Dennis Wade Sayre

May 1, 1963

September 25, 2017

Romans 8:19 “For the earnest expectation of the creature waits for the manifestation of the sons of God.”

Let me tell you about my love….

Some of you know about the amazing life we had together and the many places and things we shared in our Lord. I want you to know that I love him with every fiber of my being, and I have absolutely no regrets for choosing to marry him. We often referenced this marriage to being the first time we jumped out of that boat to walk on water with the Lord.

The best part of Dennis is his devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. He loves Him more than anything - including me, his wife. For me, this has always been what I loved most about him. He loves deeply and completely. He is your best friend and your worst enemy.

He fully and completely trusts the Lord. He would often encourage others to do the same - no matter the problem, the sickness, the circumstance, and so forth. He believed in trusting the Lord with everything - even if it meant that it led to your death. After all, no one truly dies; they just change addresses.

I cannot say that he is what you would call “popular” - either with family or friends. He is honest to a fault, some would say, so his words often came across as harsh. However, he is definitely someone everyone runs to if they need something. His strength is a formidable force, whether he is for you or against you.

Dennis walks with Jesus. Now, it wasn’t like most imagine - for example, reading your Bible. I mean for three years - like every disciple did - he walked and talked with Jesus, face-to-Face. He saw Him just like you and I might see our best friend. Jesus is Dennis’ best Friend. We were two years into our marriage before I was able to convince him that he was the only person I knew who had done this. He was so humble, that he believed he was behind everybody else. Turns out he is light years ahead of all of us.

Dennis does everything large. When he grabbed hold of something in life, whether it was financial planning, or golf, or construction, he studied and learned it until it became second nature to him. His walk with the Lord was no different.

He would admonish you today to live according to Matthew 25:31-46. People think it’s okay to say a brief salvation prayer and ask Jesus into their hearts. Too many professing Christians believe that doing this means all is well. The old adage, “once saved, always saved,” is simply not true. Read that passage of Matthew 25:31-46 carefully, as it addresses those who believed they were “okay.” The King will say, “depart from Me, I never knew you,” if you cannot care for the least of these. Caring for others is what truly gets us into heaven.

We spent a great deal of the last three years of his time here testing the church. We found it sorely lacking. We lived as “the least of these,” and the church seldom rose up to care for us. Those of you with breath in your body still have time to change - amend your ways. I fervently pray you listen and act on this message. Remember, actions speak louder than words.

God gave Dennis a commission:

One - Get their attention.

Two - Tell them the Truth. And,

Three - Build Me an army.

Which brings me to what I believe sums up the core of his life: Trust the Lord with all you have. You can depend on the Lord. Dennis lives his life by this. He has given all he had – spirit, soul, and body - to the working and service of the Kingdom of God. He made sure that he not only asked Jesus into his heart, but he also made sure that Jesus was Lord of his life.

Those who knew Dennis know my words ring true. Those who don’t know him can be encouraged to read this and know that there is a safe place for all of us in the arms of the Lord. I intend to live the rest of my days in making sure Jesus is Lord of my life. My love showed me how to know Him more. I am eternally grateful. My forever love; I will miss you until we meet again.