01 January 2017

2016 IN SOUND

A finely curated collection of sounds that captured my ear, heart and mind in 2016. I'm still leaning heavy on SoundCloud as my go-to for discovering new music, with Spotify coming in as a close second. I also continue to find new stuff on Noisetrade, the ISO50 blog and Twitter. For probably the first time in my adult life, I did not purchase any music on CD this past year. I've gone to vinyl for all my "forever" music with everything else either purchased digitally from iTunes or streamed online.


Onto the music: Spotify Playlist


Tycho . Division
Off of their excellent release, Epoch, Division has every essential element that makes Tycho my go-to time and time again for instrumental/electronic music.


LaPeer . Favorite Day Thanks to Noisetrade for the introduction. Sit back and enjoy the 80s all over again!


The Lumineers . Cleopatra This is the self-titled foot-stomper off of my favorite album of year, Cleopatra.


Ry-Lo . Come Close
My brightest find this past year. Absolutely cannot wait to hear more from her!


Sara Hartman . Monster Lead Me Home
Perfect indie-pop.


Radiohead . Burn the Witch
An all-time favorite returns.


Cubicolor . Fictionalise
Such a complex sound mirrored perfectly with equally complex vocals.


Kyson . You
Floating...


Dauwd . What's There
Perfect house.


Broods . Free
Energy.


DJ Shadow (feat. Nils Frahm) . Bergschrund
Classic Shadow; reimagined perfectly.


Beacon . Fault Lines
Deep, dark and complex.


Missio . Can I Exist
I mean, this song stops you in your tracks! And the video checks in as my favorite of the year, tackling a very current issue that deserves your thought.


Medic . Giants (Intro)
Probably the only time the "intro" to an album makes the cut, but I just can't shake this one.


Halfnoise . Know the Feeling
You can always count on Zac Farro (aka Halfnoise) to deliver the indie rock goods!


Social . Drive
New indie outfit turning out that fresh synth pop!


Chris Bartels . Missoula
Hardest working man in independent music with more projects than you have fingers on one-hand!


Mr Little Jeans . Fevers
#dreampop


Leah Lawson . Israel
Favorite singer-songwriter find this past year. Take a listen.


The Lumineers . My Eyes
I can't fully explain why, but probably the song I listened to most this past year. Highly recommended on vinyl.


Switchfoot . Hope Is The Anthem
Going out on a positive note with a group of guys who have been around for quite some time and for whom I have a ton of respect.


SoundCloud Playlist


Previously: 2015 IN SOUND . 2014 IN SOUND . 2013 IN SOUND . 2012 IN SOUND . 11 IN SOUND . twenty-ten in sound . 08 IN SOUND . 2007 In Song . Six for '06

05 October 2016

From Mourning To Dancing!

Sarah Jane Mouer
April 20, 1923 - September 25, 2016
 
A eulogy I delivered at my grandmother's memorial service on September 29, 2016.


Good morning. On behalf of the family, I'd like to thank all of you for being here today. You honor my grandmother with your presence. And you honor us. 
I have many specific and vivid memories involving my grandmother, who I called Nana. Although I’m not a talker like she was, I could share stories until long after you’ve grown tired of hearing them. She was a very “hands-on” grandmother. When I was a kid, she was always very involved in the things I liked to do, from playing ping-pong and board games to cheering us on w/ her cowbell from the porch as we lit fireworks on New Year’s Eve. When I was a young adult, she was always interested in the things that interested me, namely the friends I brought back to Waynesboro to visit, each of whom I reached out to when my dad shared the news of her passing on Sunday; and all of whom had very specific things to say about how she took a liking to them and how she treated them, using words like “warmth,” “kindness,” “beautiful life,” “strong,” “sweet,” “Godly woman,” “wonderful,” “welcoming,” “loving,” and “quite the character.” And now as an adult with a family, Nana took an immediate liking to (and gave her unqualified approval of) Angie as my wife and savored the fact that she lived long enough to see God bless Angie and I with two children.

