- One year since the passing of Charles Criniere by Ryan Corrigan
Former students, colleagues, and friends gathered to remember the life of Charles Criniere.
The passing of a year since Charles Criniere's death brings with it a time for reflection on the extraordinary life he l. Charles was more than a good person; he was like a guiding light who left an indelible mark on those who were lucky enough to cross his path. Let us remember him today and the impact he had on the lives of everyone he ever talked to.
His story of getting kicked out of high school and running the streets of Chicago before becoming a public school teacher and incredible man of God is one that deserves to be told again and over again.
His humor, his words of encouragement, the time he took to talk to us, the depth of his personal connection with God, and the way he prayed for each of us will be in our hearts forever.
Charlie completely devoted himself to Jesus, and his life reflected that. And it is my hope that as we give these things serious thought today, we, like Charlie, will grow in our love for and surrender to Jesus.
The finality of death prompts profound introspection in all of us as we will all have to face death eventually, and as tomorrow is not a given, it is important to think about how we ought to live in light of this fact.
In Charlie's mind, it was all true: Jesus died, rose again, sent His Spirit to believers, and will return to judge the world justly. Charlie was reborn as a result of this faith. He truly experienced a new birth, as testified to by countless Christians over the ages.
Christianity may be easily assessed for those hungry for truth because it is founded on verifiable historical occurrences rather than abstract philosophical concepts. Either Jesus actually existed, died, and rose from the grave, or he did not. If he did, then you must listen to what the Bible says, and if he didn't, then we are the most pitiful of all men, as the Apostle Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:19.
We need to question if we truly believe that we shall see Charlie again, given that the core premise of Christianity is that Jesus rose again from the dead and that those who have faith in Him will also be raised from the dead.
This doesn't negate the actual suffering we're all experiencing right now. We are hurting today, we miss him so much! But we do not mourn without hope, for God has a plan to destroy death forever at the Second Coming. Charlie would not want us to be weighted down with grief today because we miss him; rather Charlie would want us to grieve over the next generation who are yet to encounter the true glory of God for themselves. As we remember Charlie today, we also remember Megan and all their wonderful children and pray for them that this event will be used by God to propel them deeper into their calling and to continue living in the legacy that Charlie was living in. Today please consider joining Megan's subscription team to help support her budget and efforts to write a book about Charlie.
- Ryan Corrigan