Do you remember the FIRST prime time soap opera? It was produced by Aaron Spelling and it was called Beverly Hills, 90210. The show was a mega-hit. It premiered on October 4, 1990 and, after poor ratings in its first season, it was Spelling’s longest running show and produced spin-offs including Melrose Place and Models Inc. According to Wikipedia, “Entertainment Weekly, in 2008, named the show #20 on its list of top 100 TV shows in the past 25 years. The magazine also named the theme song #15 on its list of top 25 TV theme songs in the past 25 years, and the "90210 Sideburns" #50 on its list of Pop Culture Moments that Rocked Fashion. The show was named one of the Best School Shows of All Time by AOL TV. In February 1992, at the height of the show's popularity, the three main stars, Jason Priestley, Shannen Doherty and Luke Perry, were featured on the cover of Rolling Stone.” The show featured a group of high school friends who attended West Beverly high school. Luke Perry was one of the actors and he was called Dylan McKay, who was West Beverly’s bad boy and Luke Perry became famous while playing him. He was particularly popular with teenage girls. Carol Potter, who played matriarch Cindy Walsh, told People Magazine (March 18, 2019 edition), “You were immediately struck by this James Dean-esque quality, but he also seemed to have his feet on the ground.” Beverly Hills, 90210, which refers to one of Beverly Hills five zip codes, made him a superstar yet he was also known for being kind and humble as well as for being a good friend. It is interesting that he played a bad boy on TV yet he was known for being a nice guy in his private life. Actors are required to adopt the persona of the character and this is particularly true when the character’s persona is totally different than the actual persona of the actor himself. I am guessing that Luke Perry had to stretch himself a bit to play the bad boy, meaning he was obviously a very talented actor.
In early March of this year (2019), I remember hearing a report on the evening news that Luke Perry had passed away unexpectedly. Like many who had similar thoughts upon hearing the news of his passing, I thought to myself “this cannot be true as he was way too young to die”. I then reached for my tablet and I immediately looked him up on Wikipedia and learned he was only 52 when he passed away. How can someone who is a year younger than me die so suddenly I thought to myself? The following Wikipedia excerpt describes how he passed away from a massive stroke:
“Perry suffered a massive ischemic stroke at his home in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, on February 27, 2019. Following a second stroke, his family decided to remove him from life support, and he died from complications on March 4 at the age of 52. At the time of his death, Perry was engaged to Wendy Madison Bauer, a therapist and former part-time actress. Perry's death certificate suggested that he was buried near his home in Vanleer, Tennessee, where he had a farm and lived since 1995 when out of Hollywood, and was an advocate for flood control and volunteered for other local matters. However, it was subsequently reported that his body was cremated and his ashes were spread on his farm. In the aftermath of his death, the Reelz channel announced a documentary titled, Luke Perry: In His Own Words.”
Here below is an excerpt from Wikipedia which describes Luke Perry’s early life:
“Luke Perry (Coy Luther "Luke" Perry III) was born on October 11, 1966, in Mansfield, Ohio, the second of three children of Ann Perry, a homemaker, and Coy Luther Perry Jr., a steelworker. Their parents divorced in 1972. His mother later married Steve Bennett, a construction worker, and they had another child, while his biological father died of a heart attack in 1980. Perry was raised in Fredericktown, Ohio, and played Freddie Bird, the school mascot for Fredericktown High School In 1984, Perry moved to Los Angeles shortly after high school to pursue acting. He worked odd jobs, including for an asphalt paving company and in a doorknob factory. He appeared in the 1985 music video of "Be Chrool to Your Scuel" for the band Twisted Sister, and by 1988, Perry had auditioned for 256 acting jobs before receiving his first acceptance. After moving to New York, Perry's earliest roles were on daytime soap operas: one episode of Loving (1987–1988) and ten episodes of Another World (1988–1989). In 1989, Perry won the role of the brooding millionaire's son Dylan McKay on Fox's teen drama, Beverly Hills, 90210. He had originally auditioned for the role of Steve Sanders, but lost to actor Ian Ziering. Perry became a popular teen idol; a riot broke out when 10,000 teen girls attended an August 1991 autograph session at The Fashion Mall at Plantation, forcing the actor to leave after 90 seconds. While starring on 90210, Perry won a supporting role in the original film version of Joss Whedon's Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1992). He also starred in Terminal Bliss in 1992, and as Lane Frost in 8 Seconds in 1994.”
Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia which describes how Luke Perry was cast for Beverly Hills, 90210:
“Luke Perry had auditioned for the role of Steve Sanders, but the role eventually went to Ian Ziering before Perry was cast as Dylan McKay. Perry's character was not an original cast member of the show, and he was first featured in the show's second episode. He was originally intended to only appear in one story arc, for one or two episodes. Fox was initially reluctant to have him included as a regular, but Aaron Spelling felt differently and gave Perry a bigger role during the first two years until the network was won over.”
Please see the following link for a more complete version of Luke Perry’s Obituary published in the Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/luke-perry-actor-who-became-a-teen-idol-on-beverly-hills-90210-dies-at-52/2019/03/04/7b700a5e-3bda-11e9-a06c-3ec8ed509d15_story.html?utm_term=.a0fb371797fc
It is interesting that Luke moved from his hometown, Fredericktown, Ohio, to New York City to begin his acting career in the same year (1984) I left my hometown, Muncie, Indiana, and moved to Bloomington, Indiana to begin my freshman year at Indiana University. Obviously, 1984 was a big year of change for both of us as we both graduated high school and left our hometowns to set out in the world. In 1989, which was another big year of change for both of us, Luke moved to Hollywood in California and my employer (Consolidated Rail Corp.) transferred me to Cleveland, Ohio, which was only about 1 hour and forty-five minutes from where Luke Perry grew up in Fredericktown, Ohio. Since 1989, I have never left Ohio while Luke spent time most of his time living in either California or Tennessee. While Luke was rising to stardom in Hollywood in the early 1990’s, he was constantly being covered by the local media here in Cleveland as the local Ohio guy who went to Hollywood and made it big. In retrospect, it is interesting that his father died of a heart attack in 1980 at a relatively young age.
Because of his Ohio roots and the local media attention he garnered, I probably followed Luke’s career more than if he had been from somewhere else other than Ohio. Since we were about the same age (8 month age difference) when he died, the news of Luke Perry’s death got me to immediately start thinking again about my own mortality. It reminded me of how much I contemplated my own mortality during my two cancer trials in 2007 and 2011. Since I am the ministry coordinator of a cancer support group, I probably think of about death and mortality a lot more than most people my age. I am sure most people consider death to be a morbid topic and do not like to talk about it at all nor do they like to think about it much privately. I find this interesting because we are all going to eventually die so why don’t we spend more time talking about the one event which will impact each and every one of our lives at some point in the future. In twelve years of serving members of our cancer support group, I have come to realize that one of the main reasons people do not like to talk about death is that they are woefully unprepared for discussing the ramifications of it and the easiest thing to do is to just avoid the topic of death altogether. I have written in this blog post many times that a cancer diagnosis causes the cancer patient to think of their own mortality more than he or she ever has before. In other words, one of the blessings of cancer is it brings your own mortality to the forefront of your mind, causing you to think through the implications of what happens to your soul should you not survive your cancer trial. As a two-time cancer survivor, I have come to terms with the fact that I am eventually going to die and, given my health history, there is a decent chance it might happen way sooner than I would like it to happen. While I don’t dwell on the topic of death in my daily living, I have also learned that death is not a topic to be avoided, but it is something which we should all plan for. None of us can escape death. One out of one of us will die. Death will come knocking at all of our doors at some point in our lives. For some of us, it will happen sooner than we would like it to and Luke Perry’s passing only reminds us of this potential possibility. I will come back to this “life after death” topic later in this blog post but the grim reality is we all need to have a plan for our souls after we die. Matthew 16:26 (ESV) tells us:
“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”
The American Stroke Association says ischemic stroke occurs when a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain is obstructed. It accounts for eighty-seven percent (87%) of all strokes. Symptoms of stroke include trouble with walking, speaking, and understanding, as well as paralysis or numbness of the face, arm, or leg. Not all strokes are preventable; However, it is very important to recognize the early signs of stroke and get treatment as rapidly as possible. Therefore, below is a more complete listing of the symptoms which people may experience during a stroke episode:
Muscular: difficulty walking, instability, paralysis with weak muscles, problems with coordination, stiff muscles, overactive reflexes, or paralysis of one side of the body
Visual: blurred vision, double vision, sudden visual loss, or temporary loss of vision in one eye
Whole body: fatigue, lightheadedness, or vertigo
Speech: difficulty speaking, slurred speech, or speech loss
Sensory: pins and needles or reduced sensation of touch
Facial: muscle weakness or numbness
Limbs: numbness or weakness
Also, common: difficulty swallowing, headache, inability to understand, mental confusion, or rapid involuntary eye movement
According to Dr. Steven A. Meyers, MD, a Diagnostic Radiologist of NorthShore University Health System, a stroke kills cells in our brain as noted by his following quote published on sharecar.com: “During an ischemic stroke a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain becomes blocked. This leads to the death of brain cells due to lack of oxygen.”
