Saying Goodbye - Barry's Eulogy

On March 9, Barry's memorial service was held. It was a beautiful service that reflected everything his life stood for. I am so thankful to The Village Church for all their support and help in holding the service. 

In the days leading up to the service, I spent hours trying to write Barry's eulogy. I literally wrote 7 or 8 different versions and wasn't satisfied with any of them. How was I supposed to honor the man who was my best friend, father of my children and soul mate in a few short minutes? God had done so much in his life, I struggled to find a way to communicate everything that his life was about. Everyone at that service knew what he believed, what his life was about. So I decided to tell them about the man off the stage. The man that only a few people got to see. I spoke of his "adventures" throughout the years - jumping in an alligator pit at a zoo and starting an after-school program for kids who needed Christian men in their lives to point them to Jesus. I spoke of his soft side - calling me countless times from out of town to sing to me. I spoke of his love for our children - nightly giving the kids a bath (which often included splashing contests and learning about sharks) and nightly Bible reading and prayer. And I spoke of his passion and love for Providence Church - his desire to see a community changed by the gospel of Jesus through the church he started. 

I ended Barry's eulogy with a scripture God took me to while he was in the hospital the last days of his life: “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” Psalm 116:15 

Charles Spurgeon said this about the verse: "Saints will not die prematurely; they will be immortal until their work is done. When their time comes to die, their deaths will be precious. The Lord watches over their death beds, smoothes their pillows, sustains their hearts, and receives their souls. Those who are redeemed with the priceless blood are so cherished by God that even their deaths are precious to him. The death beds of saints are precious to the church, and she often learns much from them. They are precious to believers who treasure the last words of the departed. But they are most precious to the LORD Jehovah. He views the triumphant deaths of His gracious ones with sacred delight. If we have walked before Him in the land of the living, we need not fear to die before him when the hour of our departure is at hand. "

My hope in sharing this and in posting it here, is that we would all rest in the knowledge that God called Barry and those who have also passed away home at the perfect time because their work was done. Until my work is done and Jesus calls me home, I will continue to fight for everything the Keldie family stands for. Come, Lord Jesus, Come!