The Passing of Paul

I usually don't involve myself in things like this, but I am quite compelled that there is no denying the heaviness in my heart to do so this time. In truth, I have been avoiding this post for three weeks, and it just will NOT go away.

On November 30th of this year, Actor Paul Walker tragically died in a fiery car crash in California. In true Hollywood irony, he left this earth the exact same way he lived it on the silver screen. I remember immediately thinking "Lord, I pray that young man is saved". (Amazingly, the Lord affirmed through a Christian Talent Agency the following day that, indeed, Paul Walker had received Christ as his Savior.) The media frenzy that ensued was incredible and unbelievable. I read through post after post on my facebook page about how "hot"he was, and how all these women just "loved"him, about how he was the BEST actor ever! And, I thought how strange all of this was, because I know most of these people personally, and they don't know Paul Walker, at all, aside from his role in "The Fast and Furious" movie series. Twitter was blowing up. Facebook was blowing up. All the media outlets were all abuzz over this.

All the while, on the other side of town, Paul Crouch quietly slipped away to be with the Lord. He had been sick for a while, but there was nothing that would lead anyone to believe his sickness was unto death. He was an elderly man, and these things happen as we age, right? Well, though there should have been, there was no "trending"news of Paul Crouch's death. No facebook mania. No anything. I also paused to think how strange this was, as well. Actually, this seemed all the more strange to me.

Paul Walker, by all reports, was a great dad, a great friend ... a great everything. He was a child of God, and was very generous in giving back for all of the blessings the Good Lord had given him. Paul Crouch ..... well, who is Paul Crouch anyway, right? Paul Crouch, also a child of God, was the man who founded and ran Trinity Broadcasting Network. Now, while both of these men entered into heaven on equal standing, because they accepted Christ's finished work on Calvary and NOTHING more ..... on Kingdom terms, Paul Crouch went into ALL the world and spread the gospel ..... literally! and perhaps .... just perhaps .... for a moment those children of God who remain should recognize that we lost TWO brothers in Christ that day.

I had the same feeling earlier this year. The day Margret Thatcher died, Dixie Johnson also died. While entire nation's mourned the passing of Great Britain's "Iron Lady", Dixie Johnson quietly passed on to be with the Lord. Outside of my small family circle I suppose Dixie Johnson is nobody really. Yet, on that day ..... she stood EQUAL before God with a former Prime Minister and one of the most powerful women in the world!!! As she should have!!! Oh yeah, and who was Dixie Johnson? My Granny! The Matriarch Queen of the Johnson family! She was 99 years old!

Our priorities are out of order!

Kalena