Luke Perry had a massive Ischemic Stroke, meaning he likely lost consciousness either immediately or soon after his stroke symptoms began. According to the Wikipedia excerpt I quoted earlier, “Perry suffered a massive ischemic stroke at his home in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, on February 27, 2019. Following a second stroke, his family decided to remove him from life support, and he died from complications from his stroke(s) on March 4 at the age of 52.” As you can see from the Wikipedia description of his death, Luke Perry died five days after his initial stroke, but it appears he was essentially in a vegetative state or coma during the last five days he was alive. According to a March 18, 2019 article in People Magazine (“Luke Perry, 1996 – 2019, Farewell to a Beautiful Soul”), “Luke never regained consciousness. He was gone, basically, by the time he got to the hospital.” Boom!!!! In an instant, his life changed forever. One minute he was living life and the next moment, according to this People Magazine article, Luke Perry’s life was basically over. Gulp!!! No time for him to react or think or second guess anything. No time to say goodbye to friends or family nor was there time to finish any important tasks left undone. Thinking about how quickly he died sends chills up my spine.
When people learn I am involved with a cancer support ministry, I will often hear people tell me that when they die, they want to go quickly and they do not want to endure a prolonged health trial like cancer. Cancer is too painful I hear and they also tell me they don’t want to face an agonizing death. Luke Perry went very quickly but DO YOU really want to go as quickly as he did? If you knew you were going to suffer a massive ischemic stroke tomorrow, would you be ready? Would there be any important tasks which you still need to address or finish? How would you spend your remaining hours and what happens to you after your life here on earth ends? If you do not think worrying about the eternal destiny of your soul is serious business, please consider what Matthew 10:28 says as follows:
“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell”
At some point on February 27, 2019 after the massive ischemic stroke severly damaged his brain, Luke Perry lost his ability to reason and/or develop any more plans for his remaining days on earth. For Luke Perry, any decisions about the eternal destiny of his soul would need to be made before his stroke occurred on February 27, 2019. Luke Perry probably went to bed on February 26 thinking February 27 was going to be like any other day. When he went to bed on February 26, he probably had no idea that he had just finished his last full healthy day on this earth. On February 27, 2019, one moment he was fine and a few moments later he wasn’t. Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 tells us:
“For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun”
Isn’t it amazing how our lives can change in an instant? Do you realize how quick “in an instant” is, and as the preceding scripture indicates, how final death is? When you suffer a massive stroke and die, there is no time to respond or react. Unless you are battling a chronic illness or unless you are in the military or some other high-risk occupation, do you ever wake up one day thinking it could be your last? Only Luke Perry knows what he was thinking when he went to bed on February 26, but I doubt he was thinking he was going to have a stroke the next day. Proverbs 27:1 tells us:
“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring”
None of us know what will happen in our lives tomorrow. For example, in the last few months, two members of our Cancer Support Group (CSG) have unexpectedly lost family members. One of our CSG members lost a daughter-in-law who choked to death on a chicken bone which became lodged in her esophagus. Are you kidding me? She was in her 40’s and in the prime of her life and she choked to death on food. Her husband was there and tried the Heimlich maneuver and was unable to revive her. He did his absolute best in his efforts to save her life and he even got the firefighter who lived next door to come over to their house to assist in trying to revive her. This choking story is almost too unfathomable to understand. Additionally, I just found out that this same CSG member’s husband passed away on Good Friday (April 17, 2019), after battling chronic heart issues for a while. Another CSG member’s husband left on a business trip in early April of 2019 and died while on that trip to Missouri. I don’t know the circumstances of his death, but he likely did not get on that plane at the Cleveland airport thinking he was never going to make it back home to Cleveland alive and well. His death was a total shock to everyone, including his wife and his seventeen-year-old son. My mom, at the age of 15, lost her daddy to a stroke and my Grandmother had to go back to teaching high school French and English in order to put my mom and my Uncle Clegg through college. I never got a chance to meet my grandpa as his life was forever changed in an instant by a stroke. It is interesting that Luke Perry lost his daddy when he was about 14 years old. Many decades later, this same grandma of mine also passed away from a stroke but she laid in her hospital bed with a severely damaged brain for several years in a fairly delirious state (she could not comprehend much) before she finally passed away. Even though she was still alive, I remember visiting my grandma in the “old ladies ward” and I left the hospital thinking to myself that my grandma as I knew her was no longer the same due to the damage her brain sustained during her stroke(s). My Dad’s two parents died of cardiothoracic issues before I was ever born so I never met either of them.
