Recently, beloved entertainer Dick Van Dyke—who has just reached the remarkable milestone of 100 years on December 13th —was interviewed by People magazine.
During the interview, Van Dyke admitted he was nearing the end of his life.
When asked about death. His answer was candid and straightforward: “When you expire, you expire.” Continue reading
Filed under Death
It was on this date, December 10, 1896, that Alfred Nobel died. Exactly five years to the day, the first Nobel prizes were award in Stockholm, Sweden, in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace.
In his will, Nobel directed that the bulk of his vast fortune be placed in a fund in which the interest would be “annually distributed in the form of prizes to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.”
However, as the late Paul Harvey used to say, here’s the rest of the story. Continue reading
There is a stanza in The Psalm of Life by the 19th century poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that comes to mind as I think of the life of Paul Earnhart.
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time ; Continue reading
Filed under Death
Tim Keller who was well known in evangelical circles as an author, preacher, theologian and Christian apologist died last week.
The Daily Citizen reports that his wife, Kathy, was with him at the end. His son Michael tweeted that he kissed Kathy on the forehead and before he breathed his last breath said these final words Continue reading
Filed under Death, Discipleship
“Have you contemplated your death?” Olivia Newton-John was once asked by an interviewer due to her long illness and reoccurring battle with cancer.
In the wake of the Grammy award winner’s passing, her perspective on death promoted by that question has resurfaced from a 2021 podcast interview, “A Life of Greatness.”
“We all know we are going to die . . . I think we spend our lives denying it,” Newton-John responded. “It’s extremely personal. I find it hard to put into words,” she added. “I feel we are all part of one thing. I have had experiences with spirits or spirit life and felt the spirit world and have heard things, that I believe there is something that happens.” Continue reading
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From Futurism.com is this recent headline:
SUPER WEALTHY FUND MYSTERIOUS LAB TO UNLOCK IMMORTALITY
A group of billionaire investors, led by Amazon founder and ex-CEO, Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest man, are exploring the secret of living forever. Or at least, extending life well beyond our current expectations.
Multiple new sources including the MIT Technology Review are reporting that Altos Labs, funded by Bezos and others is a startup company pursuing breakthroughs in biological reprogramming technology. Continue reading
Filed under Death
Author, historian, University professor, gospel preacher, and our beloved brother in Christ, David Edwin Harrell, Jr. passed from this life to his eternal reward last Monday afternoon, March 15th.
Today there will be a short graveside service for brother Harrell at 2:00 p.m. at Mandarin Cemetery in Jacksonville. Saturday, there will be an online service that you can register to view by linking here.
Almost 20 years my senior, I have known Ed Harrell since my college years. Like anyone who knew him, I was impressed with his unique intellectual insights combined with genuine humility. Sometimes preachers with educational credentials take simple truths and complicate them. Ed possessed the ability to simplify the complex. Continue reading
Filed under Death
“Ash Wednesday rituals tweaked for Coronavirus as Christians are reminded of death,” read a February 16th headline in the religious section of the Washington Post.
Apparently one of the changes involved people not drinking from the same cup when communion was served. (Personally, I like that idea all the time.) Continue reading
Filed under Death
The late Dr. W. A Criswell once related an occasion on an airplane when he was seated beside a well-known theologian whose son had recently died.
The man told the story of how the child had come home from school with a fever. They didn’t think it was serious. However, it was a very fatal form of meningitis. The doctor said we cannot save your little boy.
The professor related to Dr. Criswell how he sat by his son’s bedside while he died. Continue reading
Filed under Death
Thomas Fuller once wrote, “We’re born crying, live complaining and die disappointed.”
The famous author O’Henry said that “life is made of sobs, sniffles, and smiles; with sniffles predominating.
Janis Joplin, the folk singer of my generation, once lamented, “Life is something you do while waiting to die.” Continue reading
Filed under Death
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