![\"165855_685273474553_674174366_n\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/mtvpastor\/files\/2013\/10\/165855_685273474553_674174366_n.jpg?w=235\")
<\/a>It\u2019s been a little over two months since we lost a giant of the faith. Mark continues to cast a long (and glorious) shadow over the church he helped lead.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\nYesterday I had the heart-breaking privilege at preaching Mark Junkin\u2019s funeral. He was an incredible man who left a lasting legacy with his family, his church, and throughout the world. You can watch the archived funeral service at www.mtvchurch.tv. Here is the text of the message I shared:<\/p>\n
Mark Junkins Funeral Message<\/strong><\/p>\nToday we\u2019re here to celebrate the life of Mark Junkins. As you\u2019ve already heard, he was a son, a brother, a husband, and a father. His influence extended well beyond his immediate family. He touched lives in the lumber industry and in the military as evidenced by all the folks watching this service online from around the world.<\/p>\n
For most of you, this isn\u2019t your first funeral, and this definitely won\u2019t be your last, but this one is especially hard. First, Mark was still young by today\u2019s standards. More, he was in better shape than probably most of us in this room. His death comes as a complete shock and surprise to all of us.<\/p>\n
Our hearts struggle with the issue of fairness, because of all people to die too soon, none of us would have put Mark on that list. He was such a giver. He added value to so many lives. He was such a positive force for good. He believed in God, as do many of you, and perhaps the biggest question we\u2019re struggling with today is: why? Why God? Why him? Why now? Why when he was doing so many good things for others?<\/p>\n
Now, while I can acknowledge the question that we\u2019re all wrestling with, I cannot fully answer it, or at least answer it to the extent that it will take the pain away. Here\u2019s what we believe: There is a good God that created the world and is still intimately involved in it. Sin entered the world like an atomic bomb through mankind\u2019s choice in the Garden of Eden, and like an atomic bomb, the fallout still affects us today. Through our limited perspective, Mark\u2019s tragic death makes no sense to us. All we can do is trust in a good God, a God who is in control and on his throne. Who knows the past, the present, and the future, all the variables that we could never know. And trust that because of his faith in God, Mark is in a much better place now.<\/p>\n
So while we can\u2019t fully answer the question of \u201cwhy,\u201d here\u2019s what we can do: We can use this tragedy as an opportunity to be reminded of the most important things in life:<\/p>\n
\n- Life is short. The Bible describes it as a mist that appears in the morning for a little while and then vanishes. The end of your life will always be unexpected.<\/li>\n
- Life is incredibly valuable. You never know the true value of something or someone until they\u2019re gone. If you have someone you love close to you, don\u2019t let another day go by without expressing your love and appreciation for them. Some of you are estranged from parents, siblings, or children. Make things right today, because no one is guaranteed tomorrow.<\/li>\n
- Too many of us are content to distract ourselves through life and neglect the most important things: faith, family, and legacy. Life as a 21st<\/sup>\u00a0century American is filled with trivial distractions, tempting you to waste your life on things that don\u2019t ultimately matter. But it\u2019s at moments like this when you realize that life is so much more than making money, watching tv, or following your favorite sports team. As another pastor eloquently put it: the value of a life is determined by how much of it you give away.<\/li>\n
- Death reminds us of the question of the afterlife. Is there life after this life? Do we cease to be, or is there a heaven and hell? If heaven exists, then are you making sure you\u2019re doing what the Bible says you need to do to go there after you die?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Life is so fast, you\u2019d be surprised at how few times you actually stop long enough to contemplate the deeper things. Don\u2019t let this opportunity pass you by.<\/p>\n
But more than just remembering the important things in life, here\u2019s what we can do today, what I hope we all choose to do: celebrate. Celebrate Mark\u2019s life. Celebrate Mark\u2019s legacy. The amount of folks that have contacted Phyllis and the boys over the past few days, who came to the Visitation last night and who are here today, physically and online, are all a testament to the legacy Mark left.<\/p>\n
Mark left a legacy with me. He was the chairman of the search team that brought me to Mt Vernon. He was the first person I talked with. As I\u2019m sure he did with many of you, Mark always challenged me to keep learning. He was a voracious learner, a strong student of history. Some of my favorite conversations were of us talking about the book we were reading or how some obscure historical event continues to impact today.<\/p>\n
More than that, he was an elder, the first elder, the primary lay leader of Mt Vernon. He was a source of incredible wisdom for Jeff (the previous pastor) and myself. His preference was to be behind the scenes. He never craved the limelight, but I guarantee you that Mt Vernon wouldn\u2019t be what it is today if it wasn\u2019t for Mark\u2019s influence. This church is his legacy.<\/p>\n
