If we have never been hurt by a statement of Jesus, it is questionable whether we have ever really heard him speak. Jesus Christ has no tenderness whatever toward anything that is ultimately going to ruin a man for the service of God. If the Spirit of God brings to our mind a word of the Lord that hurts, we may be perfectly certain there is something he wants to hurt to death.
~Oswald Chambers (1874–1917)
The Obituary We All Aspire To:
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You? And when did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me.’
~Jesus, King of The Universe – and my Best Friend – in Matthew 25
Mr. Makala “Mak” Doulos died unexpectedly on a road, while on a project to bring water and Hope to the Whengati tribe in north-central Africa on 15 March 2042 at the age of 77. Mak is survived by his wife, M, and children, B, C, N, M, S, and eleven grandchildren – all residing throughout the United States. Mak lost his oldest son, A, during WWIII, where he served as a US Army Aviator fighting terror in the Iran theatre of operations.
Mak was known as man who took the term “Christlikeness” to heart. He sought to allow Jesus to Live His Life through him and serve as Our Lord’s Hands and Feet. His children have followed after him as fellow-servants to the family of man. One son gave it all, another has saved dozens from burning buildings, another has been an angel of the golden hour – grasping onto and refusing to let go of someone whose time was not yet in a Level 2 Trauma Center. Others have fought for the dignity of others with courage and conviction.
Mak was a son of God, a husband to his wife, a father to his children, and a teacher to his students. Mak was born in the Midwest, but moved to Arizona as a child. Throughout his life though, he had the privilege of moving almost 50 times – sometimes from one part of the world to another. He lived The USA, Germany, Indonesia, China, and The Philippines. Beyond this, pilgrimage work has taken him to Israel, Kenya, Jamaica, and Australia. Even further, Mak travelled the world as a project manager for Intel Corporation, and as an international educator with Leadership Development International.
Mak succeeded in Education, Engineering, Project Management, and Agile Methodology. But, his most treasured reference came from a friend, Mike (for whom Mak is eternally grateful). “In all my interactions with Mak, I find him professional, practical, and personable. This final point bears emphasizing: he has a constant regard to the well-being (in its very fullest sense) of those in his care, or even simply in his view. This especially causes him to stand-out from the crowd.”
Mak asked that this be included in his obituary: Mak often failed. Mak, through his own fault, his own alone and most grievous fault – failed so many people in his family, work, and ministry. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on Mak, a sinner! There is no other way to put this. And to each of you, Mak asks that you to pray for his soul.
Even in all of his falling short though, the rhythm of Mak’s spirit always sought its harmony in his understanding that All is Grace. Grace not being a license, Grace rather being a potent impulse drawing one back into The Center of Our Maker’s Everlasting Arms.
And to this end, Mak met the end of this horizon to look to the shoreless one of the Eastern Sea (Mak was a reader and highly influenced by J.R.R. Tolkien). Mak, and a small team were working to deliver water-purification systems to areas of northern Africa. But while on that adventure, the group was intercepted by an emerging terror group in the area who commandeered all the equipment and vehicles. Mak and one colleague did not survive the exchange.
Mak also asked that a little more be added to this obituary: Beloved, each of us has had real suffering in our lives. As Nietzsche said: “To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.” Beloved… Mak found the meaning:
Give it all away. Love; be profoundly concerned for the well-being of others, without regard as to whether others love in return. Live in such a fragrant way that at the moment of your death you leave every scintilla of Love you have, already expressed in willing the good of others. Mak purposed many years ago, to live always in Love for others. He does not regret it. And for it, He is thankful.
If any of you within reading distance are going to miss Mak, endure this last note from him. “COURAGE boyos! COURAGE my dear sisters! Keep your eyes on that Bright And Morning Star! Just a few more marches. Each of us is almost Home! Grace to you! Strength to you! Peace to you! and… Abounding Hope to you all in, by, and through our Blessed Hope, The Lord Jesus Christ!”
The Obituary None of Us Want:
“Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
~Jesus, King of The Universe and The Defender of The Innocent! – in Matthew 25
Mr. Makala “Mak” Doulos died unexpectedly on a road in South Phoenix, while driving under the influence on 15 March 2032 – at the age of 67. Mak is survived by his wife, M, and children, B, C, N, M, S, and 5 grandchildren – all residing throughout the United States. but was estranged from his family due to his chronic alcoholism.
He died after fading away from many decades of sputtering attempts to start a new career in education, and high tech. He filed for bankruptcy twice, and was homeless.
Mak had been living in his car, and while driving, evidently became distracted as he was trying to retrieve a bottle of alcoholic beverage that had fallen down between the seats. He ran into an overpass, totalling the 20 year-old minivan. Emergency responders arrived at the scene within three minutes, but only to hear Mak say his last words: “Yeah, so i guess this drinking thing didn’t work out so well.”
Thankfully, no one else was injured in the wreck. However, the arc of his life left many hurt, abandoned, and betrayed.
