A neighboring pastor and our sectional presbyter, Rev. David Hennigan, took his flight to glory land this morning. No more cancer, no more pain, no more tears for him. For those of us who knew him and have been influenced by his life, the tears flow freely. My heart is so mixed up in emotions at this time, and so many questions are zooming in my head. One thing I know...HIS ways are higher than our ways, and HIS thoughts are higher than our thoughts. God has a plan. A master plan. At this time, we can't seem to understand the way His plan has worked out, but we trust Him.
I'm amazed at how Pastor Hennigan has walked this road with such amazing grace and strength. I watched him sit in a Sunday night service a couple of months ago when Anthony and I visited his church, weak from his treatments, yet enjoying the presence of God. He called my husband to the front to help pray for some individuals, and my husband walked out of the church that night and said to me, "If I'm ever overtaken by a disease, my prayer is that I walk through it with the grace and dignity that Pastor Hennigan is."
This photo is probably one of my favorites of Pastor Hennigan. We were attending the annual Fall ministers and wives banquet this past October when all the ministers from the section gathered together in prayer along with our District Superintend and prayed for Pastor Hennigan. There was such a strong and sweet presence of God in that room at that moment. I'll never forget that feeling.
I've heard the statement, 'He lost his battle with cancer' many times this day, but I have to beg to differ with that. HE WON. Big Time! When heaven is involved, there is no loosing. Cancer took the temporary...not the eternal. Cancer destroyed the body...not the soul! Our loss is great here on earth without him being present in body, but the promise of spending eternity with the One he served with his whole heart allows us to cry and grieve with hope of a brighter day that's coming.
My prayers and thoughts are with his wife, who has just been an awesome role model for myself, and his son and his church family. There are some hard days ahead for everyone. But, oh what a promise we have...Heaven...and eternity together again one day!
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