Make Every Day Count

Epic Journey Podcast

Epic Journey Podcast – Episode #28 - Make Every Day Count

In this episode of The Epic Journey Podcast, “Make Every Day Count,” Sonny and Cindy discuss the importance of making every day count in light of their recent loss of Sonny’s brother Bob.

Our legacies are made little by little, moment by moment.

Choose to speak life. Offer hope.

And most of all, live with certainty about eternity.

Bob left an incredible legacy and he prepared well ahead, by accepting Christ he was certain that his last breath on earth would lead to his first breath in heaven.

Our time on earth is an uncertainty for all of us, but God has prepared a certain future, if we choose it.

Life is short. Eternity is forever.

Make every day count!

Bob was good at that.

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Epic Journey Podcast #28 – Episode Notes

One of the things that we realize is that we know that each of you have your own story. That you have things going on in your families and other relationships as well that we don’t know about, and we hope that we can be an encouragement to you in whatever you might be going through.

We titled this podcast “Make Every Day Count” because in times like these God will often use our pain and suffering for a purpose and also He will use our circumstances to reveal and remind us of His presence in our lives.

Last Summer, my Brother Bob went for a colonoscopy and was diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon Cancer.

This was shocking news really because out of all of us (myself, another brother and sister) we would all agree that he was probably the most healthy and active one.

Not overweight, would run often if not everyday… I would say we really believed that if anybody would beat Cancer he would.

Bob stayed pretty healthy during his fight and we were looking forward to the day he would be told he was in remission.

He was traveling and enjoying his family and awaiting the arrival of twin girls that his oldest daughter was getting ready to have and enjoying his other two grandsons.

He really has been living life to the full.

He went into the hospital on the first Sunday in June and stayed for 5 days and through the power of prayer and hope and faith and surrounded by the love of his wife and children and grandchildren, brothers, sisters, mom, and friends, he was able to get discharged home on he and his wife's 33rd wedding anniversary.

He was still very ill, but he was back home.

Their faith and prayers got him there.

He was able to go home because of them.

It was awesome to see his kids rally together and they got everything ready for them to come home.

Yea, it was so beautiful. They had decorated the house with rose petals and flowers and signs and candles and music and pictures.

And they videotaped him coming in on a stretcher and he had asked them to get his wife long stem roses and he was able to call out her name, “Martha, Happy Anniversary” and he presented her with a single long stem rose.

He smiled and they kissed and it was a beautiful moment.

But it was one of those tear-jerker moments. Whew.

So beautiful though.

And in fact, their marriage and their life together had already been lived out in many beautiful moments.

He never stopped His calling to watch over his wife, and to love her and cherish her in sickness and in health. It is a good reminder to recall our vows and live them out well just like Bob and Martha have.

The other thing that happened in the hospital was when doctors and nurses came into the room, even if they delivered news that was difficult, they were asked by Bobs family if they could pray for them and they did.

There were prayers for a husband that had lost his job, for a son that had autism, prayers to bring on more staff at the hospital, prayers for the physicians and for them to see healing and Gods miracles take place. This is who they are as a family and the legacy that Bob has been building little by little, moment by moment, every single day.

Bob certainly has made his days count.

So, he came home on Friday and there were many prayers of faith and requests for Gods supernatural intervention throughout the weekend and on Monday Bob went to his eternal home.

I’ll think of Bob when we climb up and jump off the tower he built in his lake. He was a diver like me, and I loved having that in common with him. He was also a little daring and crazy like me, so I love that too.

I’ll think of him when I work on projects because he and my other brother have always worked on projects together and for each other.

I’ll think of Bob when I pick the Pomelo’s off my Dad’s tree because he loved them and would stop by and ask to pick some every now and then.

I told his wife, you’re going to see him in so many different ways every single day… in the backyard when you pick the fruit from the trees, and when you have that bumper crop that’s more than usual, and you’ll notice him in the different seasons during sunrises, sunsets and when flowers bloom, and I know this will be true for each of you that have lost loved ones…you’ll hear a song on the radio, or pass by their favorite restaurant, you’ll be uplifted when you hear the words of encouragement you know they would say, the kindnesses you recall and their idiosyncrasies… the little funny quirky things you remember. And even some of their frustrations!

In the beginning, these thoughts can bring a lot of tears, but over time your joy gets restored. God doesn’t try to hurry you out of your grief, he will comfort you through it.

It’s so weird, but the sky looks different now.

He left us too soon and He was an amazing warrior in God’s army, but because of his legacy, he left a strong army behind.

Yea his kids, which are my first cousins, are amazing and they all love the Lord and they are going to carry on his legacy along with my Aunt. Bob loved to talk about Jesus and encourage others and he was a great encouragement to me.

When you choose to speak life into other people, when you give hope and encouragement, you really make that day count.

You never know what they might be going through, but your encouraging words might just be exactly what they needed at that time. And you may never know the difference it makes but that’s ok.

We can make every day count. And that’s a great way to do it. Speak life.

