You will witness how a person of faith, while daily battling pain, sometimes excruciating and intense pain, finds a relationship with Jesus Christ he never thought possible. You will hear in his own words how this new relationship provides him an ultimate peace and security only experience can describe.
To be clear, this is not about a "salvation experience". Bill has loved and served The Lord for decades. This is a story about something much more intimate and rewarding! Something only a person who has accepted their own mortality, and looking forward to the next chapter can adequately explain.