You are being lied to; that you are coming back in re-incarnated format and a re-do post-death. Once you die once, you are going to face the inevitable judgment of our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ, because “… the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, …” John 5:22
So, my wife and I would not miss it when the news reached us in Durban, South Africa penultimate week that Uncle Leon Tallmadge Ricks had gone home. If there was one man I gravitated towards among my in-laws, including my late father-in-law, Julius W. Neal Jr. Uncle Ricks was that person. Here is why I loved him. He had been married to the same woman, Auntie Thelma who is my wife’s paternal auntie for nearly 70 years. My respect for people transcends money or earthly accomplishments but in addition to your faithful devotion to the Lord of lords and King of kings as a born-again Christian, your filial devotion to your Significant Other is very important. My parents-in-law were divorced before I got married to Dr Margie Neal and the only couple I saw as my ideal were Uncle Leon Ricks and Sister Thelma Neal and I told them upfront. Consequently, my wife promised Sister Thelma that we would be at the final farewell for Uncle Ricks. We kept our word. We flew in from Austin, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee and from there to Akron Ohio this weekend to honor this marvelous man who left us at the ripe age of 87.
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Uncle Ricks was a versatile man, brought up with spartan discipline, and an uxoriously family man. He was an usher and a deacon in his local church for half-a-century and as pastors and fellow believers poured encomiums in torrents at his farewell at The Faith Place, 790 Easter Avenue, Akron Ohio over the weekend, you would understand the reality of these words in the Word of Life: “Oh Lord…Let me die the death of the righteous, and may my final end be like his!” (Numbers 23:10). He was an officer in the United States Airforce where he served his country honorably. He was a police officer, chief safety officer at Barberton, Ohio and served the Almighty God by serving humanity as well.
He worked for the United States Postal Services for three decades where he retired in 2007. After retirement, he explored other avenues to serve humanity; from being appointed by two mayors of his town; Mayors’ Bradnick and Hart, Red Cross, local library to numerous ways in giving back to the community. Barberton awarded him the 2012 Citizen of the Year Award. We will all miss him. So long Uncle Ricks till we meet at the Great Reunion promised us by our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ:
“I tell you; I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:29).
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