One of the elders at the church that Jessica and I have attended over the last two and a half years just went home to be with Jesus. Hal has been fighting cancer for some time now and his fight is over. What’s most amazing to me in this last half a year that we’ve known about Hal’s cancer is the number of people Hal has encouraged and witnessed to and offered hope to. You see Hal has taught classes on pain and suffering. Hal has been over God’s word many, many times teaching from it and living out what is in the text. Hal has told multiple stories about offering encouragement to chaplains that were responsible for coming in to cheer him up. Hal knew that what he was going through was not the end, and he knew that the suffering was their for his growth (Romans 8:28). He encouraged doctors to not cry (can you imagine being a doctor who is sad you’re losing a patient and the patient tells you to not worry because he’s excited about seeing his Savior?). Hal knew he was right where he needed to be and that the gospel needed to be shared there in the hospital or with various visitors.
I didn’t get to spend very much time with Hal compared to my dad or one of the other elders, Mike Doyle, but Hal and I had a few good conversations, and shortly before it was discovered that he had cancer he and his wife Lindey invited us over for dinner with the girls. Hal has been in the hospital and on bed rest for much of the last six months and so I really didn’t get a chance to visit with him. However, I kept feeling this deep sense of frustration because I know that there was much that Hal knew that I hadn’t learned yet. I suppose that the many recordings of Hal that we have will be a good source of teaching and I can learn much from what he explained as he exposited the Scriptures.

This evening, as his family prayed around his hospital bed the Lord decided that it was time for Hal to quit the suffering and begin the next part of eternity. I’m sure that the sound of the monitoring equipment alerting them to Hal’s resting heart was a tough, tough thing for them to hear, but I also know that they are relieved that their husband, or dad, or father-in-law is not suffering any more. As a body Holly Hills Bible Church has been very concerned. Some people have known Hal as a friend, a pastor and a mentor for a long, long time. Fortunately you can go online and listen to Hal’s teaching and testimony on the church website: http://www.hollyhillsbiblechurch.org.

Hal loved the Colorado Rockies and would often be seen after a Sunday service wearing a Rockies hat as he and Lindey were heading off to go watch a game. He’s a lot higher than a mile high now.