What Now?

Sleep has left me tonight. I am in shock I'm sure, the pain of what I learned a few hours ago has not truly hit me yet. A great man of God was taken, by the enemy, from us too soon tonight. My pastor David Emigh passed from this life to the next while undergoing surgery for a broken leg. I know that I will be asking God why this happened once the reality of it has set in. There won't be an answer I'm sure, even though I will still ask the question.

Pastor told me when my youngest son, Noah died last year that God won't always tell you the answers that you want to know, but that He will always tell you what you need to know so you can keep moving forward. And right now, that is what I have to continue to do, keep moving forward.

I won't lie to you, this is a tough blow to me, my family and my church, Word of Life, and as we will realize in the weeks and months to come, for the body of Christ around the world. As that was the mission that Pastor was given by God: "Go to Sand Springs, Oklahoma, raise up a new testament church and from there you will touch the world. And I will call faithful men alongside to help you." And that is what he did. Thirty years Word of Life has been in Sand Springs, and we now have churches and ministries all around the world just as God told him.

The question in the forefront of my mind is this, "what now?" And I will tell you that the answer is to keep the vision that God gave Pastor alive and well and to continue to run the race that has been set before us as a church. There may be difficult days ahead, sure, but that does not mean that we will cower down and let the enemy have the final say here. No, we will continue the work, and we will see even greater things come to pass. God still wants to show Himself strong!

I will miss that mischievous way Pastor had of harassing those that he shepherded, and the loud shout of "Glory!" which could be heard all throughout the church or anywhere in the community he happened to be at the time. But I will not let what the enemy has meant to harm Pastor's family, my family and my church become a stumbling block that causes me to curl up into a ball and whimper. This is tough yes, but we will overcome even this setback, that's just what he has taught us to do for all of these years.

My pastor, leader and friend is in Heaven now, and I am saddened, and will miss him dearly. But mark my words, this will not stop me, and I will not let this stop my church. So what now you ask? We turn up the heat on the one who is the enemy of all mankind, and continue the work that Pastor David Emigh started so many years ago, that's what.

And please remember to pray and lift up his immediate family; his wife, children, grandchild, mom, dad, brothers and sisters. We need to be there for them now like he was always there for those of us who he pastored. May God's peace that passes all understanding comfort them in this hour of need. In Jesus Name.