A general observation that comes to mind is that Nana’s spunky, light-hearted personality was the perfect complement to my grandfather’s more reserved, serious and contemplative nature. You didn’t have to know a lot about love to understand the special relationship that Nana and Pop Pop shared. Point in fact, when I told my son, who recently turned 6, that Nana had died, his response was: “I bet she’s having a good time with Pop Pop.”
So a 6-yr old figured out they had something special; and that’s in limited visits to Waynesboro from our home in Harrisburg. The legacy of their sacred love, based on the foundation of Christ's love for us, has reached three full generations. Incredible!!


“I bet she’s having a good time with Pop Pop.”


There's another truth embedded in that statement from my son. And, believe it or not, its even more important than an earthy love between Pop Pop and Nana. 

You see, this statement speaks directly to the hope that Nana had b/c of her faith in Christ. A hope that death is not complete; that death is not the end. But rather, a new beginning. A gift of grace to live as God fully intended us to live.
Let me just flesh that out a bit. So there's this one time in the ministry of Jesus where he's preaching and healing in Jerusalem – doing all these amazing things. The Jewish leaders catch wind of what's going on and they confront him, charging him with heresy against God. But Jesus doesn't back down. In fact, he turns up the heat. This is just a small part of his response:

 “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me, have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, for they have already passed from death into life." [John 5:24]
Did you catch that? Those who believe in God have passed from death to life. So Nana hasn't just passed away. No...She's passed from death to life. From darkness to light. From pain to perfect healing. From seeing in part, to seeing in full. From mourning to dancing!

You know what? I too believe Nana's having a good time with Pop Pop and Jesus!
I stood in this very spot almost 2 years ago during Pop Pop's funeral and talked about a choice he had made many years ago. That was the choice of life. The choice to believe in God and walk in His ways. Nana certainly made that same choice. It's a choice we're all given the opportunity to make.  If it's not one you've made yet, I pray that Father God would touch your heart right now and that you would believe. Reading from the Gospel of John:

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, or of human decision, but born of God. [John 1:12-13]
Today, may you truly know Father's great love for you! Amen.


Sarah Jane Mouer Obituary

29 July 2016

Strong Foundation




Bruce E. Mouer
July 27, 1953 - July 23, 2016
 
A eulogy I delivered at my uncle’s memorial service on July 27, 2016.

Good morning.

As I was thinking about what to share this morning, a number of things came to mind, but two specific memories really resonated with me.
The first is a bit of a family secret. You know how every family has some unspoken rules? Well, in our family, there’s this rule that us grandkids needed the approval of certain members of the family before we could even think about getting married to whoever it was that we were dating. Well, in our family, both Nana and Bruce served in that role!

In fact, the first memory I had of Uncle Bruce on Saturday morning after I learned of his passing, and the one that brought tears to my eyes, was his unqualified “approval” of Angie as a potential wife after meeting her for the first time. It was a big deal to me. BTW: I also got Nana’s approval shortly thereafter! And have been happily married to Angie for 8 years!

The second memory occurred more recently. At some point in 2014 or 2015 I heard that Uncle Bruce was interested in learning to play the banjo. In April of last year I was listening to some music on my way to work one day that featured a banjo...so my thoughts turned to Uncle Bruce and God laid it on my heart to put together a collection of songs that were meaningful to me to share with him and encourage him. A couple of Sunday mornings later, my phone rang. I distinctly remember this because it’s not common that your phone rings at 7:30 on a Sunday morning! I was getting ready for church so I didn't get to it, but what I found ten minutes later was a voicemail from Uncle Bruce thanking me for the music, telling me how much it meant to him and telling me how much he loved my family. A week or two later he emailed me a short note thanking me again and sharing that God had blessed him in so many ways and that my family was part of that blessing. It was a huge encouragement to hear from Uncle Bruce in this manner, and a blessing to know that the music I shared found a home in his heart.

I also wanted to share more of a general observation of Bruce's life. We know that Uncle Bruce could build a good house, whether through carpentry or plumbing. He would be the first to tell you that the foundation was the most important part of the house. Whether that be the concrete upon which the framing of the house was set, or the furnace that served as the foundation of a heating system. But, more importantly, Uncle Bruce understood the importance of having a solid foundation in his personal life. And, for him, that foundation was built upon the rock of Jesus Christ.

