Brody Logan - 6/26/20

We gather this morning to mourn the loss, but even more than that, to celebrate the life of Brody Logan. Though Brody’s life ended sooner than we expected, it was a life that was full. Full of laughter, full of jokes, full of friendship, and full of love. Today we gather to remember the blessing of his life, and to find comfort as we grieve.

In the Bible we read these words,

8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed….18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. (2 Corinthians 4:8-9, 18, NLT)

This is the source of our hope today. The hope that there is a God who loves us, and who loves Brody. That there is a God who is in control and will ensure that no matter how great our sorrows or trials are, we will not be crushed or destroyed. We cling to the hope that the end of this life is not the end of the story, and that there is more to life than just what we see. This is the hope to which we cling. So will you pray with me?

Our heavenly father, today our hearts ache with grief. There is so much we don’t understand; so many questions that are left unanswered. But even in our grief, we cling to the promise that you are in control, and that you have not abandoned us. Bring us comfort today as we remember and celebrate Brody’s life. May you make your presence felt as we seek to trust you. For we pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Brody Daniel Logan was born May 5th, 1994, the son of Bobby and Ann Cox Logan. He and his brother Aaron were miracles they had prayed for many years to receive, and Brody knew from a very young age how special he was to his family.

He graduated from Illini West High School in 2013, where he was heavily involved in FFA, and even earned the State Farmer Degree. Following high school he attended John Wood Community College, studying Ag Business. Brody worked at Dearwester Grain Services, Inc., where he had worked since high school.

Brody loved to ride four wheelers, especially in Arkansas. Arkansas was a special place for Brody, where he could enjoy doing the things he loved with his friends and his fiancée, Mackenzie. He loved just hanging out with friends, bonfires, hunting, golfing, concerts, and Cubs games, as well as his yearly hockey game with his brother, Aaron.

He died on June 21st, 2020 at the age of 26. He is survived by his fiancée, Mackenzie Coulter of rural Colchester; his dad, Bobby Logan of rural Colchester; his mom, Ann Logan of Carthage; one brother, Aaron Logan of rural Colchester; his grandmother, Mary Gregory of Colchester and several aunts, uncles and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Richard Logan, Leon Gregory, and Charles and Janet Cox.

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Brody Logan was a man who didn’t say much most of the time. He cast a large shadow, as he was a big guy, but he was probably one of the most gentle men you would ever meet. Though he often didn’t say much, when he did have something to say, it was usually worth listening to. The exception to this was that every day he would tell his mom (and then later Mackenzie), “I’m going to take a shower.” Mackenzie said it seemed silly, because he took a shower at the same time every day, and wasn’t sure why he needed to tell her. Beyond that, however, when Brody spoke, it was because he had something to say. He was quick with a joke, and was able to take teasing just as much as he was willing to dish it out.

Brody was someone who was very comfortable in his own skin. He wasn’t terribly concerned with other people’s opinion of him. He knew who he was, and if you wanted to be his friend, you were. And if you didn’t like him, he wouldn’t lose any sleep over it. He had a thick skin and was able to endure all manner of teasing without it ever seeming to get to him. As such, most of the people in his life knew they could tease him in love, and he just smiled, seeming to enjoy it and see the humor in it himself.

Occasionally, this trait caused some frustration in the people around him. Because Brody wasn’t one to allow someone’s taunts or teases to get to him, he tended to do things at his own pace. You weren’t going to hurry Brody along. There was probably nowhere this was more evident than in his relationship with Mackenzie. They dated for 7 years before he finally asked her to marry him! Everyone around him (including Mackenzie) kept dropping subtle (and then not so subtle) hints that it might be time for him to get engaged. But he wasn’t about to do that until he was ready. When he finally came to his dad to show him the ring, Bobby told him it was about time! Brody just smiled his big grin, knowing that indeed, it finally was time.

