A Little Good News! A weekly reflection from a member of the Hastings clergy By Randy Berg Pastor of Calvary Church in Hastings

It seems like there were a lot of deaths last year, at least for people in my world. Dear friends from our church and my mother-in-law to name a few. I have attended and conducted many funerals and spoken words of hope at many gravesides so death is not foreign territory for me. Someone posted on the internet, “The song played at my funeral will be…”. As I read the responses it was very clear if the person knew the hope of heaven or not. “Another one bites the dust” is a clever response if you’re trying to be funny but if you are not it speaks of an unsure destiny and death is truly the end of the road. How sad when we can face the end of life here with hope and joy because of the promises of God. It comes down to having faith in the God of the Bible. Some have a hard time with faith because they feel it is flying blind, putting your hope in nothing for which you

while and then is gone.” He is trying to explain that our life here on earth, whether it is 19 years or 90 is so incredibly brief compared to eternity. God is preparing a place for all his children in heaven. Heaven has been the plan from the beginning. I don’t know how its all going to look or whet we are going to be like but that’s Ok. God knows and I trust his plans for His kingdom. So now as I wait for my older brother to finally be taken by cancer, which could be any day now, there is sadness but more than that there is excitement for what is just around the corner for him. This life is almost over but there is paradise just over the horizon. There is hope and joy, peace and security because he is a child of God and God always takes care of his children. Someday it will be me and someday it will be you. I know where I am going and what song they will sing at my funeral. Do you? Contact me is you want to talk. [email protected]