To Fly a Coop
In early September, my Dad, Rafael, got some life-changing news. He had terminal cancer and his life-expectancy was short. As our family grappled to come to terms with what this meant for all of us, we came to realize the hard conversation of death was not something we could put off. I had just wrapped up a Masters in Justice and Advocacy at Fuller Seminary and my last class was literally on death and dying. I questioned why it couldn't have been health and healing! We prayed for healing of course, but as it became clear this was not God's plan for now, I pondered the best thing I could do to help my family and myself process this. I concluded the best thing I could do is give my dad a microphone and let him preach just the way he has always loved to preach about the love of Jesus.
I flew from LA to visit my family in New Mexico, about a month after his diagnosis. Armed with mics and a recorder, I told my dad about the idea and he was all for it. So, most every day I was there, before my youngest and husband came, we sat in their back-backyard and had these conversations near the chicken coop. If you’ve happened upon this podcast you probably know my dad and so I welcome you to hear more from his heart. If you just happened upon this podcast for no reason, know this… my dad had you in mind. His prayer is that this would help someone unexpected and that God would use it to speak to someone who needed a word of encouragement and a reminder of the unsurpassable love of Jesus
Intro Music found at Pixabay.com from sergepavkinmusic "happy-warm-days"
To Fly a Coop
Some Final Thoughts
Episode Eight: Some Final Thoughts
Recorded October 2023
In this shorter episode, Dad and I review the topics we discussed over the past few days (all the recording happened from the end of September to early October). Something I learned is an essential part of dying is doing a “life review,” so I started by asking dad about five core memories. He changed it to “game changers” which really worked very well. In the end, he does what he always did and points everyone who is listening to Jesus.
True hope and true life is not found anywhere but in Jesus. No matter what you are facing today, know you are known and loved. Not only does God love you, but God wants to be close to you – an important part of your life. To have a relationship with God you just need to ask. God is everywhere at all times, so it is just a matter of speaking (whether in your heart or out loud) and asking God to take part in your every moment and being willing to open your eyes to God’s movement in the world. In the end, our life is but a vapor, but we do not have to fear… you are not destined to a grave, but to a Kingdom if you are crazy enough to believe it.
Scripture Referenced: Hebrews 12:6 Proverbs 3:12 Matthew 6:34 John 15:5 Acts 14:11-22, Psalm 8
Want to learn a little more? Check out the site https://www.toflyacoop.com/
