Through

Yesterday I was at CCK Brighton for John Turner's thanksgiving service.  John was a truly amazing man of God who served that most famous of evangelical churches with quiet, faithful humility.  As with all the best people, the tributes from his family and his church - though from  different perspectives - described exactly the same man and his life.  In evangelical consciousness CCK will forever be associated with Terry Virgo, but like churches everywhere its blessing includes lesser known saints like John who bend their practical gifting to the service of God's people and their mission.  I never remember seeing John other than calm in life, so he will certainly not be other than calm as he rests in the presence of Jesus! 

I loved he wrote his own tribute to be read out.  I was born etc. etc.  This might seem the height of arrogance but of course he wrote it for the opposite reason - to ensure that the audience of the admiring bereaved gave the glory to Jesus, to whom it is rightly due.

One of the words we were led to in Psalm 23 was the word 'through'. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death . . . Sure there are valleys.  But the valleys are pathways, not destinations!  Praise God. And death is now but a shadow of its former self.