On Saturday, February 22, 2020 we celebrated the life of my dad, Cam Fearis. He passed away on February 13, 2020 after a major heart attack the week prior. The celebration was both unique and nearly perfect. The turn out was quite spectacular. Some fun and incredible stories were shared. I laughed more than I cried. The main theme was consistent regardless of no prior coordination from each speaker and it was this: Dad impacted the world the way he did because he followed the example of Jesus Christ. I had only a small part in the ceremony and this copy is only the notes I prepared I added some in the moment.
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I just wanted to take a quick moment to tell each of these men who have spoken before me how much I love you. Having an incredible Dad has meant doing life and growing up around other incredible men. It can also be said that each of these men are characterized by their great love for Jesus. I am so thankful for each of you.
Dad was known for becoming emotional when he prayed - time after time he would clear his throat and pause during the family prayer. Don’t worry we teased him about it -- but what grace it has been to have a Dad who loves Jesus so much that he is brought to tears by the love of his Savior.
My dad held my hand and led me to salvation at 4 years old - in the driveway of our house after Wednesday night AWANAs - I asked him to pray with me. 29 years later I know and remember the deep longing in my soul to belong to Jesus. Dad continued to lead me to Christ throughout my life, through hard times and losing my mom to brain cancer, to hard times where I was so angry and hard hearted it looked like I might lose my way, and all the way through all the pain to forgiveness and redemption and healed relationship and deep love.
Loving Jesus comes with certainty that you cannot find anywhere else - my dad had it. Here is what Romans 8:28-32 says: “and we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing (justification, we get credit for Jesus’ good record) with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for all, won’t he also give us everything else?”
When we start to understand how much God loves us -- How do we know God loves us? He sent his one and only Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. When we start to understand how much God loves us and we couple that alongside Who God is -- who is God? The Bible says he is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. God existed before the earth was formed and he will exist after this earth is gone -- he has the ultimate BIG picture. He sees all things, past, present, and future. So when we couple how much God loves us alongside who God is and slowly and even painfully we grow to try to really trust Him and His plan on our lives. And friends, I’m not going to stand here and lie to you and tell you that it is easy. I’m not.
But that is not all let us read about the promise. It says just a few verses above in Romans 8, v.18-23: “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. BUT with eager hope the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.”
As believers in Jesus we have freedom from death and decay - now! Death has no victory because we have eternal life. What hope! That is our eager hope in the face of real pain and heartache. You don’t get unity, and humility, and oneness in this kind of tragedy without Jesus and that is exactly what I have experienced with my family. It is a strange place to be when you can fully see and feel the presence of the Lord walking beside you and at the same time be given a no to one of the biggest prayers of your life.
We don’t get all the answers here on Earth. What we do get if we want him is Jesus. The Bible says he is the great High Priest who goes to the Father on our behalf. He understands all of our fears, feelings, insecurities, emotions because he walked this earth with skin on just like you and me. Fully God and Fully Man and Hebrews 4:14-16 says, “So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
I finish with this -- make no mistake about your place in this room today. It is no accident that you are here today. I believe that the Lord had already picked out your seat in this room. He is calling you, by name. He knows your name and he knows how many hairs are on your head he knows everything you have ever done and everything you are going to do and he loves you. The Creator of the Universe loves you. Today you are either being called to either know Jesus as your friend and savior or you are being called to know him more. You are being called to either cry out for salvation, or set aside very thing that is keeping you from being all in with Jesus.
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If you are scrolling this page and reading these words then you too are being called by the Father. You didn't stumble here by mistake you are here for a purpose. The God of the Universe in his generosity he has made a way for you to know him to his depths. Reach out. You are loved.
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