Have you ever thought about how you are going to die? Regardless if you are willing to admit to thinking about it or not, most of us have thought about it at least a few times over our lifetimes. With the advances of modern medicine, a common viewpoint is that we will all live until we are in our 80’s or 90’s and many of us think we will just “die of old age”. It sounds so peaceful and unassuming doesn’t it? When I was younger and I heard someone reference a person who “died of old age”, I used to envision that person walking over to a corner of their home and lying down and taking their last breath. I now know “dying of old age” is way more complicated than that. As someone who has now has substantial experience ministering to people with serious health issues, I am not sure I understand what dying of old age really means anymore. Most of us do not envision ourselves dying by a prolonged cancer battle or by losing your memory and many of your bodily functions, which occurs when someone succumbs to Alzheimer’s. Furthermore, I doubt very few of us think we will ultimately succumb to a massive Ischemic stroke, which is what killed Luke Perry. According to snopes.com, The leading causes of death in the United States in 2014, according to the CDC, were heart disease, cancer, and respiratory disease: Here is the more complete 2014 CDC listing of causes of death in the USA:
Heart disease: 614,348
Cancer: 591,699
Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 147,101
Accidents (unintentional injuries): 136,053
Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 133,103
Alzheimer’s disease: 93,541
Diabetes: 76,488
Influenza and pneumonia: 55,227
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 48,146
Intentional self-harm (suicide): 42,773
With all the preceding conditions, you can either die very quickly or you can suffer for years before you pass away. Even though we are all going to die, none of us know WHEN it will happen. Furthermore, unless you are suffering from some sort of chronic condition, none of us really know HOW we are going to die either. All we know for sure is it (death) is going to happen to each and every one of us. So, do you understand what will happen to you after you die? As someone who has been involved with a cancer support ministry for over 12 years, it is amazing to me how unprepared the average person is for death, which is an absolute certainty for each and every one of us. I think we can all agree that death is not a popular topic and most people would prefer not to talk about it. In writing this blog post, I have thought a lot about why people prefer to avoid talking about death. Yes, death is a scary topic but if people took the time to read and study the bible, they would gain a better understanding of both death and life after death. The bible is God’s guidebook for our lives, as evidenced by Psalm 119:105 which says: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path”. “Word” in Psalm 119 is referring to God’s word or biblical scripture. While much of what is in the bible is not popular (i.e., we are all sinners – Romans 3:23) in today’s culture, there is not an area of our daily lives that the bible doesn’t provide some guidance on. Marriage, divorce, birth, death, disagreements, lying, stealing, winning, losing, etc. – all of these topics and many others are addressed in the bible and the wisdom contained in the scriptures is meant to both guide and impact the way we all live. In order for the bible to light our paths, we all need to pick up the bible and read it, study it, and ask for the Lord’s help in understanding it. If people just took the time to learn what the bible has to say about death and life after death, it would reduce their uncertainty about the implications of death and it might make them more open to discussing the topic of death as well. Psalm 138:2 (NIV) tells us:
“For you have exalted above all things your name and your word”
Since death is going to happen to us all, we need to have a plan for the one life event which we will all eventually share in common. If you do not believe in God or if you do not believe the bible is God’s inspired word, then what is it that you do believe about death and life after death? I would encourage you to do your research and to come up with a plan for this very important question because it has eternal or forever implications. We all need to decide if we are willing to put our faith and trust in Jesus as our personal Lord and savior. In fact, the bible tells us it is the biggest decision we will ever make in our lives. Why? There is no other decision which we will make in our lives which has eternal or forever implications. There is no middle ground here – either the Gospel message is true or it is the biggest scam ever in the history of the world. In other words, either the bible is true and accurate or it is full of a bunch of fabricated lies. The word of God is described as absolute truth. For example, Psalm 119:160 tells us: “The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.” Since the sum of God’s word is truth, the bible cannot be partially correct or mostly correct. We can’t pick and choose which scriptures we believe and which ones we don’t. We all need to make a decision on if we believe what the bible says or not. John 19:35 tells us:
“He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe.”
