Reflecting on Henry and the Heart of God
Several years ago Jessica and Ian had their theology revolutionized by coming in contact with the vision of God and the warfare worldview that ReKnew ministries stands for. Tragically, this last September this wonderful couple learned that their precious 4-year-old son Henry had a massive brain tumor and that he had only months to live. While they aggressively fought back through intense prayer, they also had to prepare for Henry’s memorial service in the event that he wasn’t healed. Since all the pastors they knew would have framed Henry’s death along the lines of the blueprint worldview that most Christians implicitly, if not explicitly, espouse, they asked me if I’d offer some reflections on a video to be played at his service. They wanted their family and friends to learn about a different way of interpreting tragedies like this.
While I received a definite word from God about 20 years ago that I wasn’t to do funerals or weddings, I felt strongly led to accept Jessica and Ian’s invitation. Along with Jessica and Ian, I have a strong sense that although God never intended for Henry to die this way, he wants to use this terrible tragedy to impact many people with the truth of his loving character and the reality of the warfare that engulfs this planet. So I prayed as I looked through Henry’s Facebook page and read Jessica’s letter and then just sat in my office and talked into my I-phone camera.
Following the beautiful and insightful reflection on Henry’s life and death that we posted several days ago, we felt it would be appropriate today to share the reflections I offered for his memorial service. Our prayer is that these brief reflections not only honor the life and death of this precious boy, but also help you and others see more clearly the beauty of God’s loving character through the painful fog of war that permeates our fallen creation.