Life has a way of presenting us with defining moments. I re- member facing a defining moment in my ministry. I went to see a man in the hospital who was dying. He was not active in the church I pastored, but I knew who he was. When I entered his hospital room, his whole family was standing in a semi-circle around his bed. They greeted me, and then the man told his family that he wanted a moment alone with me. So they left us alone.

As soon as his family had left, he began to cry. I sat by his bed and began to stroke his hand while he expressed his grief. After a few minutes, I asked him, “Are you afraid?” He said, “No. I feel sure that death will not separate me from Christ.” Then I said, “Then you must be sad about leaving your family.” He replied, “Yeah, but that’s not what is bothering…