By the grace of God, Uncle Bruce was a man of great faith. He wasn't the kind to stand on a soapbox and tell the world about it, but I'm almost certain that if you ever got him alone, and engaged in the right conversation, he would tell you what Jesus meant in his life. That Jesus had rescued him many times over. See, he understood that in the greater design of God's redemptive plan, true life is ultimately offered through the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

In one of Jesus' teachings, he said this:
“[E]veryone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash” [Matthew 7:24-27].

Now, this is a familiar passage to most of us. But don't miss the point here. This is not a teaching on storm avoidance – both houses faced the storm!* No, this was Jesus telling us that his way of life, the path he sets out for us in the Bible, is not meant to be a bunch of rules and regulations that hold us back and weigh us down, but a path to true life...a path to freedom…a path that opens us up to the power and transformative work of Jesus in our lives.

Uncle Bruce understood that Jesus was both the door to heaven and the path in this world that leads us into a new way of living.* He understood that the door and the path work together.* And the proof of this shown through in the way Uncle Bruce lived. For instance: All of the times he volunteered to run emergency plumbing calls on Christmas to ensure that the guys with young kids didn't have to go out. Later in life, he ran his business with honesty and integrity. In the way that he treated and loved Aunt Tammy. And the way he loved and nurtured Syndi.

He also had a firm understanding of the power of Jesus. He never missed the opportunity to tell you that Jesus healed the cancer that invaded his body a number of years ago. And I'm almost certain that until he drew his final breath, he fully believed in his heart that Jesus would heal him again.

The last interaction I personally had with Uncle Bruce was on July 4th, when a number of other family members and I gathered around him and Aunt Tammy and prayed for strength and healing. You see, I too fully believed in my heart that Jesus would heal him completely. And I don't say that lightly. Jesus did not choose to heal him here on earth, but to give Uncle Bruce an ultimate healing, that of a new and perfect body in Heaven. As family and friends, we certainly mourn his death, and will miss him greatly, but we do so in full knowledge and understanding of God's promises about what happens next…eternal life in the presence of Jesus.

Grace and peace be with you.


*Taken from the sermon, The Choice IsYours, by Pastor George Davis

17 January 2016

2015 IN SOUND


A finely curated collection of sounds that captured my ear, heart and mind in 2015. I'm still leaning heavy on SoundCloud as my go-to for discovering new music. I also continue to find new stuff on Noisetrade, the ISO50 blog and Twitter. I'm pretty sure I only purchased one CD this past year, so I'm finally letting go of that format for my music purchases. Definitely purchased more vinyl this year, as I'm buying all of my "forever" music in this format now (with the added convenience of the immediate digital download). The rest of my music was purchased digitally from iTunes -- due to the ability to access the music across all of my devices. And without further ado...

Purity Ring . Begin Again
Electronic pop in all it's glory! Solid track here that works best on a real set of speakers.


Mutemath . Joy Rides
I was a fan of Mutemath's self-titled debut album in 2006, but hadn't really followed their career since then, until a friend turned me onto their new album, Vitals. It's a solid album from top to bottom, featuring an evolved sound and fresh production. "Joy Rides" immediately grabs you by the hand and effortlessly leads you into the good vibes!


Young Brother . Kamikaze
Infectious indie-pop with some crazy good falsettos! The hook in this one will be stuck in your head for quite some time.

 
The Weeknd . Can't Feel My Face
There's a strong Michael Jackson/"King of Pop" sensibility to this track that makes it a guilty pleasure of mine. Repeat listenings are definitely in order!


Gungor . One Wild Life
The title track from their album, One Wild Life: Soul -- one of my favorite albums of the year -- brings more of Gungor's indie-pop sensibilities to the table. I had a tough time choosing between this track and Lion of Rock, another standout from this first in a series of three albums titled One Wild Life.


Missio . I've Lost My Way
Cinematic, alt-electronic goodness. Lyrically simple. Philosophically complex.

LEVV . Arrow
Lush, cinematic soundscapes, angelic vocals and pointed lyrics -- the perfect recipe for a song.


Cubicolor . Falling (feat Tim Digby-Bell)
Haunting vocals combined with that glitchy, mid-tempo synth action. For fans of recent Radiohead, Thom Yorke and Duologue (whose lead vocalist is featured here).

