Our deepest sympathy

Our sympathy goes out to the family of Eric Felsinger, who went ahead of us to Heaven on Thursday after a long battle with cancer. Eric was well known by many of our students as a friend and neighbor (which I know because of the many times students asked to pray for him), and many had gotten to know him through different efforts the church did to try to help the family out over the past few years. In fact, it was only back in November that students were riding 4-wheelers with him after a morning of working on their yard. Eric is the brother-in-law of Mike Smies (husband of middle school leader Diane). Our prayers and sympathy is certainly with the Smies family as they deal with the loss, as well as with Eric's many friends and relatives. He will certainly be missed.

This comes on the heels of the unexpected passing of another friend and neighbor of many students, Paul Neerhof. Although not closely related to anyone in our youth ministry Paul was called Uncle by a number of our students, who looked up to him as if he were part of the family. He was really a pillar of our community that seemed to be almost everyone's friend. He is certainly missed as well.

As tough as these loses are there is also some room for celebration, as neither Eric nor Paul's life has truly ended. As the Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15, "Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." We are here reminded that death is not something that defeats us, for Jesus defeated death for us. When we die it is not an ending, or the start of something bad, but the beginning of something perfect. Death is not the ending of our dreams, but the fulfillment of our dreams. For when we die we are taken to heaven, the happiest and most perfect place we could ever dream of. And so while it is sad that Eric and Paul moved on seemingly early in their lives we know with certainty that they are now in the best place there will ever be.