In Memory of My Brother-in-Christ

On January 30th, I lost a close friend to an automobile accident. I want to thank so many of you who have e-mailed me or sent electronic-greeting cards to express your sympathy. I have shared these messages with his family, and they have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and concern. And I can't tell you how much it has meant to me personally. The Family of God shares a wonderful closeness, and I don't know how people cope with tragedy in their life who do not have the Lord and the brothers/sisters in Christ in their lives.

Jerry Soellner and I had been friends since I was five years old, growing up a few houses apart on the same street. He was a year younger than me, and I am also a friend to two of his brothers -- Greg, who was a couple of years older, and Bo (my age), who is my best friend.

Since the accident, so many memories have flooded my mind. Special things we shared while growing up, such as playing baseball, football, "carnivals" we put together in a field in back of our houses, sled riding, snowball fights, school dances, camping out, and sleeping over at each others homes, getting up at 3:00 a.m. to fold newspapers on the back of his Dad's tailgate for the family's paper route. As we grew older, we never grew apart. We shared fishing trips, cook-outs, movies and even lived in the same apartment building, where the closeness of our friendship bonded even more.

Most people knew him as Jerry; but to those of us who were closest to him, he was nicknamed "Rabb". He was a very out-going person -- full of life, energetic, fun to be with, warm-hearted, generous and giving. He always saw the humor in every situation, and always looked for the good in people. In all our years together, I never heard Jerry speak badly of anyone.

There are things about Jerry that I will remember forever. Watching his daughter dance, and then getting it up to imitate her, but every dance step he knew was just something from the 1960's ... watching the cable chef Emerill cook on TV ... and certain expressions he used constantly, like "Bam! Take it up a notch" (when he was really enjoying something) or "Do the math!" (his way of saying, "You figure it out").

Jerry - third-baseman on the Church baseball team

In 1985, Jerry followed the lead of his brother Greg and gave his heart to the Lord. What an influence they had on me! I had been searching for some form of peace and contentment in my life, but always came up empty. Jerry's walk with the Lord made a path for me to find my way to Salvation in 1986. We went to church together, eventually ending up at Greg's church, where we grew in the Lord together.

The road was not always an easy one for Jerry, and like all Christians, he had many struggles to deal with. But he never stopped loving the Lord ...speaking of Him and sharing what He had done in his life.

Jerry was a devoted and loving Dad to his son Chris and his daughter Amanda. They shared a special closeness. And he had such pride when Amanda would sing in church!

I loved Jerry very much, and I will miss him for the rest of my life. But Christians never have to say "Goodbye" ... just "I'll see you later". And though my heart is broken, God has reminded me of a promise in His Word:

"But I would not have you to be ignorant, breathern,
concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him" (I Thessalonians 4:13-14)

The scene of Forgiven is Mt. Calvary.

A despairing man has a mallet in one hand and a large spike in the other.

Both symbolize that each of us is responsible for Christ's death on the cross.

Jesus Christ is holding up this broken man;

at Christ's feet are broken chains, representing the sin that was to overcome at Calvary.

There is a trace of blood on Christ's hands,

and in the place where blood has fallen,

lilies have grown.