I got to see what must have been one of the best funerals you can have: a whole family sharing faith was there to celebrate their father. A man who had been a pastor in the community for 27 years was so well known and respected that the school was let out the day of the funeral and the church was so crowded that a projector and live stream was setup to accommodate the extra guests. It’s rare, I think, that one has a family so close, that you die young enough for your peers to celebrate you as a child and youth, not just as an old man. It’s rare to do ministry in one place for so long and see the multipied fruit of that ministry. It’s rare to have a town so respectful of the ministry that you’ve done.

I appreciate the authenticity that a town saw in a man who they knew so well.

I appreciate the sons respect for their father.

I appreciate the words of the oldest son, quoting Spurgeon, “it’s our priviledge to burn ourselves out in the masters’ service and die young”

A life well lived. And appropriately celebrated.