I’m told that Brody had gained this ability to just laugh off people teasing him at a young age. The story is told that one year at the Cox Christmas, Brody had given his grandpa Charles a hunk of coal. His grandpa kept telling him that next year at Christmas that was all he was going to get—a lump of coal. The next year, the other grandkids hid all of Brody’s gifts, except for one…the lump of coal! Being the youngest grandchild at the time, he was set to open his gift first…and noticed he was the only one with just one gift. They said the look on Brody’s face was one of utter shock. He couldn’t believe they would actually get him nothing but coal for Christmas. Of course, he was right—that was far from being his only gift. It didn’t take very long for everyone to let him in on the joke and after that, he was able to laugh along with it as well.

Though Brody was able to handle most any teasing you could throw at him, one thing he couldn’t handle was snakes. Unfortunately for him, country living often includes having to deal with snakes. Fortunately for him, he was marrying someone who didn’t mind snakes. He and Mackenzie had a deal—he’d deal with the spiders, and she’d deal with the snakes.

I’ve learned that when Mackenzie wasn’t around, neither Brody nor Aaron were really well equipped to handle an unexpected snake visitor. On more than one occasion, when Brody suspected a snake in the house, Mackenzie arrived home to see him brandishing a pistol—sometimes with Aaron also holding a shotgun, or a golf club, or some other weapon to defend themselves. Bobby tells the story of hearing gunshots one day when Brody was out mowing. When he went to go check on him, Brody explained to his dad that there was snake…but now there wasn’t a snake. He’d taken care of it.

Brody absolutely loved his family. He never left without giving them a hug and telling them he loved them. He loved the big family gatherings they had, and was looking forward to the quarantine being over so they could get together as a family once more. He loved the food at these gatherings, and he had his favorite foods that everyone knew to have for him. When he started attending family gatherings with the Coulters, they quickly learned Brody loved Janine’s bacon ranch pasta salad. And when they celebrated his birthday, they always made sure that was on the menu—with one bowl for everyone to share…and another one for Brody.

Growing up, Brody loved the time he got to spend with his mom at the school. He and Aaron found ways to entertain themselves while Ann was working after school. And when she had to go somewhere in the school, Brody always wanted to go with her, holding her hand. Even when Mr. Apt teased him for being too old to hold his mom’s hand, that couldn’t dissuade him. He knew who his people were, and nothing would change that.

Though Brody was close with many people, he had a special bond with Aaron. While in many ways they were different from each other, they understood each other in a way no one else could. They loved to spend time together, and though Brody had gotten to be taller than Aaron, he still looked up to him. When Aaron was deployed to Afghanistan, Brody would still call him up to talk, because sometimes he just needed his brother, and no amount of miles would keep him from Aaron.

That’s not to say that they didn’t have their share of issues growing up. Both boys loved to wrestle with each other. Unfortunately for Brody, he was younger and smaller for most of their childhood. That meant he often got the short end of their fights. Sometimes he’d run to tell on Aaron, but much of the time Aaron would convince him that he didn’t need to tell mom about what had happened. Brody loved to give his brother a hard time though. When his parents would tell him to make sure he’d behave, he’d respond that they didn’t have to worry about him—it was Aaron who gave Logans a bad name. As much as they would tease and fight each other, they also had each other’s backs. Aaron could mess with Brody, but he wasn’t about to let anyone else do it. In their older years, the boys loved taking trips together to concerts and ball games. Once a year they’d head to a hockey game together, and they’d always be sure to stop at the PBR Bar in St. Louis, which was one of Brody’s favorite places to visit.

But Brody’s sense of family extended beyond just blood relatives. He had a close group of friends who he counted as family, and who felt the same about him. As I’ve talked to some of those friends this week, there has been a consistent theme: Brody was someone you could count on. If he said he’d be there to help you, he would. He would be there to listen. He wouldn’t judge you, and he’d never turn his back on you. He was a respectable man.

