We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
(1Corinthians 13:12 TM)
While for everyone in America it was a week of giving Thanks, for me and many others a week of loss. As a Preachers Kid I have known many ministers, but among my top ten favorites, among the most genuine of all God-fearing men is Pastor Perry Keyt. Pastor Perry suffered from lung cancer for over a year. He fought the good fight of faith, and believed for his healing even in his final breaths.
Pastor Perry was many things to many people. For Ben and I he was a counselor and Pastor. He stood about 6 feet and 9 inches tall. Referred to as a “gentle giant”, his heart was as big as he was. We all believed and prayed for his healing with his family for a year, and on Wednesday afternoon at 46 years old he passed away in the hospital with his wife and a few friends beside him. At the family night on friday, the church was lined out the door for 4 hours people waiting to pay their condolences. I have never attended a funeral so big. They were in the thousands! He touched so many peoples lives, including mine.
He is a large part of the reason I began this blog. Two years ago, he counseled with Ben and I. One of the things he told me was “Girl, you got stuff in you you need to get out, but you need to believe in yourself and figure out who you are. ” He was right, and this blog was one of the first steps I took to give myself a voice.
Ironically, as I try to wrap my brain around the fact that God chose not to heal this awesome man of faith, he was the one who made me face my doubts and pains concerning Ben’s Aunt Emma’s death. She too was an awesome mighty woman of God taken out at 47 years old by a car accident. When Ben and I stepped out in faith in business, I began to realize I had lost faith in God to provide because he had not protected Emma. I had to face doubts, and anger as a result of her death I had not faced in my life. And three years later I am faced with the same questions; but with a little more understanding.
The understanding is this….. I will never understand God’s ways until heaven! Love (and faith) is blind. I will not pretend to try to explain why God chooses to heal one and not the other. I will not try to give a religious answer. I will not try to defend God. He does not need me too. What I do understand is this: He promises that while we are on this earth we will have trials and tribulations:
“I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world.” (John 16:33 TM)
And what I know to be true is this… He promises to be with us and walk us through every trial and circumstance we walk through.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Isaiah 43:2
So I thank God for all that Pastor Perry was in my life, and in the life of others. I hope that the seeds he has planted in all of us will flourish and grow to produce the sweetest fruits and harvests. And I hope when my time comes that many will say of me what we all say of Him… “A life well lived!”
Hi Angel, What a great & awesome tribute to Pastor Perry :). I’m so bummed I missed the funeral. Blesisngs, Shannon S.
What a beautiful tribute! He is surely walking streets of gold.
Thank you for sharing!
I do not know you but we shared a common friend, Pastor Perry. We are members of Trinity Chapel and Pastor Perry was such a huge blessing to us! He preached the gospel without holding back, he loved his family dearly, he was able to balance life, ministry & family. Such a good, good man who ministered to me, alongside of his wife, after I went through a terrible divorce. I did not even have to tell Perry & Melissa was I was going through; God knew how to minister to me through the both of them. He even baptized my daughter a couple of years ago. We are going to miss him! Our prayers are with the family indeed. Be blessed! I am glad that you, and others, are talking about Pastor Perry Keyt. It helps all of us to remember him & all of the blessings.
We to feel the loss of our dear friend Perry. Perry was our pastor at Victory Tab, in Griffin Ga. My husband and I were told by Perry to find where God wanted us and plant some roots. We did in South Carolina. Our Pastor and his wife are so much like Perry and Melissa, in fact they have son’s the same age and they look so much alike to. we had been trying to hook our pastor up with Perry. We had been bugging Pastor John Smith to invite Perry to come and speak to our church, when we found out about the cancer. We were in the middle of making a new worship center and when I say we were in the middle that is where my husband and I were, we were doing alot of the work ourselves. We kept saying as soon as we can break free from some of the work at the church we’re going to take off and go see Perry. My husband called the week after Perry went home to be with the Lord and we got an email telling us of Perry’s home going. We ordered the DVD of the services. At first I found it weird. But after I watched it, I watched again and again. It was powerful to see Melissa stand up and speak about Perry and satan stealing him from all of us. I had always told ever pastor that if they were going to be my pastor they would have to be able to fill Perry Keyt’s shoes. That was a big order. Not to many men that call themselves a minister could even walk in Perry’s shadow. God has blessed us with our Pastor John Smith and his lovly wife. But there will always be that whole in my heart because I to do not understand how satan could have taken Perry Keyt’s life. I never thought we would be facing this in our life time. What a wonderful family the Keyt’s are. If you missed the service get the DVD you to will love it. At the end they Play Small town Girl you have to see the Keyt’s heads moving. I could just see them all going down the road with Perry singing along to that song… We will all see him one day, and I can only imagin the crown he will be wearing. Perry touched every life he came in contact with. And Melissa what a wonderful Holy, Strong, beautiful inside and out woman. But watch out when she is worshiping and her shoes go flying, be quick and dodge those fly spikes. God I love that family like they were my own. in 1989 I died in a car accident and I know the peace that Perry felt when he left his earthly body. One of the weirdest things is Perry was burried in the town my husband went to high school in, we are leaving tomorrow to go and place flowers on Perry’s grave, I know he is not there, that is just a resting place for his earthly body. This has been the hardest few weeks, in my life. It’s so hard to not keep saying why Lord. I know so many people who have lived after cancer that they did not find out about until after stage 4 cancer. I just don’t understand. Thanks for making this place I know you are going to be blessed for it… It helps, to hear what others have to say.. God’s Blessing to you and your family Susie
Thank you for posting this. This past week I have ran into things connected to Melisa and Perry. Photos of them in the 1980s at church youth events. Messages on tape in recent years. I have thought how much he poured of himself into the lives of others. We are coming up on Valentine’s Day. Our all time favorite sweet hearts have been separated for a while. I want to reach out to Melissa and let her know she is in our prayers and thoughts.
Sharon McCary