Chris and Papa (Ray) August 2013. My parent’s 50th anniversary

Since Chris’ sudden passing in September 2017, I have researched what heaven might be like and it appears that music is very prevalent there. Wow, it would be pretty cool if one day Chris and his Papa get to reunite in a jam session of Country Music in heaven! But will that ever happen? Is heaven for real? Is Chris truly there now? Will my dad join Chris in heaven when he dies?

The question about what happens when we die has been contemplated for generations. Since becoming a Christian at 26, I’ve had many discussions with family and friends about faith and heaven, particularly with my dad, as my mom has confirmed her Christian faith. My dad admits he doesn’t think a lot about life after death. He had faith encounters as a teenager but only God knows whether he, or any of us, is a true believer or not.

Before Chris passed, it had been quite some time since my dad and I had a serious faith talk. The Bible confirms that there is no guarantee that heaven will be our next home. Being ‘good enough’ isn’t actually…good enough. “Dad, none of us are good enough. We all ‘miss the mark’ (definition of sin) in several areas of our life. The Christian faith may seem too good to be true or possibly too simple or crazy to believe, but God, through Jesus, offers us a never-ending new life after our earthly death, provided we believe in Him!”

During the reception after Chris’s funeral service, my wife Rose Mary had a heartfelt discussion with Chris’ close friend Nathan, who shared the following story.

“About one month before Chris died, when a bunch of our friends were at our annual weekend get-away, Chris and I had an intimate discussion. He shared with me that he was thankful for his faith and he really hoped that his Papa would choose to grow his. Chris said that he was concerned for his Papa’s soul and really wants his Papa’s future home to be in heaven.”

I was amazed at this! I knew Chris had a relationship with God, believing in Jesus and wanting to follow him. However, like all of us, Chris had ‘grey areas’ in his life and he wasn’t known for overtly talking about his faith. I was blown away that so close to his physical death, Chris would share his soul-care for his Papa, who I have shed many tears for over the years, profusely hoping, Living in Faith, that my dad and I will one day share the same home again in heaven, forever!

So, why did Chris share his concern about his Papa’s soul with Nathan? Why was Chris talking about heaven only weeks before he went there himself?

I wrote this reflection in June 2018 and shared it with my dad in June 2019 during our vacation together in Europe. My AWESOME dad gave me permission to share this story publicly. “Thank you dad for everything you have been and done for me. You’ve taught me so much and you and mom have ALWAYS been huge encouragers of me. I am so thankful for the almost 20 years we partnered together in our financial planning practice and I prayerfully hope that we will also spend eternity together. I love you Dad!”

Epilogue – August 2020

Shortly after Father’s Day this past June, I rented a movie from Amazon Prime to watch with my parents. I Can Only Imagine is an amazing faith story of a father, a son and music. Dennis Quaid plays the role of a horrible father, that in no way depicts my awesome dad, who experiences a major transformation in his life. After witnessing the incredible change and finally being able to forgive his dad, the son is inspired to write the top selling song, I Can Only Imagine. This story and song impacted me, and so many others, in a profound way. I know my parents were deeply moved as both my mom and I were brought to tears and my dad commented “Wow, that almost made me cry!”, which is being emotional for my tough skinned, but tender hearted dad.

Check out the movie’s trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsMyv9Q4_OU&feature=youtu.be

Chris and Papa (Ray) August 2013. My parent’s 50th anniversary

Since Chris’ sudden passing in September 2017, I have researched what heaven might be like and it appears that music is very prevalent there. Wow, it would be pretty cool if one day Chris and his Papa get to reunite in a jam session of Country Music in heaven! But will that ever happen? Is heaven for real? Is Chris truly there now? Will my dad join Chris in heaven when he dies?

The question about what happens when we die has been contemplated for generations. Since becoming a Christian at 26, I’ve had many discussions with family and friends about faith and heaven, particularly with my dad, as my mom has confirmed her Christian faith. My dad admits he doesn’t think a lot about life after death. He had faith encounters as a teenager but only God knows whether he, or any of us, is a true believer or not.

Before Chris passed, it had been quite some time since my dad and I had a serious faith talk. The Bible confirms that there is no guarantee that heaven will be our next home. Being ‘good enough’ isn’t actually…good enough. “Dad, none of us are good enough. We all ‘miss the mark’ (definition of sin) in several areas of our life. The Christian faith may seem too good to be true or possibly too simple or crazy to believe, but God, through Jesus, offers us a never-ending new life after our earthly death, provided we believe in Him!”

During the reception after Chris’s funeral service, my wife Rose Mary had a heartfelt discussion with Chris’ close friend Nathan, who shared the following story.

“About one month before Chris died, when a bunch of our friends were at our annual weekend get-away, Chris and I had an intimate discussion. He shared with me that he was thankful for his faith and he really hoped that his Papa would choose to grow his. Chris said that he was concerned for his Papa’s soul and really wants his Papa’s future home to be in heaven.”

I was amazed at this! I knew Chris had a relationship with God, believing in Jesus and wanting to follow him. However, like all of us, Chris had ‘grey areas’ in his life and he wasn’t known for overtly talking about his faith. I was blown away that so close to his physical death, Chris would share his soul-care for his Papa, who I have shed many tears for over the years, profusely hoping, Living in Faith, that my dad and I will one day share the same home again in heaven, forever!

So, why did Chris share his concern about his Papa’s soul with Nathan? Why was Chris talking about heaven only weeks before he went there himself?

I wrote this reflection in June 2018 and shared it with my dad in June 2019 during our vacation together in Europe. My AWESOME dad gave me permission to share this story publicly. “Thank you dad for everything you have been and done for me. You’ve taught me so much and you and mom have ALWAYS been huge encouragers of me. I am so thankful for the almost 20 years we partnered together in our financial planning practice and I prayerfully hope that we will also spend eternity together. I love you Dad!”

Epilogue – August 2020

Shortly after Father’s Day this past June, I rented a movie from Amazon Prime to watch with my parents. I Can Only Imagine is an amazing faith story of a father, a son and music. Dennis Quaid plays the role of a horrible father, that in no way depicts my awesome dad, who experiences a major transformation in his life. After witnessing the incredible change and finally being able to forgive his dad, the son is inspired to write the top selling song, I Can Only Imagine. This story and song impacted me, and so many others, in a profound way. I know my parents were deeply moved as both my mom and I were brought to tears and my dad commented “Wow, that almost made me cry!”, which is being emotional for my tough skinned, but tender hearted dad.

Check out the movie’s trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsMyv9Q4_OU&feature=youtu.be