I have to be honest, I cannot ever recall seeing Brody without a smile on his face. He enjoyed his life, and that was apparent to anyone who cared to see it. I’m told his face pretty much always told you what he was thinking. Of course, this meant he was terrible at lying. When he played pitch, you could tell if he had a good hand, because he’d start humming to himself and smiling. When he decided to propose to Mackenzie, despite his best efforts to keep it a secret and surprise her, she was suspicious that something was up. But because he wanted to make it a surprise, he took all sorts of precautions to keep her from finding out, including having his dad hold onto the ring because he thought Mackenzie might search his truck (which she did). But when he finally did propose, it was perfect. It suited their relationship perfectly.

Much of the family agrees that Brody’s personality was very similar to his grandpa Charles. Brody thought the same thing. He told Mackenzie that he was a lot like his grandpa, but fortunately, she was a lot like his grandma—so he was confident their relationship would work.

Though Brody’s class was not necessarily the most athletically gifted class growing up, that didn’t keep him from enjoying sports. I’m told that when he was in Jr. High, he and three other boys were on a relay together in track. They weren’t very fast and they knew it. During one race, they finished second to last. Rather than being upset, after the race, you could see those four boys jumping around and celebrating on the infield that for once they hadn’t come in last place! Another time Brody hit a buzzer beater shot at the end of a basketball game. He and the team jumped and hooted and hollered like they had just won the state championship. It wasn’t a game-winning shot…in fact, they lost the game. But none of that mattered to Brody or his teammates.

Brody was the kind of person whose laughter and attitude was contagious. You just couldn’t help but like the guy. He lived life to the fullest and made the people around him enjoy life that much more. He understood how to have fun in whatever he did, whether it seemed like it should be fun or not. I think that’s something we could all stand to learn as well. I truly believe if there were more people like Brody Logan in the world, it would be a much more pleasant place to live.

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When someone you love dies, especially when they are young, we are left with a whole host of questions. Most of those questions start with why. Why did Brody have to die? Why didn’t things happen differently? Why couldn’t he have run off the road in a different spot where he might have had a different outcome? Why would God allow this happen? Why allow someone so young to die? What good could possibly come from this? Unfortunately, there aren’t answers to those questions—at least not answers we can know here and now.

The Bible, however, reminds us that even when we don’t understand what is going on, God does. He has a plan He is working out behind the scenes.

There is a story in the Bible about a man named Job. In a single day, Job had everything in his life taken from him. His children were all killed. He crops were all lost, and everything he owned was destroyed. Everything he had worked so hard for was taken from him. Job’s response was one of simple trust in the Lord, even though he didn’t know why these things were happening.

We are told that the reason God allowed these things to happen to Job was because God was proving Job’s faith. Satan wanted to test Job, and God allowed it, because he knew Job would remain faithful to Him no matter what. But though the Bible tells us the reason God allowed Job to suffer as he did, it doesn’t tell us that God ever explained his reasons to Job. He was left to simply trust that God was in control and knew what He was doing.

I wish I could give you answers to all the why questions today. I wish I knew the answers for myself. The truth is, we may never get answers to those questions. But we are instead challenged to trust God’s plan, even when we don’t understand it.

In the New Testament, we receive this promise:

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (Romans 8:28, NLT)

This promise is wonderfully comforting, but it is also often misunderstood. God promises that He is working everything for good. That is not the same thing as promising that everything that happens is good. Many of the things that happen in life are not good, and they are painful and hurtful. Many of the things we experience in this life are things that we would rather not go through. And yet, God promises that even through the bad things we experience in life, even through the pain, He is working to bring good from it.

I don’t know what good God is working behind the scenes right now. To be honest, right now it just hurts. I suspect you may be in the same place. That’s ok. But at the same time, I believe that God is still working, even in this situation. Every one of us is blessed because of the impact and influence of Brody Logan. Even in Brody’s death, God will still use his life for good.

The other hope we have today is that even as we believe God is working things for good in our lives here on earth, He has also worked things out for the ultimate good for Brody. In the Bible Jesus told his disciples that, “Anyone who believes in me will live even though he dies.” This is our comfort today. I didn’t know Brody well enough to tell you where his faith was. But his parents did. They are confident that Brody had a genuine faith in Jesus Christ to save him and forgive him. Because of that, we can be confident that Brody is more alive today than he has ever been. The body we say goodbye to today isn’t Brody Logan—it is only the body he inhabited while he was here on earth.