The Bible teaches that because of sin death came, and death reigns today over the whole human race. However, God will eventually get rid of or destroy the enemy we all call death. While this statement may seem unrealistic or nonsensical to many individuals, the scriptures clearly state that death as we know it will eventually be destroyed by God. Referring to the end times, 1 Corinthians 15:24-25 tells us:
“Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”
As the preceding scriptures clearly indicate, everything that resists the will of God will be destroyed, and the last enemy to be destroyed is death. Yes, death the enemy will be destroyed in the end times. Verse 54 of 1 Corinthians 15 describes how “death is swallowed up in victory”, which refers to the eternal victory Jesus provides all who trust and believe in Him.
Chris Mullin, the head men’s basketball coach at St. Johns, resigned in April (2019) citing recent personal loss. His older brother, Roddy, died in March (2019) at age 58 after battling cancer for years. In a quote from the New York Daily News, “I took time to reflect upon my true values and believe this is the right time to make a change,” Mullin said in the statement. “I am extremely grateful to the administration, which has supported me and our basketball program on every level.” Mullin called it an “extremely emotional decision.” Yes, a cancer diagnosis accompanied by a prolonged cancer trial will turn your world upside down like it never has been turned upside down before. When faced with a cancer trial, other major trials (past and present) in your life seem less significant. This is true for both the cancer patient as well as the caregivers, family members and friends who love them. If you have never been diagnosed with cancer, I can promise you that you probably have no idea how you would respond to such a diagnosis. To call cancer an extremely emotional topic is minimizing the severe impact it has on most individuals who are diagnosed with it. In 12 years of serving people with cancer, I have witnessed the strongest of men and women struggle emotionally in ways which I cannot properly describe with words in this blog post. I have even witnessed a few individuals who came very close to a complete mental collapse. A cancer diagnosis can totally consume your thought life and it also causes you to re-evaluate your priorities, which appears to have happened to Chris Mullin who likely resigned from coaching as a result of his brother’s death. Other than what was listed in the preceding news quotes, I could not find any more details of Chris Mullin’s emotional struggles but it appears that he is probably struggling with his own mortality and all the emotional issues which accompany a prolonged cancer trial of a beloved family member.
As far as Luke Perry’s religious beliefs, I was not able to find much about his beliefs but that is not totally surprising to me as he was reported as being a very private person. According to an article by Bridgett Banks in My Christian Daily: Life imitating art: Did Luke Perry’s faith-based movie role impact him?”, Luke Perry was involved in some faith-based projects over the last few years. Here is what Ms. Bank’s article had to say about him:
“If you do a Google search on Luke Perry and any links to faith, you’ll come up short. Only his immediate family and friends would know if faith played any part in his life. Perry’s death of a stroke at 52 has shocked the world. I (Bridgett Banks), for one, distinctly remembered looking forward to watching he and fellow actor Jason Priestley every week! Most famous for his role as Dylan in Beverly Hills 90210, the star remained relatively quiet in Hollywood when the show ended. Ironically, just as Fox announced a reunion series, one of its bedrock stars won’t be with them. In his profession as an actor, Perry did have some exposure to the Christian world. He played Judas in Thomas Nelson’s audio book of the bible, “The Word of Promise Audio bible.” It is reported that more than 500 actors took part in the reading of the Holy bible, which took 98 hours to produce. It is also believed that the audio version product took four years to complete and was originally published on 79 CDs. In 2015, he starred in and produced a faith-based film called “Welcome Home,” in which Perry plays a struggling author who returns from vacation to find that a homeless mother and her two children have been squatting in his house, with nowhere to go. He learns that the house had previously belonged to Cassandra before her husband passed away and they became the victims of foreclosure. Who knows what transpired in his life leading up to his sudden death, but we can just pray that his involvement with fellow Christian actors made an impact on his life and decisions.”