It’s such a good reminder to be aware of your days and to set a goal to make every day count and sometimes its just by the words you choose to say.

It makes you think about your own life and what you want to leave behind and be remembered for.

It’s a beautiful thing that we are able to laugh and cry and see each other through these tough days, weeks and seasons of life. We need each other and gathering together is so healing in and of itself.

Our mourning and grieving continues and each day we wake up and realize its true all over again.

As we live each day, we all have the same amount of time- we can’t buy more of it, trade or barter for it.

What isn’t equal though is the way that we choose to exchange our time. And it can get away from us.

We can spend it, we can waste it, but we can also invest it and cherish it.

We can fill it up with trivial stuff but we can also fill it up with purpose and mission.

What we do with our time is up to us and it’s also an uncertainty in life. We actually don’t know how much time we will have here on this earth. I like what you said Dad about what we choose to exchange our time for and it’s true we really don’t know how long we’ll be here, but the good thing is, even though our life is uncertain, God is certain.

He has given us the opportunity to choose a future that is certain.

Eternity.

Bob did that. We’ve done that.

And I’m so grateful for that because it’s so comforting to know that we will all be in eternity together one day.

Bob is a great Father, not was. He is alive forever because of Gods promises and sacrifice. Christ died for us so that we may have eternal life. We were all praying for God’s supernatural healing for Bob, and the reality is that’s what he got.

God cares way more about our Spiritual well-being because that is forever.

And what a blessing it is for family that is left behind knowing that eternal life with Christ promises a new life and a new body, healthy and restored.

What’s really amazing is that Christ died on the cross over 2000 years ago so that we could have eternal life. He took care of it way back then.

And even though that happened over 2000 years ago, it’s available to each of us now, but it’s a choice.

We have access to eternity through His sacrifice.

But God waits for us to choose. It’s not until we confess with our mouth and believe in our hearts without doubt that we are assured of this promise. God waits on us, but He will continue to pursue us, and the offer remains on the table.

God’s plan for us is certain but we are the uncertainty.

If Bob were still here, we know that He would tell you the best day of his life was one of the hardest days of our life, but He would also encourage you to live a life of certainty.

He would tell you to accept God’s invitation that Christ has made available to you. And if you already have, it’s a great time to reconfirm your commitment and thank Him for the gift of living out your life knowing where you’ll be even though you don’t know when.

It’s a great way to make today count.

To make every single day count.

We pray for each of you, and we know that you may be going through a recent loss or a hardship of your own, but we know that God will provide comfort for you.

Deuteronomy 31:8 ESV

The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

John 16:22 ESV

So, with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

Matthew 5:4 ESV

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Romans 12:15 ESV

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

Matthew 11:28-30 ESV

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Romans 15:13 ESV

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

As we were preparing for this podcast, we got word that his daughter is in labor with the twin girls. So again, we are reminded how God will bring us joy in the midst of sorrow and He will restore our joy, but He also will comfort us in our grief.

And I’m reminded that Bob’s love will live on and be passed down into the next generation…

In Exodus 20: 6 it says

… and God will show His love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

What a great reminder and Uncle Bob's family will certainly be blessed by His love for God and his legacy.

and so will yours…. as you choose to trust and accept Christ.

So, we’d love to close out in prayer and if you’ve never surrendered your life to Christ, we’d like to pray with you and allow that tug on your heart to surrender once and for all to the certainty of eternity.

It’s a great day to recommit your life to Christ as well.

Romans 10:9-10 ESV says this

9 if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

So we’d love for you to pray with us this simple prayer.

"Lord, we come to you right now and ask for your forgiveness of our sins. We hear and receive and believe with our hearts that your word is truth, we repent of our sins, and we confess with our mouth that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, and we are grateful that you died on the cross and you were raised from the dead so that we would be saved and have eternal life.

We thank you Lord that we belong to you, and you tell us “You are mine.”

We pray these things in Jesus Name,

Amen."

You have just chosen an incredible certainty in your life!!!!

A new beginning with a certain ending.

Go share this with another believer or Pastor, and we encourage you to follow through in Baptism.

Life is short – Eternity is forever, and you have been invited in and now it’s your privilege to invite others as well.

Sonny, you just mentioned new beginnings….we got word that the twin girls have been born, one feet first, the other head first, both of them healthy and well.

It’s the circle of life.

I was talking to Kaytee, Johnnys’ wife yesterday and I was saying that their birth represents the collision of joy along with the sorrow in our hearts but represents new beginnings and the promise of great things to come.

And that is truly the message of Christs’ love for each of us.

We ‘re grateful for you and we’re praying for you. We are excited for you!

Email us @ [e-mail]

We’d love to hear from you!

And remember, it’s not hard to make everyday count.

Speak life. Offer hope. Share love. Learn from the past, live with hope for the future and be thankful for the present moments.

God Bless you guys.

We love you Bob. We love you Uncle Bob. We love you brother.

We’ll see you again in eternity one day.