Josh Benner

Tag: memoriam

  • Purdue super fan Tyler Trent passes away

    We don’t control the cards we’re dealt. All we can do is play what we have.

    Tyler Trent passed away on Tuesday.

    The Purdue student had battled a rare form of bone cancer. He had become a sensation in college football and Big Ten circles as being someone the Purdue football team rallied around this season. The hashtag #TylerStrong went viral.

    He inspired and encouraged people. He raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for cancer research. He wrote a book that he’d never be able to see completed, but which will also continue to raise money for cancer research.

    Tyler was also outspoken about the importance of his faith.

    In 2017, Tyler’s cancer returned and he began to pray that God would use this journey for His glory.”

    As I think about the impact he had over the last few months, it’s clear that this prayers was answered.

    In an interview with Today, Tyler said: “Waking up day to day is like winning a lottery…I try to rely on my faith in Jesus Christ and figure out how to have a good day.”

    As his battle continued, Tyler took to Twitter numerous time to glorify God.
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  • Eugene Peterson – author of the Message – dies at 85

    1024px-Eugene_Peterson.jpg
    Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

    Eugene Peterson, pastor, professor, and writer passed away today at the age of 85 after battling dementia and heart failure.

    Peterson authored 35 books in his lifetime. The most popular among them was The Message, which has sold over 20 million copies. The Message is a paraphrase translation which attempts to capture the idea of a Biblical verse and not necessarily the exact wording. This translation philosophy and book are what Peterson is best known for, but it was also perhaps his greatest source of controversy.

    Peterson authored 35 more books, writings cherished by many for Peterson’s pastoral heart and Biblical wisdom.

    He also had broad appeal, with his writings being enjoyed both by Evangelical Christians and mainline Protestants.

    I believe God takes the things in our lives – family, background, education – and uses them as part of his calling. It might not be to become a pastor. But I don’t think God wastes anything.
    -Eugene Peterson

    Among condolences shared online, Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission Tweeted: “Grateful to God for a long obedience in the same direction. Thank you Eugene Peterson.”

    Pastor and director of LifeWay research Trevin Wax shared a quote from Peterson: “Jesus said “Follow me” and ended up with a lot of losers. And these losers ended up, through no virtue or talent of their own, becoming saints. Jesus wasn’t after the best but the worst. – Eugene Peterson.”

    Peterson’s family released a statement:

    During the previous days, it was apparent that he was navigating the thin and sacred space between earth and heaven. We overheard him speaking to people we can only presume were welcoming him into paradise. There may have even been a time or two when he accessed his Pentecostal roots and spoke in tongues as well.

    Among his final words were, “Let’s go.” And his joy: my, oh my; the man remained joyful right up to his blessed end, smiling frequently. In such moments it’s best for all mortal flesh to keep silence. But if you have to say something say this: “Holy, Holy, Holy.”

    It feels fitting that his death came on a Monday, the day of the week he always honored as a Sabbath during his years as a pastor. After a lifetime of faithful service to the church—running the race with gusto—it is reassuring to know that Eugene has now entered into the fullness of the Kingdom of God and has been embraced by eternal Sabbath.

    Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear what you think, and don’t forget to subscribe! 

    Josh Benner is the associate pastor at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He enjoys writing about faith and culture. He lives with his wife Kari in Minnesota.

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  • Thoughts on Virginia shooting

    Woke up this morning to a news update about a reporter shot live on the air.

    I thought maybe it was in a dangerous area or a hostile story. It wasn’t. It was in Virginia and it was a tourism piece on a morning show.

    My mind has been on this story all day. There are murders everyday and every one of them is a tragedy. For the young woman who died, Alison Parker, her last moments on earth are now on display for the whole world to see, forever. Before the shots were fired,still images of Parker show a young woman who still had her whole life ahead of her. In an instant, someone took that life from her, and took her from her friends and family, senselessly.

    I think of the cameraman: Adam Ward. He was engaged to the morning show producer who was watching live. Two people killed in cold blood, shot at point blank range.

    The shooter, a disgruntled former employee posted a video that he took. I watched it, not sure what to expect. I was shaking at the end. He walks up, preparing to ambush the two. The reporter and the woman she’s interviewing are focused on the interview and don’t look to the shooter. He actually points the gun at Parker before putting it down. The cameraman has no idea he’s moments away from his own death. He’s panning around to take in scenic images of the area. I think that’s why the shooter hesitated. He wanted the news cameraman to have the camera back on Parker.

    In my mind, I keep hearing Alison’s screams. She turned and ran for her life. Those are her last moments. Frantically doing whatever she could to get away from the gunfire.

    Rest in peace Alison and Adam.

    jrb

  • Remembrance and reflection: my friend Johnnie


    I still remember the first time I ever talked to Johnnie. He was helping plan a philanthropy for his fraternity, and he called me after I had volunteered to do stand up comedy at the event. He was so enthusiastic, that I had a hard time understanding him. Johnnie had never heard my routine before, but he was so excited and complimentary that he made me feel like I was Jerry Seinfeld, or some other famous comedian.
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  • Peter Falk’s greatest role: himself

    Yesterday, I received a news notification from CNN on my phone that actor Peter Falk had died. Falk was best known for his role as Columbo, but I was born in 1985. I’ve never seen Columbo. A second thought then entered my mind.

    I thought to myself, “I think that guy played an American in a German film that I watched in high school…”

    I vaguely recalled a movie called Wings of Desire where two angels observe people in their daily lives, and where one of the angels falls in love with a human woman and gives up his immortality (because angels are immortal, as everyone knows) in order to become a mortal man and pursue the woman with whom he has fallen in love.

    Spoiler alert: he becomes mortal and the two fall in love. It is the only film in the history of German cinema to have a happy ending.

    That all may sound familiar. There is an American remake of the film called City of Angels made in 1998 starring Meg Ryan and Nicholas Cage. Although it doesn’t end happily. Meg Ryan gets hit by a truck and dies.

    But what did Peter Falk have to do with the German version of the story? Did the wires in my psyche get proverbially crossed and supplant him into the plot of a movie I barely paid attention to almost a decade ago?

    So I went to the Wikipedia article. First things first. My recollection of the plot was pretty spot on. And not only had Peter Falk been in the movie, he PLAYED HIMSELF. Peter Falk played Peter Falk in a 1980s German movie. Greatest actor of all time.

    He plays himself, and you find out that Peter Falk used to be an angel, but had, like the star of the film, given up his immortality to become a human. And now Peter Falk is deceased. I couldn’t help but wonder, “what if Peter Falk actually had been an angel?”

    Peter Falk playing Peter Falk is on the same level of awesome as in the Eddie Money song “Take Me Home Tonight,” where Eddie says, “just like Ronnie sang…”

    And then Ronnie Spector, who was famous for singing a song titled “Be My Baby” in the Ronettes sings “be my little baby.”

    As an aside, the star of Wings of Desire was Bruno Ganz. He played Hitler in an amazing movie about Germany’s last days in World War II called Downfall.

    That movie features a climactic scene where it becomes apparent that winning the war is no longer a possibility for Germany. Hitler explodes in a rage at his senior officials.

    There are several dozen videos on YouTube which utilize this scene and change the subtitles jokingly. You’ve probably seen these. That’s Bruno Ganz. He was also in the Liam Neeson thriller called Unknown which came out earlier this year.

    Recalling Peter Falk was definitely a blast from the past. Rest in Peace Peter Falk.