Fleurie . Fire In My Bones
Smoky, digitally-altered vocals that show signs of fragility at just the right times set the stage for this edgy electronic track.

Frida Sundemo . Sun
More of that cinematic, electronic goodness, which seems to be a theme in this years list. Unique vocals that dance in the realms from time-to-time set this one apart from the others. The soundtrack for your journey to the sun -- if you dare go.


Josh Garrels . A Long Way
This song tells of a journey both lyrically and musically. From Home, an album that explores family, forgiveness and homecoming -- it's another one of my favorite albums of the year.

Liza Anne . Low Tide
A singer-songwriter track with airy vocals and the perfect touch of mid-tempo instrumentation that gently lifts the spirits.


Sufjan Stevens . Should Have Known Better
Carrie & Lowell is a graceful and honest meditation on mortality, memory and faith. I fully echo the sentiments of Dave Eggers (The Guardian) who says the album "is a fall-down gorgeous and emotionally devastating masterpiece prompted by the death of [Sufjan's] mother, Carrie, in 2012. It features some of the most beautiful music ever made about loss, and some of the most direct explorations of death ever recorded. It is a brutal, extremely sad, relentlessly wrenching record that, because it’s so exquisitely crafted, you might keep on a loop for days." And for that reason, it's one of my favorite albums of the year and "Should Have Known Better" is the standout track.

The Oh Hellos . Dear Wormwood
Honest, gritty, indie-folk featuring a complex song structure that somewhat follows the track of a roller coaster as it comes to a perplexing climax before quickly and quietly trailing away as the song ends. Uniquely meditative in nature.














John Lucas - We're Lions, You and I
This is the standout track from Lucas's debut album, Promised Land -- a true, piano-driven, singer/songwriter track that turns into an upbeat sing-along when you least expect it.


Mutemath . Remain
A very different track off of Vitals, "Remain" is contemplative, downtempo gold that calls to you from the edges as it builds and moves you with its delicate beauty.


Bora York . Vibes
A delicate, slow-building, indie-pop track that leaves you with nothing but good feels at the end!

Sego . Fool Around
Quirky, feel-good alt-pop!

 
JGivens . Super Lowkey
The unexpected tempo and sparse production on this one from JGiven's Fly Exam makes this my favorite hip-hop track of the year.


Wolf Alice . Moaning Lisa Smile
Wolf Alice is a throwback alt-rock band with just enough modern production to keep them interesting that features an edgy, female vocalist. "Moaning Lisa Smile" is definitely the hardest-hitting track on this year's list -- for those times when you just need to let go and give the mind a rest.


Cubicolor . Clime
Next level electronic production on this track that builds and builds in the most unique of ways.


George FitzGerald . Full Circle (feat Boxed In)
FitzGerald's brand of house hits the perfect nerve for me. Rolling, hard-hitting beats with the perfect compliment of that mellowed-out synth.


Previously: 2014 IN SOUND . 2013 IN SOUND . 2012 IN SOUND . 11 IN SOUND . twenty-ten in sound . 08 IN SOUND . 2007 In Song . Six for '06

21 December 2015

Journey of the Magi

James Tissot . The Magi Journeying (Les rois mages en voyage)


'A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.'
And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
And running away, and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying
That this was all folly.

Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wine-skins,
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arrived at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory.

All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly,
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.


T.S. Eliot (1927)

11 October 2015

T H E | W A Y


Please know that you are loved. 
Please know that you are beautiful. 
And if you've lost your way, please know that there's another way. 

16 April 2015

dave dengler [1974-2015]

aka Professor D
aka Prof
math wiz
all around good guy
connoisseur of the real hip hop
one-of-a-kind laugh
natural-born emcee
passionate collector of everything Beastie Boys
star wars geek
volunteer fireman
yinzer
father

much love and respect Prof...
you'll be missed, my friend

[obit] [that laugh] [Prof D's Greatest Hits]

08 January 2015

2014 IN SOUND

I'm truly excited to share this collection of sounds that captured my ear, heart and mind in 2014. Really dig SoundCloud these days -- easily my go-to for discovering new music. Also continue to find new stuff on Noisetrade, the ISO50 blog and SiriusXM's AltNation and XMU. Another source of new music finds comes to me through Twitter. I finally got into Spotify a bit, but only as a "free-listener," so I'm really only listening to artists I know on there. I purchased a couple CDs, a handful of vinyl and the rest through iTunes, bandcamp or directly from an artist. Below are my song and album of the year, followed by a bunch of my favorite sounds from 2014, including my video of the year. Enjoy!

