Jack "Poppie" Templin

I’m taking a break from the DDT’s for today and tomorrow. If you have not heard, my wife’s grandpa died from a heart attack this week. His name was Jack Templin, but we called him Poppie. It’s okay, though, because he was a Christian. We will miss him beyond words and we will mourn, but not without hope. That’s what those without Christ do. Poppie is in the Kingdom of God right now with his Savior and we have hope and confidence that we will see him again when we also enter there. Some people have Obama, we have Christ, 1 Timothy 1:1.

I’m not going to post again until Monday, but I thought I would share some of my thoughts about Poppie on this blog.

I was blessed to know Poppie well for a few precious years in my life because I married his only granddaughter. I can sincerely say that I have never lost a person I loved as much as him. My son Jack, Poppie’s namesake, was his running around town buddy. Thanks to Poppie, my son knows more people than I do. He doesn’t completely understand everything yet, but he did ask if there will be a McDonald’s or Chic-fil-a or Panda in heaven that Poppie can drive him to when he gets there.

Jack Templin was truly the most generous and selfless man I have ever known. He was what the world would call a good man, but what the world considers to be good, Scripture denies. For “there is no one who does good, not even one.”

Poppie knew this and that is why he turned from his sins and put his trust in the only One who is truly good, the Lord Jesus Christ. By faith, he received the gift of forgiveness and he bore fruit keeping with repentance. This is what everyone saw in the life and character of Jack Templin. What the world calls a good man, we call the grace of God, so give all the glory to his God and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is what he would have wanted us to do and it's what he is doing right now.