2009: JUNE 14 to JUNE 27 - I CAN ONLY IMAGINE

This is Franny Stetser. A year ago, in June 2008, Franny went on to his eternal home, with his awesome GOD, after a brain hemorrhage took him from this life. Franny was 46 years old and had only been born again since April 2007. Yet, to those who knew Franny well, his conversion was truly life changing.
.
In May 2008, Franny was replacing the upstairs toilet in our house and he and I were visiting. He asked me if I knew his "story" and I said, "maybe just a little." He went on to tell me about his relationship with the owner of the construction company he worked for. Franny and Rich had been friends for 18+ years. Franny said that there were many things he had done to Rich that were not good and that he was not proud of, yet "through all the times I disappointed Rich, he never stopped loving me."

.

In fact, Rich let the incredible goodness and love of his God live through him to serve Franny. This eventually made Franny want to have the kind of life that Rich had. Franny began to understand that it was only JESUS who could give him eternal salvation, erasing all of his sins and giving him a clean slate and a fresh start. So, he decided that is just what he wanted. He followed through on answering this question of the scripture Acts 22:16: "And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on His name."

.

Since repentance is about turning away from your past way of life, Franny deeply desired for that to happen. He really wanted the kind of transformation to take place in him that he had seen in his friend Rich. Not too long after Franny took the steps necessary to become a christian, Rich and Franny started sponsoring AA meetings in our church building on Monday nights. He began to change in how he lived his life from the inside - out. Sandy, his wife began to see the changes. His friends and family took notice. His favorite song became, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE! Franny knew God's amazing mercy, grace, and forgiveness and was excited for what his eternal future had to hold for him. He and Sandy certainly did not realize that it would come so quickly.

.

.
After the intense shock and grief of his death, Sandy began to question her relationsip with God and wanted what Franny had come to know. So, after days and nights and weeks of studying God's WORD - The Bible, Sandy, her daughter Kristi, and Kristi's husband, Tim, decided to do what Franny had done as Galatians 3:26-29 says. They became children of God just like Franny had:

• "You are all sons of GOD through faith in CHRIST JESUS, for all of you who were baptized into CHRIST have clothed yourselves with CHRIST. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in CHRIST JESUS. If you belong to CHRIST, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

.
Here is Rich baptizing Sandy into Christ on Sept. 13, 2008.

.
God's love is patient! He was patient with Rich, Franny, Sandy, Kristi, and Tim like scripture says in 1 Peter 3:20-22:
.

"GOD waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also-not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward GOD. It saves you by the resurrection of JESUS CHRIST, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at GOD's right hand-with angels, authorities and powers in submission to Him."
.
It's been a year since Franny left us! He had come to understand what Peter had said about JESUS in Acts 4:10-12:

• "It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth...salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

.
We can only imagine what Franny now knows or sees or has experienced. We walk by faith and not by sight... we believe that life here on earth is hard, but Jesus has shown us that GIGATTAATTGIG!
.
Join us as we celebrate God's goodness and love with these two videos set to the song Franny had come to love, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE!


.
.