A Life and Death Choice

Hey Harbor Cov!

I have known my father-in-law since I was in high school. He is one of the coolest guys in my life. He loves his family, fantasy football, working on house and yard projects, trying new root beer brands with my son, and he tells the best bedtime stories to all of his grandkids. He just always chooses to make life the best for others.

Professionally, he has spent his life dedicated to helping people know Jesus and grow in their faith. Along with my mother-in-law (who is also pretty great), they were missionaries to very VERY rural and migrant communities in Central California. You could say that he has always wanted to help people choose life in Jesus.

Quick little side note… one summer, when I was in high school, he started a program called Students in Mission. It was a discipleship program with a few service opportunities to help high school students engage in mission work. I confess I was not that interested in mission work at the time… but I was VERY interested in his daughter. So I may or may not have found myself helping lead a small VBS program just so I could be around her.

It kinda worked out.

Anyway, in my first year of college (and second dating his daughter) he had to have an emergency multiple bypass surgery (quadruple I think). He was still pretty young relatively to this procedure… and this was super scary for all of us.

It also worked out

The surgery was successful, but it did set him on a long path to recovery and required him to make some lifestyle changes. He chose to make those changes and has lived to have a long and thriving life with his wife, 3 daughters (and their husbands) and 10 grandkids. Today he is celebrating his 78th birthday because, years ago when faced with a decision of life and death… he chose life!

He’s kinda always chosen life.

And you might think… yeah, duh! Who wouldn’t choose life? Well… actually a lot of people don’t. A study by Alan Deutschman, in the mid 2000’s, revealed that 1.5 million patients who undergo heart bypass surgery each year, have a significant chance to be restored to full health with lifestyle changes in their eating and exercise habits… but 90% don’t make any change. They are choosing to die.

Here’s what I find so fascinating…  there has only been one person who, when they chose to die, it actually was choosing life. Jesus. He set his sights on the cross and had an undeterred will to see it through - to bear our sin and shame so that we might live free from guilt and find purpose, belonging, hope, and love in Him.

What a beautiful gift we have been given in the choice to choose life in Jesus. I hope and pray you do that every day. If you’d like to talk more about that feel free to email me back and we can chat!

One last thing… Happy birthday Grandpa Greg! Thanks for choosing life.

Sincerely,
Matt Knapp
Transitional Lead Pastor