I do not know what Luke Perry’s religious beliefs were and only God knows what ultimately happened to his soul after he died. One of the main reasons I am writing this blog post is to point out that we all need to have a plan for the eternal destiny of our souls and, if you reflect on the life of Luke Perry for a moment, please don’t put off making decisions until tomorrow because you just don’t know how much time you have left. Romans 6:23 (ESV) tells us:
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
I recently went to a funeral for a man, who I will call Ron. Ron came to our CSG meetings over the past five to ten years because his wife battled breast cancer and he wanted to support her. It was mentioned at his funeral that Ron came to faith in Christ later in life and died at the age of 64. The pastor, who officiated the funeral, mentioned that Ron was a seeker for a long time as he struggled with the “free gift” portion of Romans 6:23 referenced above. However, if you study what the verse also says, you will note that it states that we deserve death because “the wages of sin is death”. This where the phrase "substitutionary atonement" comes into play. Substitutionary atonement means that Jesus Christ died in the place of sinners as our substitute so that that our death sentence could be nullified. Romans 6:23 teaches us two things. First, it tells us that without Christ's substitutionary atonement, there is no doubt that we are doomed. The second lesson contained in this verse is that eternal life is available through Jesus Christ to those who believe. According to the pastor, once Ron was able to wrap his head around the concept of substitutionary atonement, he was able to gain an understanding of the free gift offering Jesus provides to everyone who believes in Him. As a result, Ron put his faith in Christ once he gained a better understanding of this foundational biblical concept called substitutionary atonement.
It will always be mysterious to me how someone moves from doubting Jesus to faith in Jesus. Some people are able to put their faith in Christ immediately upon hearing the Gospel message whereas others, like Ron, doubt for a while before God is able to open their heart to the true meaning of the Gospel. Unfortunately, many with terminal cancer never move from doubting to belief, preferring to die without any hope of life after death. For example, I just heard a story this week about a man, who I will call Bill, who died in April of 2019 of Pancreatic Cancer at the age of 49. Although I did not know Bill, I understand he was a brilliant man who worked at some top notch consulting firms including McKinsey & Co. My friend Jeff shared the gospel with Bill a number of years ago. Not only was Bill unreceptive to the message of the Gospel, he was never willing to talk with Jeff again after Jeff shared the Gospel with Bill. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (ESV) tells us:
"And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."
I do not know the reasons for Bill's resentment towards Jeff, but the Gospel can be offensive to many individuals because it requires you to believe that Jesus (not you) is the only one who can offer you hope. You must then humble yourself before Him, asking Jesus to forgive sins and then you must commit your life to Jesus as your personal Lord, Savior and King. If you are struggling with unbelief, please pray to God that the Gospel will no longer be veiled to you and to help you with your unbelief.
When thinking about the various ways which people die, cancer, as noted earlier in this blog post, is the second leading cause of death here in the United States according to the CDC. Because it is a painful way to die, most people would prefer to die in some way other than a lengthy cancer trial. However, one of the blessings of a cancer trial is it normally gives the cancer patient plenty of time to ponder their own mortality and to consider questions such as what will happen to them if they do not survive their cancer trial. Even though most people don’t want to die by enduring a lengthy cancer trial, God actually blesses them during such a trial by using the cancer diagnosis to convict them of their own mortality. God also blesses them by giving them more time to investigate the good news of the Gospel. It is sort of like dealing with a young child – it is often what they don’t want to do (i.e., go to bed at night) which provides them with what they need the most (i.e., more sleep). Poor Luke Perry was knocked unconscious immediately after his initial stroke episode. Since he never regained consciousness before he died, he was not afforded any more time to ponder these same end of life questions (i.e., mortality, life after death etc.) which many cancer patients wrestle with. I have observed plenty of cancer patients who get angry when they are diagnosed with cancer and I have witnessed many others who travel the world looking for a medical solution which will save them. For example, Farrah Faucet, before she succumbed to her cancer trial in 2009, traveled to Europe many times in 2007/2008 for non-traditional treatments which she hoped might save her from her anal cancer. While many cancer patients travel the world hoping to find a cure for their cancer, I have also seen many cancer patients who come to saving faith in Jesus when they realize that He is the only one who can truly save them, even when the medical professionals are telling them their medical prognosis is hopeless. Acts 4:12 (NCV) tells us:
“Jesus is the only One who can save people. No one else in the world is able to save us.”
How much time do you have left and will you have any time to ponder your destiny once you are stricken with the disease, condition or accident which will eventually take your life? If you are reading this article and have yet to put your faith in Jesus, then I encourage you to read the bible and consider the promises of Jesus. John 11:25-26 (NIV) tells us:
"Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
When a cancer patient is considering developing a relationship with Jesus as outlined in the preceding two verses in John, the cancer patient, as summarized in the three-point listing below, can either Reject Jesus, Accept Jesus or Remain Undecided about Jesus:
Reject Jesus: The cancer patient comes to the conclusion that Christianity is a sham and all of the promises, as outlined in the bible, are either not true or they don’t believe them. As a result, the cancer patient rejects the opportunity to put their faith in trust in Christ.
