June 20 2017 – Click here to listen
I am deeply saddened and overjoyed this morning. I’m saddened because my good friend Sheila Ray Charles, daughter of legendary musician Ray Charles just passed away, and I’m going to really miss her, but I’m overjoyed that she is singing and dancing all over heaven at this very moment. Her pain is gone, as is all sadness, sickness, tears, fears, and grief. She is in heaven with Jesus and I praise the Lord Almighty!
I’ve always looked at the passing of a Christian friend as being akin to someone who is embarking on a long journey that will take many years to complete before I’m able to reunite with them again. In that light, I bid her bon voyage rather than goodbye. I eagerly await seeing her again in heaven, after I too have fought the good fight, my race has been run, and I’m called home.
As for now, all I have are sweet memories of us speaking together in prison ministry, and at Honey Lake Church and her getting so excited that she ran completely around the church shouting and praising God. Though no one in the audience could tell it, she was suffering from her breast cancer at the time, and I was amazed that she could even do such a thing. She and her husband Tony rode with us to make the long trip to Honey Lake from Sarasota and they spent the night at my house. We knew that she was in much pain but one couldn’t tell it from her demeanor. I also remember on another occasion when her and her sister sang Amazing Grace while playing the grand piano in the foyer of my home. It was glorious!
Sheila lived much of her life in slavery to drugs and all that goes with that world. She found God in the latter years and served Him extremely well. She was an inspiration to me and to all who met her. She described herself as a “Jesus freak” and I can tell you as her close, personal friend, that she loved Jesus as few others I’ve ever met.
I’m often asked if I regret living the life that I lived as a young man. Sheila was asked the same question on many occasions. Of course we regretted it! But we also were cognizant that we would not be the same or have the same powerful testimony of the might of God to transform lives without having lived through our nightmares.
I think it might be difficult for those who followed the rules to understand how much we love Jesus. The overwhelming gratitude I feel for what Jesus did for me is difficult, if not impossible for me to put in words.
Jesus told about two people who owed a debt that illustrates what I’m talking about in Luke 7:41
But Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me, Teacher,” he said.
“Two men were debtors to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they were unable to repay him, he forgave both of them. Which one, then, will love him more?”
“I suppose the one who was forgiven more,” Simon replied.
“You have judged correctly.” Jesus said.
I owe more than anyone I’ve ever met and Sheila felt the same. I love Jesus more than life and will continue to do so for eternity. I know that I deserve to be punished in hell forever for the sins I’ve committed, but instead He had compassion and mercy on me while I was still a dark sinner and in fact gave His life for me. As a result of my forgiveness and decision to follow Christ, I have a mansion in heaven awaiting me right now.
Many of you may not realize that you have sinned dark sins in the eyes of the Lord and owe a tremendous debt in the same manner as Sheila and I. Nonetheless you have much for which to be thankful and I urge you to take this opportunity to praise His name and please pray for Sheila’s family who will miss her dearly.
I would say rest in peace my beautiful friend, but knowing Sheila, she is too busy celebrating all over heaven with that big beautiful smile to consider resting, instead I will just say, keep the party going until I get there honey . . .
2 Cor. 4:17
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.