Juan Ramon Perez Funeral

``It wasn't his Popeye arms. It wasn't it wasn't in his skill set. His greatest strength came from Jesus Christ. We grieve today, but we do not grieve like the rest. We grieve with peace and hope because Jesus Christ is the one who conquered death, hell, sin, and the grave. And because Jesus is alive, then we know one is alive with him now. [00:55:57] (32 seconds)  #FaithWasHisStrength

Yeah. His faith in Christ shaped how he lived and how he loved. And today, what he wants you to know is that you do not have to grieve like the rest of the world, but you can grieve like the person who has put their faith in Christ, the one who has conquered death, sin, hell, and the grave. [01:02:06] (31 seconds)  #GrieveDifferentWithFaith

That's why for one, this prayer was important for him. And today, it's important for us because it tells us who held Juan's heart, who is the keeper of pop's hope. And I wanna ask you, who is the keeper of your hope? Who is the holder? Who has grabbed hold of your heart? Today is a chance for us to walk through grief with the hope of Christ. [00:11:21] (28 seconds)  #KeeperOfHope

The lord's prayer is not just an example of how we pray, but it's a declaration into who holds the keys to our hearts. It's a declaration as to who holds my allegiance, my dependence, my affection, and my commitment. It's an acknowledgment of my identity and my priority. [00:09:53] (23 seconds)  #LordsPrayerDeclaresAllegiance

Back in December, Tony called me and said, hey, Chris. It's it's not gonna be long, and I need you to come to the hospital. And I didn't understand what he was talking about because, obviously, Tony had had been sick, and that's when I realized he was talking about his dad, which just kinda left hooked me because his dad was Juan was in perfect health. So when I got to Pinehurst, I was preparing myself to ask the pastorly questions. [00:53:48] (36 seconds)  #CalledToBePresent

Second, the promise we get in verse 14 is that Jesus' death and resurrection is a guarantee of our death and resurrection. That man, this death that we've experienced on Earth that we will experience on Earth is not our finality. That death has death on this earth has no mastery over us. [00:58:44] (21 seconds)  #DeathHasNoMastery

That's probably the best last words any man could have. I'm not sure if he said anything after that to anybody else, But what I do know is that pops that night confirmed to us what we already knew is that his greatest strength came from Jesus Christ. [00:55:33] (24 seconds)  #LastWordsOfFaith

Pop's faith in Christ has impacted the love and the commitment that has held this family so tight. And so today, when we grieve, we don't grieve like the world grieves. No. Scripture tells us and makes it clear, we grieve with great encouragement. [00:56:29] (19 seconds)  #FaithBuiltFamily