Remain Undecided About Jesus: The cancer patient remains undecided and cannot commit to if he or she is willing to put their faith and trust in Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
Accept Jesus: The cancer patient believes that Jesus is the only one who can save him/her and he/she puts his/her faith in Jesus and accepts the free gift of salvation which only He can provide.
When looking at the preceding list of three potential responses, the bible is very clear that the only way to access Jesus’ free gift of salvation is for the cancer patient to believe in their heart that Jesus is the Christ (Romans 10:9-10). In other words, remaining undecided (response 2 above) about Jesus means the same thing to God as rejecting Him (response 1 above) altogether. I am not sure that they average “undecided about faith in Jesus” cancer patient understands that responses 1 and 2 above have the exact same implications with God. More specifically, both responses are rejecting His one and only son and the free gift offering He provides to each and every one of us who believes in Him. All each of us has to do is accept this free gift which is offered to everyone. I mentioned earlier in this blog post that most people would prefer to avoid talking about death and many of them are woefully unprepared for the one thing (death) which is an absolute certainty in life for each and every one of us. If there are cancer patients who remain woefully unprepared for death, it should come as no great surprise that many of them also remain undecided on if they believe if Jesus really is the Christ or not. They probably also do not realize that remaining undecided about faith in Jesus has the same implications with God as rejecting Jesus altogether.
When your life is over and they are talking about you at your funeral, do you really want your worldly successes to define your obituary? If you answer “yes” to this question, then how would you define success? According to dictionary.com, success is defined as:
The favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors; the accomplishment of one's goals.
The attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like.
For many individuals, success is further defined by attaining membership in the hall of fame they desire to be in. In other words, these individuals invest a significant amount of time trying to get into the hall of fame for their occupation or passion. Since the professional sports hall of fames are some of the most famous hall of fame’s around, many professional athletes spend a large chunk of their lives trying to get into the professional football, professional basketball or professional baseball hall of fames. Many other individuals aspire to gain entrance into a business or sporting (i.e., local, high school or college) hall of fame. Yet many other individuals aspire to become a senior partner in their firm or the department head at their university. Why do people want to be in the Hall of Fame? The following pop culture song, “Hall of Fame” by Irish pop rock band The Script, provides some insights into why people want to be a member of their hall of fame. Here are some of the "Hall of Fame" song lyrics:
“Yeah, you could be the greatest You can be the best You can be the King Kong banging on your chest
You could beat the world You could beat the war You could talk to God, go banging on his door
You can throw your hands up You can beat the clock You can move a mountain You can break rocks You can be a master Don't wait for luck Dedicate yourself and you can find yourself
Standing in the hall of fame And the world's gonna know your name 'Cause you burn with the brightest flame And the world's gonna know your name And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame
You could go the distance You could run the mile You could walk straight through hell with a smile
You could be the hero You could get the gold Breaking all the records that thought, never could be broke”
When it is all said and done and your life is over, do the records and the fame really matter? When you are standing before God giving an account for your life, does membership in your Hall of Fame really mean anything to Him? Romans 14:1-12 tell us:
“It is written: “As surely as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before Me; every tongue will confess to God. So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.”
For Luke Perry, the Hall of Fame could have been a star being placed in his name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I do not believe he ever had a star placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame but, in the end, does it really matter? While he never had a star placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Luke Perry was incredibly successful and had an estimated net worth of at least $10 million when he passed away. As successful as he was, do you think Luke Perry achieved a majority of his dreams? According to Erol Vekil of the Huffington Post:
“The truth is most of us cannot achieve a majority of our dreams and just when we think we did, we realize that there's still something hollow and unfulfilling within our inner selves. We are fed constantly with an unrealistic philosophy of optimism; one of the many defensive strategies conjured to fill the void created in one's inner self. The notion that life is auspicious and alluring has to be embedded into our minds in order to deflect and distract us from the epilogue.”
When you read Luke’s obituary (note: please see the Washington Post link earlier in this blog post), which was written by Harrison Smith, it details his life and some of his greatest accomplishments. For example, it talks about his achievements in Hollywood, including Beverly Hills, 90210, and it mentions some of his other movie and TV accomplishments. If Luke was able to speak after his initial stroke episode about his obituary desires, would he want his obituary to focus on his successes or would he want it to focus on other areas of his life which he was passionate about? I raise this question because it makes me think about how I want my life to be defined and what I would like my obituary to focus on. Would I want my obituary to focus on my successes or would I want it to focus other areas of my life which I was passionate about? Hopefully the questions I am raising here in this blog post gets you to start thinking about how you want your life to be defined and how you would like for your obituary to read.
