Wednesday, November 4 2026
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2 Samuel 1:25-27-How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan was slain in your high places. 26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; You have been very pleasant to me; Your love to me was wonderful, Surpassing the love of women. 27 “How the mighty have fallen, And the weapons of war perished!”
Tuesday night I found myself in a situation that likely most of us have experienced at one time or another: I learned about the sudden and unexpected death of a good friend.
When I first met David Baisden, some friends and I had gone to a Chinese restaurant in Hazard, Kentucky after church services on Sunday morning. Among our companions on that day were an elderly couple, and another young man and friend named Tommy, whom we had just recently baptized into Christ. Tommy walked up to a gentleman leaving the Chinese restaurant and they started talking. At that moment, sister Greer spoke up and everyone in the immediate vicinity heard what she intoned.
Ben Greer (to this young man we had not yet been introduced to):
“Oh my, what a beautiful toupee of hair!”
I cringed, and my mouth dropped open.
I said:
“Shhh, Ben, I think it’s real!”
Dave just grinned and laughed heartily, and we all became fast friends. (He had graduated from high school about two years earlier, and worked in the area).
Not long after that, Dave and I were having a Bible study at a local coffee shop. He asked me to take him to a store so he could buy a family member something. Afterwards, I took him home. Parking on an incline with my SUV facing his house, I got out and went to open the back hatch for his gift. To my horror, the car started rolling towards his mother’s house (with his mother, sister, and brother still inside). I ran to the driver’s side to try and stop the car, and Dave had gotten down into the driver’s side floor and pushed on the brake. I opened the door and said, “Dave, what happened?! I put the car in park!”
Dave looked up at me and grinned.
He said: “Ummm, no Mark, I don’t believe that you did.”
Later, it was my privilege to baptize David into Christ. On that day, he became not only my friend, but my brother. Later, when we were forced out of our home of twenty years by malicious and vile slanderous lies by some corrupt police in the area, Dave stood by me and encouraged me. By praying for me, messaging and speaking words of kindness and comfort to me, Dave lifted my spirits in some truly dark times.
He did this not only by building up my confidence in who I am, but by doing what Jonathan did for David.
1 Samuel 23:16-Then Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God.
I will miss my friend and brother, but am already looking forward to our reunion in God’s time.
In the cold wake of death, the warm embrace of Jesus brings hope.
1 Corinthians 15:57-But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Father, thank You for victory in Jesus. Please be with the family of my friend Dave and encourage them through what they are facing. Amen.
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