Touré Roberts - Tribute to Rasual and Leah

First of all, personally, I love Leah and I love Rasual. I did know Leah longer, but I loved them both because they were one. Yesterday morning, someone texted me a picture of a news story, and in that picture, it just referenced that Rasual had passed away. I jumped out of bed and said, «Honey, this is crazy, no!» I immediately thought about Leah and said, «No, she’s going to be crushed.» I literally took out my phone, ran over to the window, and looked out while texting Leah. My wife asked, «Who are you texting?» I said, «I’m texting Leah; she must be a mess.» My wife said, «No, you didn’t read the article.» It was a one-two punch, and I just lost it entirely. Just like that, my spiritual kids were gone, and life was happening around me. I was hurt, deeply hurt. Many of us have to press through, still close deals, stay strong, and take care of business. I wanted to create a space for our family to grieve, cry, and worship. You might say, «Wait a minute, the last thing I feel like doing is worshiping,» but let me explain something to you: here is the truth, beyond our feelings, which are valid and real and something we need to work through. The truth is that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Understand this dynamic: absent in one place, but just as surely as they are absent in one place, they are present in another. There is no in-between. The moment they were absent, immediately, they were present over there. I was at the scene today, over there on Ventura and Violent. In God’s divine understanding, which is often incomprehensible, He ordained that moment to be the door between realms for Leah and Rasual. In His wisdom, which is baffling and often beyond us, He said on that day, January 31, 2018, «I’m going to turn Ventura in Studio City into a portal.» It’s going to hurt some people. I know the Bible says that Jesus wept; there is a passage that talks about Jesus weeping when someone He loved passed away. He wasn’t weeping for the one who passed, because He knew Lazarus—He was going to raise him up again. He wasn’t weeping for Lazarus; He was weeping for those of us who wouldn’t understand what He was doing. That’s when He cried. He cried with us, but He wasn’t crying the same cry that we were crying because of loss and confusion. Jesus was crying because they didn’t understand, although they would understand later. On that day, the same God who says, «Before I formed you in your mother’s womb, I knew you,» is saying that Rasual and Leah’s lives did not start with us. Now, I just want to say we’re going to worship; we’re going to cry and do all that, but I want to establish some truth as a foundation for us to stand on. We will use that truth in those moments when we are overwhelmed with grief. There’s grace in that truth. Yes, it allows us to cry, but we’re going to cry with an understanding. I’m crying because I miss you. I’m crying because I won’t see you on this side anymore. I’m crying because you’re my friend and my daughter; I love you. I’m crying, but I’m not crying hopelessly. I’m crying with an understanding that God loves you and that your life did not start with me. Your life did not start when I met you; it didn’t even start when you were in your mother’s womb. Your life started with Him, which means those lives always belonged to Him. We are on loan. Can I keep it real, family? We’re not alone. I have kids; I love my kids like crazy. I have spiritual kids; I love each and every one of you like crazy, but you’re on loan. We are stewards over these moments. We all belong to Him. It says that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. In God’s wisdom and sovereignty, He said Ventura Boulevard would be a gateway to transition. I’m not going to forsake Leah and Rasual; I’m not in the forsaking business. I don’t roll like that. I’m not going to forsake them; I’m going to make them present somewhere else. In a split second, boom—absent here, present there. So, what does that have to do with worship, Pastor? I don’t get it. To say to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord also means Leah and Rasual are in the Lord’s presence. Guess what happens when we worship? When we worship, we enter! Are you starting to catch it? We enter into the Lord’s presence. You will never feel closer to Leah, and you will never feel closer to Rasual than when you worship.