Three years ago today a very good friend of mine passed away from liver
failure. We were roommates in the late 90's and into the early 2000's.
My oldest three boys came to know him as Uncle Andy.
Andy was 39 when he died.
Andy was adopted and never met his birth parents.
I think of my friend often and I can still remember going over to his house the December before he died having no idea that would be the last time I would have a conversation with him. When I received a call from his girlfriend and another close friend to come to Riverside Hospital to see him before he passed away I was numb and without words. I prayed with him and asked him if he wanted to accept Jesus Christ into his life. He nodded, but till this day I'm still not sure if he understood what I was talking or praying about.
When I left the hospital I was grief stricken.
I loved Andy.
Andrew Paul Feiertag
He had seen me at my worst and at my best and in both instances he treated me the same; he treated me like a great friend.
Andy was a true friend.
The
reason I went to visit Andy that cold day in December of 2008 was
because I wanted to talk to him about his faith. He contacted me earlier
that month and said that he found a journal that I kept in college and
that he was reading it every day.
He said it gave him hope.
I
shared with him that day that my life was different. I told him that
God was the center piece of my life and that the transformation in my
life was evident to anyone that would want to take a look and notice.
He agreed.
Buckeye & Andy...
I believe that Andy heard the words that I shared with him, but I have no idea if he accepted Jesus Christ in his heart.
I hope he did. I think about it just about every day.
Since
then I made a promise to myself that through deed and word, more deed
than word that I would share my faith with anyone that would like to
talk about it. I also promised myself that I will share with those that
I'm close to that God has changed my life.
I will never again put off sharing with someone the good news of Jesus Christ.
That is my promise.
That is my promise.
In my bible I have Andy's obituary laminated and placed as a bookmark for Psalm 39.
"Lord,
remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days
are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away. My life is no longer
than the width of my hand. An entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
human existence is but a breath."
-Psalm 39:4
Andy lived roughly 14,235 days.
Tomorrow is never promised.
Written in my bible, in the margins between Psalm 38 & 39, is the name ANDY.
Andy means a lot of different things to me, but below is what ANDY stands for to me and what I have written in my bible.
A.N.D.Y.
Always
share your faith in Christ through your conduct, character and
conversation. People appreciate watching a good sermon instead of
hearing one. Our actions often speak louder than our words. I fail at
this often, but it is truly important to me to live a life that
demonstrates a deep belief in God.
Never
be ashamed or obnoxious about your faith in God. It is important to me
to share my faith in a way that will not offend or alienate anyone, and
in a way that displays sincerity and authenticity.
Don't
wait to share your faith with your friends. Tomorrow is never promised.
Many of us share with others, and anybody that will listen, things that
have no true significance; sharing the gospel is sharing something that
has value. When we share the good news with others we speak hope into
their lives that can produce mighty change into their lives. That is
awesome.
Y ... Why share? Why "not" share is the real and right question. Matthew 28:18-20 states; "And Jesus came up and spoke to them
saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.' And He said
to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. ...and
make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and
the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded
you: He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but He who has
disbelieved shall be condemned. Thus it is written, that the Christ should
suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; and that repentance for the
forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations,
beginning from Jerusalem." Those verses are a pretty good reason why we should share the "good news" with those around us.
Andy's favorite song was "You're in my Heart" by Rod Stewart. It was played at his funeral. Andy was known to ask strangers to dance with him when this song was played.
Couples danced to this song at the funeral home when it was played during his funeral.
I cried.
The song states:
"You're in my heart, you're in my soul
You'll be my breath should I grow old
You are my lover, you're my best friend
You're in my soul"
You'll be my breath should I grow old
You are my lover, you're my best friend
You're in my soul"
I could write another 1000 words concerning the irony of that stanza.
I will not.
I will only say that I do believe that God was in his heart and in his soul during Andy's final days here on earth. I really do.
I'm thinking of you this evening Andy.
I miss you very much.
sbb 28.1.11
1004
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