Yesterday, I also officiated the memorial service for my long-term friend Jack Drury.
Two men. Two tales. Two outlooks. Two destinations.
Let me explain.
Larry King – Not “Live” on Earth Anymore
According to news reports, Larry King took his last breath on January 23, 2021 when he left his earthly body and immediately entered eternity. Notice how the New York Times reported on his life:
Larry King, who shot the breeze with presidents and psychics, movie stars and malefactors — anyone with a story to tell or a pitch to make — in a half-century on radio and television, including 25 years as the host of CNN’s globally popular “Larry King Live,” died on Saturday in Los Angeles. He was 87.
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With the folksy personality of a Bensonhurst schmoozer, Mr. King interviewed an estimated 50,000 people of every imaginable persuasion and claim to fame — every president since Richard M. Nixon, world leaders, royalty, religious and business figures, crime and disaster victims, pundits, swindlers, “experts” on U.F.O.s and paranormal phenomena, and untold hosts of idiosyncratic and insomniac telephone callers.
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His personal life was the stuff of supermarket tabloids — married eight times to seven women; a chronic gambler who declared bankruptcy twice; arrested on a fraud charge that derailed his career for years; and a bundle of contradictions who never quite got over his own success but gushed, star-struck, over other celebrities, exclaiming, “Great!” “Terrific!” “Gee whiz!”
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Politicians, crackpot inventors, conspiracy theorists and spiritual mediums loved his show, which let them reach huge audiences without facing challenging questions. Mr. King called it “infotainment,” and for millions across America and some 130 countries around the world, it was a delightful, if sometimes bizarre, hybrid of information and entertainment, delivered in prime time for an hour each weeknight.
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At the peak of his success, Mr. King was a media whirlwind. He produced (with various writers) several memoirs, two books on heart disease and volumes on many other subjects; appeared in dozens of movies and television shows; wrote columns for USA Today for two decades; and was showered with awards, honorary degrees and the adulation of fans.
The centerpiece of his career, “Larry King Live,” became television’s highest-rated talk show and CNN’s biggest success story. It won a Peabody in 1992, and for its last show, on Dec. 16, 2010, he assembled a galaxy of stars, including President Barack Obama on a recording, to pay tribute to the King.
Mr. King lived a big life. He lived a full life. Throughout his life, he talked with many, many Christian leaders as this Christmas Eve episode demonstrates. He asked many questions to many of them. He discusses faith as primarily frankly the fear of death. Throughout the years, he never publicly accepted Christ for the forgiveness of his sins. You could say he was always a seeker but never found a relationship with Christ.
Jack Drury – Alive in the Lord
Jack Drury died without any articles published addressing his death. Jack lived 92 years, was a World War II veteran, and faithful follower of Jesus Christ. Jack had one wife Marilyn and two sons Jack and Michael. He served in the communities in which he lived as a carpenter, contractor, and in various other jobs.
After World War II and continued service until the Korean War, Jack moved back to California. There he met his wife and began raising his family. Under the influence of several caring people over many years, he was introduced to Jesus Christ. Since that time, Jack lived for Jesus and served Him as an active part of local churches.
For the past 19 years, Jack attended Sonrise in Ozark and served so many through that church. Jack loved Jesus and Jesus’ children well. He invested his life in people – local people with every day, normal stories just as his. Many attended his memorial service whom he knew, loved, and walked through life. Tears flowed. People rejoiced in his heavenly home. The theme verse for the day was: “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord” (2 Cor 5:8).
The Tale of Two Men
At the end of Larry King’s life, he has a legacy of talking with thousands, a lifestyle of fame, many rough relationships, and no public testimony for Christ. In fact, King said he was an agnostic atheist just a few months ago. Rich. Famous. Broken relationships. Outside of Christ. Paul describes this life this way: …without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world (Eph 2:12).
Jack Drury. No articles. No riches. Strong and powerful relationships. He also talked to thousands. When Jack Drury talked to a stranger, almost always the conversation drifted to Christ, salvation, forgiveness of sins, and eternity.
At the end of life (these men were 6 years apart), there is more to life than money and fame.
On this Sunday… we need to remember that today matters, relationships matter, worship matters, and legacy matters. Why? Because your name is important (Eccl 7:1). Death is final (Heb 9:27). In addition, to be absent from the body is to be with Christ or not (2 Cor 5:1-11).
Men, what legacy are you leaving for those around you?
Child of God, what kind of wake do you leave down the path of life?
On this Sunday… consider well.
If you do not have a church home, feel free to worship with us either in-person or online at 10:00 AM CST. You can get directions online at www.sonrisebaptist.com or can join our service online.
KevinCarson.com | Wisdom for Life in Christ Together