Did the Lord forget, or just the people?

The Bible says the Lord provides, but maybe the Lord doesn't know Johnny's friends and family. No one has come forth to help with the funeral arrangements for this wonderful man who was an angel in life to them.

The most heart-breaking part of tending to Johnny has been watching as his friends abandoned him one by one. Boastful millionaires suddenly became broke when I asked for help to offset the costs of this catastrophic disease. The family wanted him disconnected from any assistance whatsoever as soon as Johnny had his heart attack. They didn't see any need to give him a chance to recover. They were more interested in the "Miller money" than the fact that Johnny had emphatically ordered his own feeding peg and breathing vent. It was only at that point Johnny finally reached of the machine breathing entirely for him that he gave up his spirit. That was Tuesday, February 24th at 9 am. He remains at the funeral home awaiting a deposit on his cremation.

This is the same man who gave generously to a host of causes as well as his family and friends. I remember watching his growing sadness as fewer and fewer people came to visit him. He is in a better place now. The psalmist says God heals all our diseases and death is God's way of saying "This too shall pass".

We're planning a Memorial on Saturday, March 21st from 2 to 4 pm in the condo's lounge. Aside from the people who have taken care of Johnny and those who work here who have been so gracious, I don't know what some people would be memorializing. If a man gave as lovingly as Johnny gave and I only took advantage of him in the good times and ignored him in his time of need, I would not want to "look back" on his life for fear of seeing my own.

Jesus taught us to never send someone away empty-handed. Perhaps all you have is a kind word, perhaps a resource that is at your disposal, a skill that you have, but I appeal to all those who read this to help in this last tribute to a great man. That he would be remembered in Heaven gives me great peace, but it gives me sadness that the world would forget a man who made my life worth living by giving me the love that my soul desired most. God bless any who can donate or help in any way. [See the sidebar] Read more!

October 4, 1940 - February 24, 2009

We prayed this over Johnny's lifeless body Tuesday morning.

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, [a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

Indeed, his chains are gone (as the video below proclaims). The man who gave me back my life surrendered his Tuesday at 9 AM. I can't believe he's gone, but I believe more than ever in God's amazing grace.

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