Two Powerful Stories of Life and Death That You Don't Want to Miss

TWO PEOPLE YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF BUT SHOULD

Recently I started reading a book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan.  The book is about being overwhelmed by a relentless God who loves us and wants to have a relationship with us.  The second chapter is titled You Might Not Finish This Chapter.  Within it Francis talks about how our lives are fragile and we could lose them at any moment, so we should live to glorify God before it's too late.  He then shares two examples of people who lived radically for God, lost their lives suddenly, and the impact it had on those that knew them.  Here is the excerpt from his book:

Stan Gerlach  

Stan was a successful businessman who was well known in the community.  Stan was giving a eulogy at a funeral service when he decided to share the gospel.  At the end of his message, Stand told the mourners, "You never know when God is going to take your life.  At that moment, there's nothing you can do about it.  Are you ready?"  Then Stan sat down, fell over, and died.  His wife and sons tried to resuscitate him, but there was nothing they could do - just as Stan had said a few minutes earlier.

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I'll (Francis Chan) never forget receiving that phone call and heading over to the Gerlach house.  Stan's wife, Suzy, was just arriving home.  She hugged me and cried.  One of her sons, John, stepped out of the car weeping.  He asked me, "Did you hear the story?  Did you hear?  I'm so proud of him.  My dad died doing what he loved doing most.  He was telling people about Jesus."

I was asked to share a word with everyone gathered.  There were children, grandchildren, neighbors, and friends.  I opened my Bible to Matthew 10:32-33: "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.  But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven."  

I asked everyone to imagine what it must have felt like for Stan.  One moment, he was at a memorial service saying to a crowd, "This is who Jesus is!"  The next, he was before God hearing Jesus say, "This is who Stan Gerlach is!"  One second he was confessing Jesus; a second later, Jesus was confessing him!

It happens that quickly.  And it could happen to any of us.  In the words of Stan Gerlach, "Are you ready?"

Brooke Bronkowski

Brooke was a beautiful fourteen-year-old girl who was in love with Jesus.  When she was in junior high, she started a Bible study on her campus.  She spent her babysitting money on Bibles so she could give them out to her unsaved friends.  Youth pastors who heard about this brought her boxes of Bibles to give away.  

During her freshman year in high school, Brooke was in a car accident while driving to the movies.  Her life on earth ended when she was just fourteen, but her impact didn't.  Nearly fifteen hundred people attended Brooke's memorial service.  People from her public high school read poems she had written about her love for God.  Everyone spoke of her example and her joy.

I (Francis Chan) shared the gospel and invited those who wanted to know Jesus to come up and give their lives to Him.  There must have been at least two hundred students on their knees at the front of the church praying for salvation.  Ushers gave a Bible to each of them.  They were Bibles that Brooke had kept in her garage, hoping to give out to all of her unsaved friends.  In one day, Brooke led more people to the Lord than most ever will.

Stories of people who died after living godly lives are stories with happy endings.