Resources by Topic: About Randy

During Randy’s visit to First Baptist Church in Leesburg Florida, he spoke with Pastor Cliff Lea in a question-and-answer session. They talk about grief, Heaven, if we can know when the Lord is going to return, and more.

Randy spoke in November with Dr. Lee Warren about the loss of his wife Nanci, walking through grief, and the living hope that we have in Jesus. They talked about all we have to look forward to on the New Earth, where Jesus’ laughter will be the loudest!

This is a year of “firsts,” that is, the first of many things without Nanci by my side. These weeks have included three of the very hardest firsts, followed quickly by Christmas and New Year’s.

This week Nanci’s sister Donna initiated a conversation between my daughters Karina and Angela and me about the first weekend of NFL football. She rightly discerned how big last weekend would’ve been in Nanci’s life and how challenging it would be for our family. It was a tough weekend, tougher than I anticipated.

I enjoyed talking with Scott Linebrink on his podcast, Get in the Game, about sharing the Gospel and being generous with our money and spiritual gifts. Hope you find this interview helpful. 

Jesus is Nanci’s best friend and my best friend. She is there with Him, and He is here with me. So Jesus is the bridge that keeps us connected until we live in that new world, with new bodies and minds, that He is preparing for us. The connection I feel to her through Him is profound.

During a devotional time with the Eternal Perspective Ministries staff, Randy Alcorn talked about what it meant to Nanci and to him to abide in the Father, to bear fruit, and to experience the friendship of Jesus.

Today is the thirty-third anniversary of the day my 10-year-old daughter Karina and I, along with our friends Barry Arnold and his daughter Andrea, also 10, “should have died” in a plane crash in Alaska. Instead, we had an emergency landing, and were rescued seven hours later.

In July, Randy Alcorn was a guest on Chris Fabry Live. He and Chris talk about his book Heaven, his wife Nanci’s passing, what Nanci is experiencing now and Randy’s journey of grief and loss. 

Jeremiah 17:7-8 was Nanci’s go-to Scripture during her four years of cancer: “Blessed is the one who trusts in Yahweh, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” I’ve been reflecting on how powerfully I saw that passage displayed in her life. 

Over the years, the friendships Nanci and I enjoyed most, like with our friends Steve and Sue Keels, and Paul and Michele Norquist, are the ones where we laugh and have fun together but also talk about the things that really matter. Those kind of friendships are worth seeking out and preserving.

Nanci’s life illustrates how an ordinary, behind the scenes, hating-to-be-upfront follower of Jesus can have an eternal impact by making deliberate, careful choices to study God, daily contemplate His faithfulness, and love and invest in others, even when it wasn’t easy or comfortable for her. 

One of the more unique things at Nanci’s service was that she had requested her family be given the opportunity to record some thoughts on video about her rather than having to stand up and speak live. She didn’t want them to be nervous or self-conscious on that weighty day.

I had the honor of speaking at Nanci’s memorial service last month and sharing my heart and perspectives. During my message I read several of her journal entries. The service was long (2 hours, 40 minutes) but many have said it held their interest. However, I want to give people the opportunity to see it in smaller chunks if they want to.