Tycho - Awake
The lead single from Tycho's album of the same name, Awake, captured my ear early in the year and held it's place for the duration of 2014 to take its place as my co-song of the year, despite stiff competition from the likes of Missio, Loud Harp and Duologue.
     Tycho - Montana
Another standout track from Awake, my album of the year. More good vibes here on this one!

The Liturgists - Vapor
I've shed a lot of tears (of every nature) this past year while listening to this co-song of the year. It means more to me on so many levels then I could ever hope to explain in words. Meaningless. Meaningless. Everything is meaningless. We are but vapor. He is holy; set apart. Yet we are loved so dearly.

Loud Harp - (73) Nearness of You
Asaph, the album on which this track is found, is an epic soundtrack to a life lived for a greater purpose than the advancement of oneself. The songs are about Truth. And Asher Seevinck (aka Seafinch) sings his heart out on this track from the most unique album of 2014 -- each song written as a direct response to the old poems of the Psalms. (77) Take Heart is another favorite from this album.

Missio - I Run to You
Sparse, yet dense. Sonic, yet grounded. Minimal, yet beautifully layered. Every listen draws you further in.

Duologue - Operator
This song plays over the speakers in a noisy, hipster coffee shop and you turn to your bearded friend and ask if Thom York released new music. His answer, of course, is yes, that whole BitTorrent experiment; but this is not that, this is an obscure British band named Duologue. Your friend knows this because he uses Noisetrade, who says of the London five-piece, "Their [music] is an immersive experience intended to be absorbed and cherished with repeated listens, not to be heard once on laptop speakers and disregarded. Much like a great novel, this one is hard to put down and will stay with you forever." Well said.

 
Beck - Wave
The lush, minimal, sonic landscape draws you in deeply...just in time for the song to end. This track could have been 7 minutes long, and would have been that much better for it.


Crowder - Come As You Are
At some point in the last few years, David Crowder stopped shaving; but he never stopped making great music. His new solo album, Neon Steeple, is a continuation of the heartfelt, down-to-earth songwriting that made the now-defunct David Crowder Band one of my favorites. He also puts on a pretty good live show/rave/hoedown as he seamlessly blends genres.

Future Islands - Seasons (Waiting On You)
This band is what present-day Elton John would sound like if he made another Yellow Brick Road.

Knox Hamilton - Work It Out
Upbeat, indie/alt rock tune that'll be stuck in your head for hours...and that's a good thing!


Air Review - Young
Light and airy, sing-along, indie-pop that just so happens to hold video-of-the-year honors for one of the most visually stunning and creative videos I have seen in a long time.

alt-J - Hunger of the Pine
This track sets you up like its all chill and soul. And then the beat drops with that signature sample that will run circles around your head for a while. And the layers just build from there before the Gregorian-esq chants kick in to bring us some final closure.
  MMOTHS - Santo
Wide-open, expansive soundscape that gets serious just before the three-minute mark. This song would work well as a modern choral piece (with electronic accompaniment) inside a Gothic cathedral.

Rival Consoles - 3 Chords
Massive distorted bass lines drive this dark, slow-building banger; but don't miss the subtle rays of light that seem to break through near the end.

Com Truise - Wave 1
More of that lo-fi chill wave from one of our favorite labels, Ghostly International, which also happens to be the musical home of Tycho.

Sam Sure - Hunger
Intelligent pop all mellowed out with that smooth electronic production and those British vocals, which just a touch of the auto-tune, but for effect, not voice correction. And the end is all glitched-up. First class stuff here.

VÉRITÉ - Strange Enough
Indie-pop that brings the perfect energy.

