Curtis James Forbes
Born in Charleston, SC on Jun. 29, 1967
Departed on Jan. 29, 2011 and resided in Gastonia, NC
What's missing from those coldly straightforward and factual words are what really tell the story...
Curtis James Forbes
Man of God
I never met my brother Curtis face-to-face. The blessing of coming to know him is courtesy of David Johndrow (Fire & Grace), another true friend God placed in my path via the internet. But the fact I never shook my friend's hand or gave him one of those 'man hugs' I often declare to find awkward is completely a moot point. Fact is...I wish I could hug him today, but God called him home last Saturday morning.
For the past half year or little more, I've been in regular contact with my friend Curtis via cell phone calls or text messages. We also often exchanged Facebook messages too. My friend Curtis died from cancer. It was one of the trials in his life that the Apostle Paul wrote about building our Christian character and leading us to the ultimate hope in God's promise. Curtis had tremendous character. He leaves behind a wife and four children all under the age of 18. He also leaves behind a solid testimony from a man who lived what he claimed to believe. I have no doubt his lasting influence will have an astounding effect not just on his family, but also his church family, his friends...and people like me who only got to see glimpses of God's love through him from a distance.
I prayed for Curtis daily. I will continue to pray for his family and ask humbly that you join me. This lost world is filled with pain and suffering, but if you are a Christian, you are not alone. God gave us one another to lift up and encourage, to watch after each other, lend a helping hand when needed and join together in a single accord of worship and praise for His glory.
Today, we can communicate with one another in ways completely unimaginable five decades ago, and I believe that is a gift to us from God that we should use for His glory. Sure, there's plenty of opportunity for Christian fellowship right in the shadows of our home church steeples. No doubt. I thank God for that fact. But what a blessing it is to be able to reach literally around the world and find brothers and sisters in Christ that have far more in common with us than they do cultural, social and economic differences.
Thank you Curtis for being my friend and, more importantly, for being a Godly influence in my life...if but for a short while. I look forward to meeting you on the other side brother...and I promise not to hesitate or flinch when giving you a big bear hug when we do.
1 comment:
Thanks, Tony. It is amazing, as I roll though my cellphone contacts and messages, that less than a week ago, we had out last phone conversation. He was excited to give his testimony at the men's group, he was believing that God could heal him, and in quite a bit of pain.
Today is the funeral - tomorrow, the rest of the lives of his wife and children.
You, Mr. Cradic, are also a man of God, and I am glad to call you a friend.
I long to be there, but there is work to do here.
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