Yesterday evening, I attended a funeral service for a man I had never met. His name was Andy Delbridge, a nine and a half year cancer fighter, a husband, a father, a man of God.
As I sat and watched and listened to numerous pastors, friends, and family members speak about Andy, I learned more about Andy, and more about myself. Grace Hall was packed. Like really packed. Packed with the number of people you would expect to see on the big Christmas Eve service, plus a few more people. My guess is that, like me, many people there had never met Andy personally. You see, Andy was a devoted member of Grace Community Church. Every few weeks, we would hear something new about him, how he was doing, how things were going in his fight. His two sons, Drew and Kenan both attend our youth group, and his wife, Nancy is also a member of the church. The number of people who attended the service alone is a testament to the character of Andy Delbridge. He loved people he had never met, he was an inspiration to all, he fought for others fighting the same things as himself. (http://www.cbn.com/700club/features/amazing/Andy_Delbridge032307.aspx). Andy loved, lived, and died as a servant. And this shows most in the lives of his nearest family members.
Towards the end of the service, Nancy, Drew, and Kenan all spoke. They, like many others who came before him, spoke of their fathers love for them, his unfaltering faith, his devotion, his status as a hero. They encouraged all of us teary eyed, sniffling people, by standing up, fighting their own fears, sadness, etc.
Today, I am encouraged.
