A friend of mine, Rob Silver, was diagnosed with lung cancer about four weeks ago, and died three weeks later. Despite a part of me not wanting to go and see him dying in hospital, I felt compelled to go. I'm glad that I did because I was able to hold his hand and say thank you, and goodbye. He died the next day. An otherwise fit and healthy, non smoking Christian, a family man, a minister, a friend to many: suddenly called back home to Heaven. We were all still in shock when we attended his "celebration of life" service, and yet it was the most uplifting and inspiring funeral I have ever attended. I left feeling happy and light. There was sadness of course. He will be missed. But there was also joy. Rob had a profound impact on my life, as he did on the lives of countless others. He was a man who understood God's grace and showed it to others. He was a man who believed in the promised glorious afterlife, the resurrection of the dead, a new imperishable body within which his soul would forever cease suffering. The pain of life in this broken world is over for Rob.
