Sad Day

We have some good friends from church; here I’ll call them the S family. Phillip, the husband and father was the servant-leader of the family. Hubby and Phillip have been doing a Bible study together for the last several months that has been a real blessing and encouragement to both of them. Hubby has said many times what an answer to prayer it was. The S’s have four children. The oldest just completed his first year of college. He is a very caring, kind person despite the fact that he is confined to a wheelchair. The next boy is in high school and has a very tender, helpful spirit. The third boy is almost always smiling despite severe autism. The youngest is in second grade and playful as can be. He is just beginning to learn to read despite his recent diagnosis of dyslexia. We first got to know the family when they began attending our church a few years ago. Due to their son’s disabilities, it is hard for them to go to other people’s houses, so they made it their goal to have each family in the church over for dinner to get to know them better. They had us over and the time flew by as we talked. The mom homeschooled all the boys (obviously now that The oldest is in college, she homeschools the remaining 3 and drives the oldest to his classes.) We had we had some interesting conversations about some of the things they were studying. Phillip was quite the handyman. He fixed our deck for us when it was settling unevenly. He also came over one day to put up the handrails on our stairs, install Bug-a-Boo’s gate, and other little projects. When our son was born, Phillip was one of the only men who wanted to come visit right away and meet him. Every week at the end of hubby’s Bible study, Phillip would say, “Go home and give that little boy a hug and a kiss from me, and tell him I love him.” Phillip was one of the few people I know who was truly debt free. He didn’t even have a mortgage on his house. A year and a half ago when he was laid off, he was able to go into business for himself, not needing as much every month due to the fact that they had no debt payments. Phillip was one of the most real people I’ve ever met. He had been a Christian for ten years and realized that so much of life, (money, status, fame, etc.) was just an illusion. The thing that matters most is Jesus and our relationship with Him. He didn’t have any fancy degrees, but was quick to humbly remind anyone of what the Bible said and that only there was true truth found.

Please pray for the S family today. Early Sunday morning, Phillip had a massive heart-attack and almost immediately died and was taken to heaven. He was just 44. Wednesday is their 21st wedding anniversary and is also the viewing/calling hours. The funeral will be Thursday. Sunday we took a couple dinners and spent some time with the mom and the boys. They are each dealing with this sudden loss in their own way. We all know that Phillip is rejoicing with Jesus now, but it’s still hard on those left behind. He was a wonderful husband, father, worker, and friend, and his passing leaves a big hole that only God can fill. I have been comforted by the fact that when Jesus heard about Lazurus’s death, even though he knew he was about to raise him, he still wept. Weeping and mourning are a natural part of the grief process, even though even in our mourning, we have hope. Pray also for us and our church as we seek how to best help them during this time.