First Aid Kit - My Silver Lining
I have to admit that this pick is highly influenced by the use of this song in the short film, AFTERGLOW -- the pairing of that indie/wild-west-country sound with the deep, powdery snow and acrobatics of the skiers is just oddly perfect. But the song definitely has independent staying power.

Shipman - Ship
Simple, feel-good singer-songwriter pop. This is just so clean and refreshing!

Stephen Santos - Handle
A Spirit-breathed, emotionally raw song that speaks of a love that defies earthly definition.

The Native Sibling - Darkest Of Night Skies
As the name implies, this brother and sister duo deliver unique harmonies on an indie singer-songwriter gem.

Twin Forks - Back To You
Everyone's favorite emo frontman, Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional fame, returns with a new band and a new, slightly less emo sound, although his signature vocals are still recognizable. And their self-titled, debut album is solid and will appeal to former(?) emo fans and the current indie-folk crowd, alike!


Previously: 2013 IN SOUND . 2012 IN SOUND . 11 IN SOUND . twenty-ten in sound . 08 IN SOUND . 2007 In Song . Six for '06

10 December 2014

"Realms of Glory" Music Video from A Jesus Church on Vimeo.

Phew...amazing song that transforms into something other-worldly at 2:26 when the Spirit just completely takes over -- and you can see it in the room (and I felt it in my heart) -- TRUTH. I have no words for this. "Thank you, Jesus" sounds so trite, but really, it's all this humble heart can muster at the moment.

21 October 2014

Choose Life


Earl William Mouer
May 21, 1922 - October 12, 2014

A eulogy I delivered at my Grandfather's funeral on October 17, 2014 

On behalf of the family, I'd like to thank all of you for being here today. You honor my grandfather with your presence. You honor my grandmother with your presence. And you honor us.
As I was thinking about what to share this morning, many things came to mind. In fact, it was hard to shut the thoughts down and equally hard to choose a particular route to take.
I could share with you some favorite memories like how he taught me to use his riding mower, how Nana & Pop Pop included me in trips to Merrill Lynch after I expressed an interest in the stock market, Pop Pop holding my son shortly after his birth or Nana and Pop Pop calling on my birthday most years to sing “Happy Birthday.”
I could tell you about some of the stories from the “old days” he shared with me like borrowing a dump truck, driving it up to the mountain and collecting stones that he later used build his brother's house or how, after taking a train from Boston to Harrisburg, he hitched a ride (or two) from Harrisburg to Waynesboro to see Nana on a long weekend break from the Navy.
I could tell of Pop Pop's great kindness, gentleness, wisdom, good-natured spirit and his servant heart, but I suspect all of you have experienced that yourselves or you wouldn't be here today. 
But the thing I landed on, the thing I believe the Lord has placed on my heart to share with you today is about a choice Pop Pop made many years ago. As you can imagine, he must have made thousands of choices over his 92 years here on this earth, but the most important, the most enduring, was his decision to choose life.
Yes...Pop Pop chose life!  
And here's what I mean by that...reading from God's word in the Old Testament – this is the Lord speaking through Moses to his chosen people, the Israelites:
This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. [Deuteronomy 30:19-20]
In the greater design of God's redemptive plan, this life is ultimately offered through the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  In fact, Jesus later proclaimed:  
I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. [John 14:6]
God's word further tells us that once we decide to choose life, that we are a new creation -- our very identities no longer tied to sin and death, but to Christ and life. And through the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and by the grace of God, we are then called to demonstrate that new life to those around us. To demonstrate Christ's love to this broken world. 
And that's what each one of you who knew Pop Pop experienced in your interactions with him – the love of Christ. He would be the first to tell you that the many attributes one could use to describe him were the direct result of Christ's work on the cross and in his heart 
And the good news is that choice, that offer of life, is available to each one of us, in whatever circumstances we currently find ourselves. If it’s something you're interested in knowing more about please talk with Pastor Gentry or any one of us family members.
One last thought...
It's because of Pop Pop's choice of life that we are able to know with certainty that he has not simply died, but rather passed to this eternal glory in Heaven. Finally home in the arms of his Heavenly Father!! 
So Pop Pop, today I join with your family here to give you a final thank you for choosing life. For laying a solid foundation for us. We all love Jesus based largely on your testimony and faithfulness to God over the many years we all shared together.