“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us,
let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us,
and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
fixing our eyes on Jesus…” Hebrews 12:1-2
Dad passed away on Valentines Day of 2024 at 76 years old. More than just my Dad, he was my pastor, my confidant, and my best friend. His priorities were, in order: 1. His God; 2. His Family; 3. His Calling, and 4. Everyone and everything else. Dad loved spending time with his family, and I cannot remember one special event, game, concert, etc. in which he was not present. One of his most favorite things to do was to take his sons and grandsons to the “deer woods” and hunt whitetail deer. Most importantly, Dad was the godliest man I ever knew, and I don’t say that lightly. I never heard him say a cuss word, never saw him take a drink of alcohol, never saw him use tobacco, or any other substance (unless you count coffee) during all my years at home. Make no mistake, he was not perfect, nor did he claim to be, but in humility he understood better than most how much he had been forgiven. The Word of God and good news of Jesus Christ were real to him; they were his life. At the age of seventeen he surrendered to God’s calling upon his life into the ministry. He attended and graduated seminary in California with a Doctor of Theology Degree, and he spent 59 years faithfully serving the Lord. His final years he served as a pastor to the seniors at Pauline Baptist Church of Monticello, Arkansas, among many other roles. The week prior to his passing, his longtime fellow servant and senior pastor lost his mother, to which my Dad said, “I got it covered, you just go be with your family.” It gives me joy to know that his last week on this earth, Dad got to do what he loved the most…preach and teach the Word of God. On Wednesday, February 14th, 2024, he preached an expository message as he had done thousands of times before, and went home. He changed into his comfy clothes and sat down in his recliner next to my Mom as he had done so many times before. They had a tradition with exchanging Hershey bars on pretty much every holiday or birthday, and Dad had already eaten his. So, my mom shared her candy bar with him, after which he said, “You’ll always be my Valentine”. He fell asleep on the couch, and he woke up in glory! It was God’s grace that He took Dad the way He did, as he had no desire to live incapacitated in any way. For that, we are so grateful! In addition to being an expositor, my Dad was also an avid writer of Sunday School literature, commentaries, and a devotional blog here on Wordpress. Though I will never be the expositor or writer he was, this devotional blog is in honor of him. People who knew him will read my blogs and easily see that I am no Larry Clements; but I already know what dad would say – “Looks good son!”
I am a follower of Jesus, husband and father of five, homesteader, and former Marine. This blog serves as a memorial to my Dad, larryclements.wordpress.com and provides an outlet for my writing inclinations. Its purpose is to tell my story and hopefully provide encouragement to others on their journey.
Finish With Joy 