MY LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT

I am writing this post as my last will and testament.  If you are reading it, then know that if I have died today (something I have expected for many years due to health issues, and which my family has repeatedly joked about as though I am "Chicken Little"), or better yet,  I am "missing" because Almighty God has told His Son to "Go get My children," then let this guide how you distribute my vast wealth (sarcasm)!

1)  If I am dead, everything I own belongs to my wonderful wife Judy.  She has stood by me for over fifty-four years, and she is my all-time favorite gift from God (excluding my salvation which was THE GIFT above all gifts (Ephesians 2:4-9; Romans 5:15-18; 6:23; etc.).

2)  If the Lord has come for His children through the Rapture of the Body of Christ (John 14:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:50-55; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; etc.), then those left here of my family shall have all our (Judy's and mine) earthly possessions.  They shall all go to those remaining following the Rapture of born again believers. 

3)  The order of inheritance shall be as follows:  (I am listing all my family members because unlike God, I do not know who is born again, and who is not.  Everything we have will go to the one person highest on this list, who is still here:
     a)  Our Daughters:  Laurie, Dawn, Cheryl.  We would like Dawn to remain in our home as long as she is able to do so.
     b)  Our Grandchildren:  Kyle, Erin, Hope, Jesse, Bethany, Hannah, Stephen, Jessica, Amy, Michael, Luc.
     c)  Our Great Grandchildren:  Alex, Aurora, Rhys, Woody, Audrey, Kara, Joshua, Henry, Emerson.
    
4)  As I said earlier, I do not know who has called upon Jesus to be Lord of his or her life, but ideally, all of the above named family members will have accompanied Judy and me in Christ's Rapture of His Church!  However, being realistic, and having seen no evidence that Jesus is the Lord of some of those listed above, I am not naïve enough to believe that that will occur.  And in reality, that is so sad! 

I have preached the funerals of fifteen folks while pastoring Bethany Baptist Church in Sturgis, Kentucky, and attended dozens of funerals officiated by others.  The one thing that made all the difference in each of them, was whether or not their loved ones could say they felt certain that he or she loved the Lord!  Of course, it is impossible to be absolutely certain, but it has been my experience, that those who truly love the Lord, will publicly say so, and their lives will be guided by Him as much as they possibly can. 

Noone is perfect; certainly not me; but those who know me, know the place Jesus Christ has in my life - He is Lord!  And while they all have seen me fail Him from time to time, they should know that the instant I am gone, I will have become like Jesus.  1 John 3:2 says, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is." 

If this offends any of my "heirs," I am truly sorry!  Nevertheless, what I have written is truth.  Born again believers are those who truly belong to Christ, those whose lives are truly focused upon pleasing Him.  I am not your judge.  I am just a man who wants, more than anything, to spend eternity with ALL of you!  I love you ALL!