Austin Gardner

If  you would like a copy of this CD just let the guys at church know or if you do not attend Vision let me know by commenting here and I will see how we can get it to you!

The following is what I preached at dad’s funeral.

I. We need to go to the house of mourning Ecclesiastes 7:2

It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.

Take death seriously
Quit living like there is no tomorrow
Realize that things don’t matter
Realize this world doesn’t matter

II. Count your days Psalm 90:12

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Dad made preparations
–he had a living will
–his funeral was prepared and paid for

Dad made preparations by being sure of his salvation

Dad made preparations by getting his children under the sound of the gospel

Dad was a giver

Dad gave to missions

III. Dad understood some basic Biblical principles

Living is not about us but Christ Philippians 1:20-24

According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

Living is about service and ministry

Heaven is far better

The following is what was posted on this blog, in the funeral home, and at Whitfield Baptist Church. We as a family request that donations be sent to the Bible College. My dad loved the Bible College. He wanted to see it grow and prosper. If you would like to help please simply write a check to Macedonia World Baptist Missions and mark it for the Peru Bible College.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers a donation be made to the Peru Bible College via Macedonia World Baptist Missions, P O Box 519, Braselton, Georgia 30517

I want to talk to you just a little about hospice. I will share with you the experience we had with my dad and his death.

On Sunday, October 18, 2009, I got word that dad had suffered a massive stroke. I preached the morning service and had planned to preach that evening. I had no idea how bad the stroke was so left that afternoon to see my dad for what I thought would be the last time.

In all honesty it was the last time because over the next few days the most I would get one be one syllable answers and a smile. These would last for a few seconds only. He could not longer swallow. He seemed to recognize us in those few seconds of lucidness but they were very short and fleeting.

He was in the hospital. He couldn’t follow instructions. He had a massive bleed that was one inch by four inches inside his brain, they said. He was hooked to IVs and soon to a feeding tube through the nose. He was being constantly monitored.

The doctors had no idea when he would get better. It could take weeks to months for the clot to be reabsorbed in the body if it ever would. He couldn’t move his right side at all. He couldn’t feed himself, he couldn’t talk, or respond.

Dad had left a living will. Click on the link and read that post. That living will gave us comfort to know what he wanted us to do. He had signed it over ten years before.

The doctors kept wanting to give us false hope. They wanted to hook him to feeding tubes and machines. They wanted to do heroic measures to save what physical life he had. But do not forget what condition he is in and the fact that were going to maintain him as a vegetable until maybe the 80 year old man would recover and maybe get some use of some of his mind and body.

Dad did not wish that for his future. He did not want to be hooked to feeding tubes, machines, etc and to be kept artificially alive. He made that clear in his living will.

We contacted hospice who simply allows you to die comfortably and with dignity. These are the people you call when there is no hope. They allowed dad to die at home in the presence of family and friends and not be hooked up to machines and tubes until he died.

They did a great job. They had social workers, chaplains, nurses, people to help bathe dad, and any other need we had. You can see the hospice concept here.

I am very glad that we were able to work with such good, caring, tender, people as they did everything possible to make my dad’s last few days on this earth comfortable.

I want to give a super big thank you to all of you that have done so much for the Gardner family. I do not have words to express our thanks nor does anyone in our family.

Pastor Wayne Cofield and Whitfield Baptist Church did so much for us. They fixed us meals, they allowed us to have the funeral there, they loved and prayed for us and especially my mother. Brother Wayne was constantly calling, praying, helping. He has been a friend to me and our family like no other. Thank you, Brother Wayne. Thank you wonderful Whitfield Baptist Church.

Special thank you’s once again to Stephen and April Baker for being so kind and attentive. You are wonderful and we love and thank you.

Thank you for Diane Turpin. Diane is mother’s neighbor who came the night they took dad to the hospital and helped mother so much before and after. You are so very kind.

Thank you to hospice who did a great job caring for dad. I will write more about them later.

Thank you to friends and family who came to the viewing and others to the funeral. You were so kind to our family.

I would mention each of you by name but would surely miss someone. I did notice however flowers from Victory Baptist Church in Loganville, Georgia and also from Greater Heights Baptist Church in Cumming. Since they are friends of mine I want to thank you each here.

I also want to thank my family members for being so special. God blessed us even in and through this. Thank you John for all you did to bless the entire family. You are a real giver. You are a rock solid leader in your family and I love you and respect you in all that you do.

Thank you Vicki for caring the load that you did also. Your sweet spirit helps so much.

Felicia, I am praying for you most of all in this time.

God has blessed us and I am grateful.

I hope all of our family will honor God and the memory of our dad by being faithful to God with all of our lives until God calls us home.