FIRST of all, on behalf of my sister, Dawn, her son Cody, myself and my entire family, and for Christopher, I would like to extend my heartfelt "Thanks". Words alone could never express our gratitude, not only to our own family and friends, but to Dawns "Other Family" the members of this church, Pastor Elliot, Pastor Kennedy, and all of those individuals who stepped forward in this time of need, and gave so freely and openly of themselves. And a special "Thank You" to Fred and Toni Derks, who have literally opened up their home to us all.

WE who are gathered here together mourn the loss of CJ, are grieving, and will continue to grieve. Our children ARE NOT meant to die before us! But in our grief, let us as Christians, also celebrate his life, and take comfort in knowing that he is with the LORD, that he is free of this earthly life, with ALL of its physical limitations and problems. CJ, even as I speak, is with the LORD, and if I know him, probably asking what he can do to help out!

SIX years ago this very month, a little boy of three set out on a great adventure. I will never forget his big eyes, looking around in wonder, controlling his fear of the unknown, and flying home with Dawn and I from Tucson, Arizona. A very big airplane, a very long trip, and a perfect little man all of the way. And NOT ONCE did he cry, or complain, or show that fear.

DURING these last six years, I tried to fill the void in CJs life, to show him through my example, how to handle the every day things in life, and how to live. And in the past three days, I have now come to realize that it was him teaching me , teaching ALL of us, how to give so unselfishly of oneself, to ALWAYS put the other person FIRST, to be the one thing that I and so many others strive to be, a TRUE Christian, true to himself, and true to GOD.

I thought, that as a father to Christopher, it was my duty, my obligation, to impress certain beliefs and ideals upon him, to enable him to make his way through life. But, I failed in one very important area! I did not bring him to know the LORD! And why not? Because I, MYSELF, did not know HIM! Make no mistake about it, I believed in GOD, but on my terms, on my time, and in my way. Christopher knew GOD as only a child can know HIM, and he walks with the LORD now, because he accepted the LORD into his heart, on GODS terms!

IF it has been told of CJ time and again these past days, it was that he always had a big smile on his face, that he was always polite, and always eager to please, to help out, to be a friend to anyone who would accept him as a friend! And so many times, because of his physical and medical problems, he was not always accepted as such. Seldom, if ever, did he complain, and on those occasions when he felt left out, both Dawn and I tried to help him understand that it wasn’t him that they didn’t like, it was their fear of something and someone different. And, we have all been so surprised to find out that he had such a large social circle, so many friends, and so many people that knew him as we KNOW him. And in its way, that is just one more example of the LORD working in some ones life!

WE live in a world so full of turmoil and violence, a world where divorce runs rampant, where GOD and family are constantly being challenged! And we, as parents, are sometimes overwhelmed by the things that we perceive as OUR failures, a world where children are having children of their own, where children are KILLING other children, AND NO ONE FEELS SAFE! And yet, through all of this, we are constantly being called by GOD to accept HIM, and if one little boy, so sweet, and so kind, can find time for the LORD, what is OUR excuse?

WE read in Matthew, 13:14-17, "You shall indeed hear, but never understand, and you shall indeed see but never perceive. For this peoples heart has grown dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn for me to heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."

LET none of us gathered here today, doubt that we have been a witness to the power and the love of our LORD, that we have, for such a short time, been ministered to by the LORD through the example set by this child! Matthew 18:1-4 speaks of GODS plan for these children: "Truly I say to you, that unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." And further on, in Matthew 18:10-11, we are told: " See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven"

WHEN we leave here today, and before the grief that we feel begins to dull, let us all, while there is still time, put into practice the things we have come to reflect upon, to stand up and be counted as Christians, not as Catholics, or Protestant, or Baptist, or whatever denomination of faith we claim. WE are the only ones, who can, through our daily example and spiritual guidance, change the world in which we live, give hope and peace to our children, and show them that we are not accepting of a world where vices have become habits!

We can tell ourselves, over and over again that this wasn’t fair, that it wasn’t right, but we MUST, defer to our LORDS wisdom in these matters, and not our own! And while we go about living the rest of our lives, let us keep in mind that the monuments men leave in stone and all earthly materials will pass away, but the mountains of love that lie within the heart of this boy, who I love, and have loved, as my own, will endure forever. CJ, you have built bigger pyramids, and higher ones, than any pharaoh might have, and I stand before you, before this congregation, and before GOD, humbled by your example.

FINALLY, while we will always hold the memory of Christopher in our hearts and minds, let us not lose sight of the fact that he has achieved what so many of us here today hope for: HE IS NOW, AT THIS VERY MOMENT, WITH THE LORD, And I can see him smiling, and telling Dawn and I, indeed telling ALL OF US gathered here the words he always used to comfort her "I’m OK Mommy, everything’s alright. . ."