Contrary to what the Hall of Fame song suggests, the bible offers a different perspective on how we should live our lives. Instead of striving to earn membership in the Hall of Fame, we should strive to glorify God in our daily lives. Colossians 3:17 tells us:
“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
In the Westminster Catechism, the first question of the 107 questions raised in the Catechism is “What is the chief end of man?” The answer the Catechism provides: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.”
In early April (2019), I went to a half-day conference called “The Hunt for Real Significance”. The speaker, Jay Whitmer, a young man in his forties who is also a cancer survivor, talked about how our lives should be defined not by our successes but by our significance. Jay asked “Do you want your life to count for something more than living a comfortable life? Something more than success? Do you find yourself asking “Does my life matter”? Are you hungry for more?” Nelson Mandela said “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we lived. It is what difference we have made in the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead”. According to dictionary.com, significance is defined as the quality of being significant or having meaning. Jay pointed out that God has a slightly different definition of “significance” than what dictionary.com suggests. Colossians 1:16 (ESV) tells us:
“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”
As the preceding Colossians verse indicates, all things in this world were created by God (“by Him”) and for God (“for Him”). In other words, significance” begins with God and ends with God. The bible tells us we will always be chasing something unreachable in this world unless we submit and yield to by Him and for Him. Mark 10:13-16 tells us:
“And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it. And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.”
I receive a daily devotional from Parkside Church (Parksidechurch.com). There are reflection comments following each scripture passage contained in devotional which is emailed to me daily. When reflecting upon the preceding scripture in Mark 10, here is what the Parkside devotional had to say about significance:
“God does not measure significance according to the value systems of this world. He is not impressed with our intellectual sophistication, physical abilities, or social popularity. God values our willingness to surrender ourselves to him in complete trust. Those who rely on him will find that he is smiling upon them.”
Are you striving to be significant or, as the Hall of Fame song suggests, is the world gonna know your name? Do your actions (and mine) align with a life fully surrendered to living for Christ rather than for you or me? I have no idea if Luke Perry’s life was defined by significance or not and I am not going to speculate about it either. However, I do know that his shocking and surprising death is a wake-up call to me, reminding me yet again that my time here on earth is limited and that I don’t know what tomorrow might bring. If you are enduring a lengthy cancer battle, please be thankful that God has given you more time to either develop or further develop your relationship with him. What is the chief end of man – it is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. If you are currently battling terminal cancer or if you die unexpectedly (i.e., tomorrow) like Luke Perry, do you have a personal relationship with Christ that will allow you to enjoy Him (God) forever?
“"Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?"(John 11:25-26; NIV)
Jim Risk, a two-time cancer survivor, is the volunteer Ministry Coordinator for the Cancer Support Group (CSG) at a non-denominational church in NE Ohio. Jim and his wife, Kristina, have participated and served in CSG, a Christian ministry, since 2007.
4-29-19 Blog Update:
At the age of 51, we lost another Hollywood leged today to a stroke - here is part of an article by Julia Jacobs in the New York Times:
The family of John Singleton, the director, producer and screenwriter behind the 1991 film “Boyz N the Hood” and several other movies, said that they had directed doctors to pull him off life support on Monday after he suffered a stroke earlier this month.
“It is with heavy hearts we announce that our beloved son, father and friend, John Daniel Singleton will be taken off of life support today,” said the statement, which was released by Singleton’s publicist around 10 a.m. Pacific time. “This was an agonizing decision, one that our family made, over a number of days, with the careful counsel of John’s doctors.”
Singleton, 51, a native of South Los Angeles, was nominated for an Oscar for his directing in his debut film “Boyz N the Hood,” which centered on three teenagers growing up amid violence in his home city. Singleton was in his early 20s and fresh out of film school when he directed the film. He was the first African-American and the youngest person ever to be nominated for the award.
He went on to direct more than 10 films and TV series, including the recent FX crime drama “Snowfall,” about the 1980s crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles. His most prominent films after his debut include “Poetic Justice” (1993), a romantic melodrama starring Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur, and “Rosewood” (1997), about a historical white mob massacre against a town of black residents in Florida.