D. James Kennedy (1930-2007)

Dr. D. James Kennedy passed away this morning in his sleep. If you don't know who this man is, you should do some internet searching and get to know him.

See a tribute website from the ministry of this wonderful man here with a video and time line of his life here. Also, Dr. Al Mohler eulogizes him here.

I loved these words from him on the front page of the tribute site:

"Now, I know that someday I am going to come to what some people will say is the end of this life. They will probably put me in a box and roll me right down here in front of the church, and some people will gather around, and a few people will cry. But I have told them not to do that because I don’t want them to cry. I want them to begin the service with the Doxology and end with the Hallelujah chorus, because I am not going to be there, and I am not going to be dead. I will be more alive than I have ever been in my life, and I will be looking down upon you poor people who are still in the land of dying and have not yet joined me in the land of the living. And I will be alive forevermore, in greater health and vitality and joy than ever, ever, I or anyone has known before."

I remember taking a trip to Florida with my sister and step-grandmother in the summer of 2000. We went for a drive one night around Ft. Lauderdale, and in the distance I noticed this massive steeple. I drove towards it and stopped in front of a massive white church building. It seemed to glow. I parked the car and said "Wait here. I want to see if I know who the pastor is." My sister laughed at me, but I got out anyway.

When I walked up to a sign that said "Dr. D. James Kennedy." I walked around for a little while, found some materials about the church and then got back in the car. My sister piped up sarcastically "So, did you know him?" to which I replied "Yes" and that was it.

We are quickly loosing a very significant, and God-blessed generation of godly men. Oh, that God would raise up another generation of men like Dr. Kennedy.