My brother-in-law, Mark, died on Friday. He had been battling liver cancer since being diagnosed in November. We were together as family with him in a hospice outside of Denver. His body finally wore out and we lifted up our thanks in the middle of the pain and sorrow.  Mark is now with Jesus: no more pain, no more suffering, with the full glory of healing now and forever.

 

The love and support for Mark and his children, Paige and Matthew, by my in-laws, Sharon and Alden, my wife, Nancy, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, John and Eileen, my wife’s cousins, Dana, in particular, and Mark’s former wife and mother of the kids, Karin, were all awesome to behold. Mark was covered, yes, engulfed in love.

 

We are all in a battle for our lives and we fight against Satan and the powers of evil. We will all lose the battle in the end, but we win the war. Covered by Jesus, the Captain of our faith, his victory over death is our own. He is the first born of the new creation, and we, too, will be resurrected from the dead when Jesus brings in his Kingdom for good, when earth and heaven become one and the new creation is complete.

 

In the meantime, we know that Mark receives a hero’s welcome in the heavenly dimension, having battled till the end, leaving behind an amazing legacy, seen most clearly in my niece and nephew. Mark leaves his mark on us all and we know we will be with him some day in glory.