… and, after a deep breath and a whisper of gratitude to God for the guidance He gave me through a challenging weekend of services, I write to you with humility and contentment.  Let me explain…

With my hospice colleague on vacation, I am the on-call chaplain.  So, while our on-call team had my back, I was a little nervous about this weekend which had other scheduled services that I was responsible for… a wedding on Saturday and a funeral on Sunday.  I am happy to report that both the wedding and the funeral were completed with the intended results… a happily married young couple and a momentarily fulfilled widow in her grief journey.

Honoring her husband was the easy part.  He was an easy going, competent and compassionate man who loved his wife, family, colleagues, friends and above all, the Lord Jesus.  The cancer was brutal, and their faith was challenged, but in the midst of the radical cancer treatments at Duke University, he had T-shirts made with the saying, “Fear is a liar, fear’s lies will not destroy my living grace,” Cancer Warrior.

The words were taken from one of his favorite Christian songs called “Fear is a liar” sung by Zach Williams.   In the song “fear” is personified as the evil one who relentlessly accuses and confronts us with our inner fears… fears of failure, fears of incompetence, fears of loneliness, and on and on he goes.  But my friend Ray, whose life was cut short by cancer, left for his wife, family, colleagues and friends… a living truth that inspires us to confront our fears in the gentle but omnipotent power of the Lord.

It is up to us to trust in the Lord with all our hearts.  To find peace in His presence, even when being confronted by our fears… especially those that are coming from the enemy of our souls.  I am grateful to God that Ray is home now, eternally with our God.  I am hopeful that his wife, family, colleagues and friends will hold on to the truth of his conviction that the Lord Jesus is able to overcome our fears.

For His glory,

Pastor Mike