Mark worked for McShan lumber, and he leaves a strong legacy in the lumber industry. He was a hard worker, strong work ethic, always there, always looking for the best way. He always looked for the best in people, his coworkers and those he sold to. The way he interacted with others was a testament to his belief in God and His respect for the human life. While he was here, Mark worked hard to make his corner of the world a better place. And he succeeded brilliantly.<\/p>\n
Mark leaves a strong legacy in the military. He served himself for the greater good of our country. For the past several years, he and Phyllis have adopted untold number of student pilots at Columbus Air Force base. Mark and Phyllis were like the world\u2019s greatest dorm parents. Phyllis never knew who would be showing up when, but Mark and Phyllis created community for student pilots, serving as surrogate moms and dads, and mentors to scores of student pilots.<\/p>\n
But the greatest legacy he left, are his two boys, Travis and John Mark. The greatest legacy any of us will leave is our children, and long after we\u2019re gone, their lives serve as a testament to the years of sacrifice we\u2019ve made. Travis got the build, John Mark got the temperament. For the record, Travis can grow the thicker mustache, but it actually comes in reddish blonde, so not sure how manly that really is. Both of you are in the military, serving this country, trying to make this world a better place. You\u2019re both now husbands, one day you\u2019ll be dads. Unfortunately, your kids will never know Mark on this side of heaven. So his legacy is you. As you live out what your dad taught you, as you live out the best parts of your dad, you two are a living legacy to Mark.<\/p>\n
So we celebrate Mark\u2019s legacy, but we also celebrate because we believe that Mark is still alive, although not here with us. This is where our belief in God, the Bible and heaven becomes so precious for us who believe. If this life is all that there is, then we don\u2019t have much hope. But we believe in a God of eternity. We believe that life doesn\u2019t end at death, it merely transitions to eternal life. In the gospel of John 3:16, the Bible clearly states, \u201cFor God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0Mark had placed the full weight of his trust in God, as evidenced by his love for God and service to others. So, Mark has died, but he hasn\u2019t perished. He now has eternal life.<\/p>\n
And although we mourn, it\u2019s appropriate to mourn for our sakes, for the void that is left because of his passing. But don\u2019t mourn for him. Mark is in a better place. Mark is with Jesus. Mark is in heaven, in a place of perfection where there is no sickness, no pain, no death. Mark is reunited with the loved ones who passed on before him. Mark gets to meet many of the historical figures he read so much about during his life. Mark is now fully alive, in a way we can never truly experience on this earth.<\/p>\n
So, when you think of Mark, don\u2019t think of a casket or a grave. Think of him as he truly is, alive, rejoicing in heaven. I\u2019m not sure if mustaches are fashionable in heaven, but they\u2019re going to be after he\u2019s through. Wherever Mark is in the New Jerusalem, you can be sure he\u2019s probably already gone for a run around the perimeter. And can\u2019t you just imagine Mark hanging out with Peter, with Samson, all doing push-ups together? Mark is gone from here, but he\u2019s not dead. He\u2019s alive in Christ, in heaven, and for those of us who believe, we\u2019ll see him again one day. So, rejoice in that.<\/p>\n
If Mark were here and wanted to preach a word, I\u2019m pretty sure what he would share. He would simply share what he shared with many of us throughout his life. If you ever got an email from Mark, then you saw his final words, \u201cPress On.\u201d It comes from the book of Philippians, where the apostle Paul writes these words,\u00a0\u201cOne thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I\u00a0press on<\/b>\u00a0toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.\u201d\u00a0<\/i>Philippians 3:13-14<\/p>\n
Rather than focus on the past, focus on the mistakes, focus on what could have been, Mark\u2019s life, like Paul\u2019s, was dominated by a forward-thinking mentality. In spite of the obstacles, in spite of the hardships, he \u201cpressed on\u201d to reach his full potential in Christ. May that example be the legacy we all walk away with. The goal? To win the prize, eternal life in heaven. Mark won. He\u2019s in heaven with his Savior.<\/p>\n
So Mark, we\u2019re saddened by your loss, but we\u2019re overwhelmed with joy because you\u2019ve reached the goal. You\u2019ve won the prize. You\u2019re where you want to be, and one day we\u2019ll see you again. I know that many of you here may not know that peace, that joy that Mark had. You may not have a relationship with Jesus. I pray that his life would spur you to investigate faith, investigate God, and discover the beautiful relationship that we can all have with Jesus, and that Mark so wonderfully exemplified in his life.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s pray.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s been a little over two months since we lost a giant of the faith. Mark continues to cast a long (and glorious) shadow over the church he helped lead.\u00a0 Yesterday I had the heart-breaking privilege at preaching Mark Junkin\u2019s funeral. He was an incredible man who left a lasting legacy with his family, his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2490,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1493],"class_list":["post-1400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a>It\u2019s been a little over two months since we lost a giant of the faith. Mark continues to cast a long (and glorious) shadow over the church he helped lead.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n