Let me be very clear. Brody is not in heaven today because he was a nice guy (even though he was). He is not in heaven because he was a good person. Though that’s what many people believe is required to go to heaven when we die, that’s not what the Bible says. The Bible tells us that none of us deserve to go to heaven when we die. We are all hopelessly messed up people. No amount of good deeds can erase the sins we have committed. But the good news of the gospel is that Jesus Christ has made it possible for us to be forgiven. It doesn’t matter what’s in your past—how badly you’ve messed up, the mistakes you’ve made, how long you’ve ignored God—as long as there is still breath in your lungs, Jesus invites you to trust in Him, to ask Him to forgive you, and to follow Him with your life. My confidence today is anchored to the fact that Brody Logan had made this kind of commitment and had this kind of trust. He is not in heaven because he was a good person, but because he trusted in a great God.

The reason this is a comfort is because it gives us hope that today we do not have to say goodbye forever to Brody. It gives us the confidence that if we will place our trust in Jesus and follow Him with our lives, then we too will live even though we die. And one day, we will be reunited with Brody once more in heaven.

Can I humbly suggest something? Brody’s death also acutely reminds us of the importance of settling issues of faith now. We do not know how much more time we have on this earth. It is easy to dismiss questions of faith as intellectual and unimportant…until we have to say goodbye to a friend. Then it suddenly becomes immensely practical. Let me challenge you to seek the Lord, so that you too can live even though you die.

If Brody is in heaven today, then it means our grief is not for Brody’s loss (because he has lost nothing), but for ours. We grieve today because we will miss him. We grieve over the experiences we won’t get to share with him. We grieve because of how his absence will make us miss the richness he added to our lives. Grief is not a sin—rather it is a sign of how much we love someone. But we do not grieve without hope today. Instead, we should look to the Lord, and trust Him when we don’t understand. We should cling to His promise of forgiveness and new life. We should seek Him and follow Him, knowing that when our time on this earth comes to an end, we too can live like we have never lived before.

As we mourn the death of Brody Logan, we should also celebrate the life he lived. the person he was, and the impact he made. To that end, I think there are several lessons we can learn from his life.

· Learn to love the person you are, rather than worrying about what other people think about you. Learning to be comfortable in your own skin frees you to live joyfully.

· Be kind to others. You never know the impact you might have in someone else’s life.

· Learn to laugh at yourself. We all do dumb things. Rather than getting upset about them, it’s better to acknowledge them, learn from them, and laugh about them.

· Snakes are evil, and should be disposed of by whatever means necessary.

· The best way to have true friends is to be a true friend.

· Family is about more than just blood—it’s about the people who love you and who you love in return.

· Attitude is contagious. Laughter is infectious. And choosing to see the joy in life can help others to do the same.

· Faith in Jesus Christ is not a mere intellectual exercise. It is immensely practical. So we need to seek the Lord today…because we are not guaranteed tomorrow.

We will miss Brody. We will miss his smile, his laughter, and his wonderfully warm heart. But we can trust that because of Jesus, today does not have to be goodbye forever—but rather more like, “See you later.”

Will you pray with me?

Our heavenly Father, there is so much we don’t understand. So many questions we want answered. And yet, today we rest in the belief that you are in control and somehow are working things for good. Help us to trust, even when we don’t understand. Help us to celebrate the blessings of Brody’s life even as we mourn his death. Comfort the family and friends gathered today with not only fond memories, but also with the hope of resurrection and reunion in heaven. Give strength to this family in the days, months, and years to come. Even more than that, give them yourself. Help them to find the hope and strength that comes from you alone. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As you have hopefully seen in the notices you were given, there will not be a burial service today. After everyone has left the sanctuary, you are all invited to the fellowship hall across the parking lot for a meal together.