When I met my husband’s brother Dean in 1976, a tornado had just gone through Laughton, Ok. It had missed Dean, his wife and two children by about a block.

Dean was a true heathen. He lived on the wild side and did not believe in God.

He had been turned off by religion by a Pentecostal family when he was about four years old. He had been, along with the rest of his siblings, placed in foster care by his mother. The family he was placed with was very religious in their beliefs.

They caught Dean reading a Superman comic book. They declared he was demon possessed and placed him on the floor in the center of the room. They called their church and many of the people came over. They sat down around Dean and prayed and ordered the demons out of him for about two hours. This scared him so bad that he decided he wanted nothing to do with their God.

While Al and I visited Dean that week, he met a compassionate, loving God who was not religious at all. A few weeks later, he accepted Jesus.

I saw Dean again in April 1990 when we moved to Wichita, Ks. He was very ill and confined to a wheel chair. He had blockage to his heart in spite of bypass surgery, angina, liver damage, COPD of the lungs and many other ailments.

Al and Cindy worked second shift. Since we only lived a block away, I sat with Dean from 5 PM when Cindy was at work till Cindy got home at 11 PM and Al would pick me up at midnight on his way home. I grew to love Dean and Cindy very deeply. They were special people.

Dean was in constant pain from the heart surgery and his doctor's would not give him pain pills. As a result, he drank heavy and had done so for about 3 years to kill the pain. He had always drank but not as heavy as now.

Our Lord revealed to me that most of his drinking was to kill a different kind of pain. When I explored this, I discovered it was true. He felt that his mother did not nor ever did love him (she told me that herself years later). It took me a year to convince Dean that he had to forgive his Mom.

Dean was so sick that he wanted to die and be with Jesus so he would no longer be in emotional or physical pain. I explained to him that he belonged to Jesus and God would not allow him to die so long as he hated his mother. He had to forgive her.

I explained to Dean that some people are hard to forgive because we are hurt too much and the pain gets in the way. I also showed him in scripture that if he would ask Jesus to take away the pain and anger and love and forgive through him, that he would.

When he did, he was free of the emotional pain and no longer needed the alcohol. I will never forget the day when he called me over and excitedly proclaimed, "it worked, I finally forgave my Mom. I feel so free and am no longer depressed."

About the same time, his doctor gave him pain pills. He spent the last three months of his life free from physical and emotional pain and joyful in spite of his illness.

The last few weeks of Dean's life, he had dreams of flying over a green meadow and coming to a bridge. He said if he ever crossed the bridge he would be in heaven.

Dean loved kids more than most men I have met. A week before he died, he started having visions of children. They were so real to him he would get angry at Cindy for not preparing lunch for them. He talked to them and played with them.

Dean was buried in the cemetery a Fort Riley, Ks. When we went to the funeral, the first thing that struck us was that they buried him in the children's part of the cemetery. There were children everywhere. Dean probably liked that.

Rom 4:14 - 16 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all

Eph 6:4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Acts 11:23 When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord.

Eph 2:8 – 10 For it is by grace you have been saved through faith—and this not from yourselves it is the gift of God—not by works so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Mat 6:14 - 15 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, "But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Prov 31:6 -7 Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to those who are bitter of heart. Let him drink and forget his poverty, And remember his misery no more.

Eph 4:31 - 32 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.