After several months of anticipating a memorial service for my friend, Joe, I was delighted to finally attend his celebration of life.
Sadly, the service was limited to the comforting words of very few on the program. Their comments were very interesting, and in some of their presentations I learned more about the speaker than my friend, Joe.
But then again, having met with him for an hour or more most weekends for the past five years, I wasn’t attending to learn more about my friend.
I was there to testify for a departed soul and desired to let the hundred or so in attendance know just where Joe stood with His Father in Heaven.
You see, even though he had been an active participant in church, it had only been a few years since he made a commitment as a follower of Christ.
I first met Joe more than 30 years ago, but didn’t have an opportunity to really connect one-on-one until 2019. That’s when I first realized that he was one of the many unconvinced in this world.
Joe was always delightful and gravitated toward social opportunities like a moth to a flame. Christians were all around him, but he tactfully avoided making a commitment for Christ.
Once Joe and I started meeting weekly at Spudnuts on Upper State Street, we first developed a friendship without pressuring a deep discussion in our differences in faith.
We continued to meet after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. That’s when Joe was first open to talking about faith and his limited understanding of the Bible.
Our friendship blossomed and we developed a trust that lasted to the end. He started experiencing issues with vertigo, which may well have been the early onset of mini strokes.
In 2022, we proceeded to take on the task of studying Operation Timothy. That study allowed us to gradually broaden his understanding of Christian principles in a nonthreatening environment.
We also shared intimate details of our childhoods and our careers. Joe was involved in many social organizations and apparently loved by many. He soon came to realize that those many acts of kindness and generosity still left a significant void in his life.
I grieved with him when his daughter’s mother died suddenly. We spent time discussing Heaven and Hell, but Joe could not come to grips with the concept of Hell.
So, we spent lots of time on the reality of Heaven and the possibility that many in this world simply had no desire to spend eternity with God.
That’s what the absence of faith really comes down to, folks. God allows us to make a free choice and live with the consequences.
I never heard Joe declare his decision, but it became quite apparent in 2022 when he faithfully showed up for breakfast at Cody’s Café every Thursday morning for our CBMC of Santa Barbara (Christian Business Men’s Connection) Team meeting.
Gradually, those men in attendance saw the fruit of his growing faith.
One morning Joe showed up with a guest. His newfound friend was a displaced Ukrainian youth minister he had invited to live in his home!
Several months passed and we also were informed that the pastor’s wife and two children were granted asylum and they, too, were taken in by Joe. In fact, he even gave up his master bedroom for this young couple.
Joe was no longer the selfish soul of the past.
After his initial stroke several years ago, we experienced God’s grace in how well Joe handled the adversity of the use of his legs. He was loved by all the staff at Wood Glen where he attempted to recover from his trauma.
Our continued visitation and encouragement fell short, but Joe remained optimistic through it all. I’m testifying for my departed friend so those who knew him might be assured of his salvation.