It wasn't easy for a morally good man to come to the realization he needed a Savior. A man who could buy real estate on a simple handshake. Whose basic honesty was so well-known his customers felt free to drop off their car and call over their shoulder as they walked away, "Whatever it needs Bruce!". Such trust, earned and well-deserved, made comparisons inevitable for my dad. He could say with certainty that his life was as good as the next man. That his bills were paid and his family fed. And his word was his bond.
It was all true. But daddy was not truly Christian until that fateful Sunday morning when he walked to the front of the little church where we worshipped each week. It was his public declaration of the faith growing in his heart that God is real, Jesus is the Son of God and Calvary was for him. It was his way of saying he finally got it; you can't get good enough to make it to Heaven. Even though he was such a fine man, he needed to be saved. His sins had to be forgiven. His name had to be written in the Lamb's book of life.
And for the little boy who tagged after his dad that day, it was the defining moment of his life. If dad in his strength, honesty and good character needed to be saved, so did I. What a moment as father and son made our lifetime commitment to Jesus together!
Forty one years have passed since dad slipped away from us. And yet it seems but a few days ago we watched the casket drop slowly into the bosom of the earth where dad's frail physical form would await the resurrection. Death had taken away the life of the physical body. But when that house of clay collapsed Jesus stepped in and rescued the real Bruce Orrell. The faith that sustained him in life rescued dad in death. All that is everlasting about him is now with the Lord. And some day soon, the trumpet will sound, the dead in Christ will rise first and we will be changed! Reunion at last! Reunion with loved ones like dad who have gone on before. But best of all, we shall see the Lord...face to face in all His glory!
Get ready. He's coming soon!
Lovingly,
Pastor Richard Orrell
