COME TO 'PAPA'

But he did not go to church!!! Those words described by grandfather who died when I was only four years old. My grandmother was a dear Christian woman who was in attendance every time the Methodist church doors were open. Papa, my grandfather, owned a country wholesale grocery store in a small town in Mississippi. Before the depression of '29 and the stock market crash he would regularly give groceries to needy families on "credit" never asking or receiving payment for the goods. I remember in the evenings when he came home from the store we would ride on the running boards of his old Olds up the steep drive to the carport, then we would go in and play with what seemed to be to be thousands of silver dollars as we built 'castles' on the living room floor and he would roll around with us and play. Then often when it was dark we would go out back and shoot fire crackers under tin cans and blow them up sky high and laugh and have such a wonderful time with my non church going Papa. He smoked good cigars, drank good liqueur and was known to be the best husband and grandfather anyone could ask for. He was a delightful man, humble, faithful, and fun. He and my grandmother raised a wonderful daughter--my mom. As I look back on his life, he died when I was only four years old, I see the light of Jesus and the love of Jesus written all over the life of that man. I know now that he was adopted from before the foundation of the world in Jesus ( Eph.1:3-14) and included into the life of the great Triune God, as we all are, and that is the reason for the joy, love, patience, and goodness he exemplified in his short life of 54 years. I so much look forward to reconnecting with him one day in the heavenly realm. I know no church could have done for him what Jesus did. I thank God for the truth that is in Jesus and that he is not lost or being tortured some place, but he is with his loving Father in Heaven now and for eternity. Praise God. Hang on Papa, I will see you soon. I love you.

Paul Kurts
www.newlifewcg.org

.