MORMON FUNERAL
“There is a way that seems right to man,
but in the end it leads to death”
Proverbs 14:12
Hi Men:
With everything going on in the world right now, keep your eyes on the eternal. God is still on His throne, He’s 100% in control of everything and His Son sits at His right hand as the Good Shepherd intervening for His sheep. We don’t have to get rattled:
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)
I don’t think you can put a price on that that word “peace.” Remember what Jesus said to His disciples (I always like to think they are sitting around a campfire listening to their Master)
“These things I have spoken to you, so that ‘in Me’ you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
PHOTO ABOVE
What happens when you start praying for your neighbors? Let me tell you……. God will put you in situations that you will have to start interacting with them. Remember when we discussed the Ten Most-Wanted card? You pencil in those names (family, friends, etc) and start praying for their salvation…… and in His timing, watch what happens!
Below is a photo of Karrl, my neighbor across the street. We have been attending our other neighbor’s Halloween parties for over 10 years.
You might also remember this photo from the November Friday letter: Holloween at my Neighbors
At a Halloween party back in 2021, Karrl and I started having some great conversations. He even told me how he was struggling with his Mormon faith and I said we need to be like the Bereans and the next day I texted him the verse from Acts 17:11. He wanted to attend the Friday Men’s group at my home, but never did, even though I kept encouraging him. Even his wife was nudging him to no avail.
FAST FORWARD TO FEBRUARY 2025
On the morning of Feb 5th, my wife said there was an ambulance at Karrl’s. I texted him and received a note from his wife that Karrl was taken to the hospital. Then 3 days later I received the the following text: “Hi Dan, Bonnie here. Karrl is coming home on hospice care today. Full organ failure. We are in shock and devastated! Trying to keep the faith and feel Gods arms around us.” I asked if I could visit with Karrl and Bonnie said that would be nice in a few days.
Remember Leo, my landscaper? He was at Karrl’s taking care of his lawn & plants and was able to speak with Karrl. Leo called me up later and was quite emotional. He said, “Dan, you need to get over there asap. He’s not doing well.” I texted Bonnie and received no answer. Even though we had our grandsons, while our son & daughter-in-law were out of the country, I said to Jane that I need to see Karrl and it can’t wait. She said, go! I walked across the street and just walked in. The house was full of people and one of Karrl’s grandsons said you can visit with my grandpa in a moment (there was someone already talking with him).
This is where things got a little uncomfortable. There was former Mormon bishop laying his hands on one of Karrl’s daughters and praying for her while I was less than 10 feet away. More to that, but’s lets move on. The grandson said I could now visit with Karrl. Karrl couldn’t speak, but he understood me perfectly. I pulled out Steps To Peace With God and told him the story about Leo receiving Christ in my backyard. I asked Karrl if he wanted to go through the Gospel just as Leo had done and his eyes opened wide and nodded his head. I read it slowly, and as I turned each page asked if he understood all the Bible verses. He nodded every time. When we got to the end, I asked if he wanted to pray to receive Christ and he nodded his head. Karrl had tears running down his face as we prayed and repented of his sins. As we were finishing, I sensed someone looking at us……. it was that Mormon guy. He and his wife were near the foot of Karrl’s hospital bed staring at us. It was creepy. I hugged Karrl the best I could and got up.
I spoke briefly with Karrl’s daughter… we have known her since she was a little girl. I explained to her what just happened and also gave her a Steps To Peace With God.
Shewas pleased to receive it, I hugged both her and her mom, then said goodbye and walked back across the street. Karrl died 2 days later……
What about the photo above? They had Karrl’s funeral last Saturday. My wife and I sat and listened to everyone speak kinds words, funny stories and all the things Karrl was involved in and his accomplishments……. Actually pretty impressive! But when the bishop of this Ward spoke, one word kept coming to mind: “COUNTERFEIT”
This bishop mentioned the name of Jesus Christ, the plan of salvation and the gospel. If you didn’t know better, you would think you were sitting in an evangelical Christian church. Even the hymns were familiar, like, “I Know That My Redeemer Lives.”
Let me stop here…… I have definitely gone on long enough…… too long. I pray God did a huge miracle in Karrl’s life and that I have more opportunities to speak with Bonnie and her children. NEXT WEEK I WILL ADDRESS SOME OF THE KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MORMONISM AND CHRISTIANITY.
Keep Looking Up, men!
Dan
(Gal 2:20)
“I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.”
(John 10:10)
Men: Things we need to ponder………… Read it thoughtfully
“This is God’s universal purpose for all Christian suffering:
More contentment in God and less satisfaction in the world.”
John Piper
Called to Suffer – Red Book Day 82
The purpose of these devotionals is to help you think Biblically
Solomon said, “As a man thinks, so is he”
Download And Share this devotional with others.
Men: I have followed Joni Eareckson Tada for most of my Christian walk. She is my age. This short video is so sweet and touching, it made me cry. After watching it, I was pretty much speechless.
Made several years ago, some of you have seen it, but it’s worth watching again. Please share it with your wife, family and friends……..
Songs of Suffering: A Short Film Featuring Joni Eareckson Tada
“Suffering will teach you who you are. It’s a textbook that will show you the stuff of which you are made. And sometimes it’s not very pretty. Suffering will squeeze that out of you. We say we know Christ. The next time you suffer hard, find out what comes out of your mouth. That will show you how much you know Jesus. And in that sense, it’s good.”
No one has spoken more personally and insightfully into the intersection of suffering and faith than Joni Eareckson Tada. In this 13-minute documentary, hear more from Joni herself about her story, how she reacted when she learned 55 years ago that she would never walk again, and what she does to find the heartbeat of Christ within her daily struggle with chronic pain and quadriplegia.
Click on photo or Go To Crossway.org (13 min)
Men: The following link was a message by Walt on the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
He made five major points from Chapter 12 of Ecclesiastes. Here is the link to the message and the Five Principles:
Audio of the Week
Five principles from Ecclesiastes
1) Mortality is 100%. Life at best is brief
2) The work of man’s hand is Vanity
3) For reasons all of his own, God has declared man to be of worth
4) Significance is to be found in giving your life in exchange for that which God gave his life in exchange
(Note: if you save your life you will lose it. Happiness is found in giving your life to people and not things)
5) For good or for bad, for the Christian and the non-Christian alike, how we perform on earth will appreciably affect how we spend eternity
SpaceX Dragon Splashdown
I just had to see this a few more times. Amazing technology!
Here’s a 1 minute video…. Watch it on YouTube (1 minute)
Lunar Eclipse – March 13-14, 2005
Since we are talking about space, I hope many of you stayed up to watch the Lunar Eclipse last week. I took a short video with my phone (only 7 seconds). It was super cool to watch this eclipse!
If you are curious to know how Lunar Eclipse works, Watch This 2 min YouTube Video.
I was visiting with a brother last month. He interacts with a lot of Christian men. As he gets to know them, he says they are “so lonely.” We are seeing literally a “mass” of men leading lives of “quiet desperation.” Henry David Thoreau’s quote hits home with so many men!
