Dad's Graduation Day

My dad, Bruce Perreault, went to be with Jesus on September 26, 2026. My mom perhaps described it best when she said, "Bruce graduated to heaven." It was a day of rejoicing! As the apostle Paul says, "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!" (Phil. 4:4). We don't often stop to consider that when the apostle Paul penned those famous words, he was facing death in a Roman prison cell. How can a person rejoice even in the face of death? Because Jesus defeated death and conquered the grave! Those who know Him as their Savior have God's promise that when they die, they are immediately ushered into His presence to be forever with the Lord. The Bible says, "Absent from the body, present with the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:8). 

Dad always wanted to be a missionary, and he was—starting between his own two feet. He was always telling people about Jesus wherever he went. Dad also loved to tell people about his assurance of heaven, based on the promises of Jesus in the Bible. He'd say, "I'm 81 years old, I've lived a good life, and I know where I'm going!" Dad loved to share John 10:27–29 about how he was secure in Christ's hands and Christ was secure in God the Father's hands. Dad had assurance of his salvation—based not on his own merits (Eph. 2:8–9; Titus 3:5), but on God's promises in Scripture.

So much more could be said about Dad's life and ministry. I could tell you stories about all the mission trips we went on and the various churches and ministries we've been involved with through the years. As a good friend of ours has said, "Bruce didn't just talk about his faith, he lived it." And he lived it faithfully to the end. May we all be so blessed to do likewise.

I love you, Dad! And I will always remember how you taught me to put God first in my life.