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Poured out.



David Edward Hazzard
November 7, 1953 - May 27, 2021




The below blog post was written in May of 2019. Dad's diagnosis at the time of writing it was "we will do what we can but it's not looking good." Our family looked to God for whatever His will would be—hoping for a miracle, but also preparing for Dad's death. We watched him lose a tremendous amount of weight as he suffered from acute pain; he was on a heavy pain relief regimen and needed 5 litres of oxygen 24 hours a day. He planned his funeral; we started palliative care. His family came to say their goodbyes. Many people may not have realized how critical his condition was at the beginning of the diagnosis. But as you look back and read the journey, you will see what God did. I wrote this post in the middle of all that I just described with a heart fully surrendered to God's plan for Dad, and peace despite the tears streaming down my cheeks. But I was not released to post it. God asked me to wait until the time was right—until the timing was His. As you read it now, my prayer is that you would fully see how great and mighty God is. I pray your heart is transformed and changed. 


POURED OUT.

... You are not your own; you were bought at a price ... (1 Cor. 6:19-20)

In an earlier draft blog post, I had written: We’ve shared him generously with you all and now we’re being selfish. When I read it to Dad, despite his weakened condition and the pain he was suffering, he reprimanded me: "Jordan," he said, "Where in the Bible does it say we get to be selfish? God is going to use me however He wants." I got the point.

In my devotional time, I had been working through 2 Timothy since before Dad's diagnosis. On April 25th, 2019, while Dad was rapidly declining, I read 2 Timothy 4:6-8 (CSB): "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time for my departure is close. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. There is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but to all those who have loved His appearing."

There was a pang in my heart as I read that because Dad's condition was so fragile. But I paused at what it meant to be poured out as a drink offering. I had never thought about it before. I came across some wisdom found in My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers:

"Are you ready to be poured out as an offering? It is an act of your will, not your emotions. Tell God you are ready to be offered as a sacrifice for Him. Then accept the consequences as they come, without any complaints, in spite of what God may send your way. God sends you through a crisis in private, where no other person can help you. From the outside your life may appear to be the same, but the difference is taking place in your will. Once you have experienced the crisis in your will, you will take no thought of the cost when it begins to affect you externally. If you don’t deal with God on the level of your will first, the result will be only to arouse sympathy for yourself.

Tell God you are ready to be poured out as an offering, and God will prove Himself to be all you ever dreamed He would be."

https://utmost.org/are-you-ready-to-be-poured-out-as-an-offering-2/

As I pondered this, a few thoughts came to mind:

1. We are all being poured out whether we want to be or not.

R. Alec Mackenzie, in his book The Time Trap, says this:
"Most of us sense something...about time: it is a resource. Moreover, it is a unique resource. It cannot be accumulated like money or stockpiled like raw materials. We are forced to spend it, whether we choose to or not, and at a fixed rate of 60 seconds every minute. It cannot be turned on and off like a machine or replaced like a man. It is irretrievable."

Our problem is not the amount of time the Lord grants each of us, but how we view time and life itself...and how we choose to spend it. Dad reminded us that our view of time is flawed. He always said he would live 110 years...and he did. Ever the overachiever :) he just managed to fit 110 years into 67. 

2. We choose how we are poured out.

If we choose to be a drink offering for the Lord, then not only does His hand hold the vessel that pours us out, but His hand also holds the cup. At no point are we out of his hands. Not a drop of our life is wasted—and the drink is for him! He pours us out with great care to keep us to himself.

My siblings and I have watched our father be poured out as a drink offering unto the Lord our whole lives. It didn't start when he was diagnosed with lung cancer, it started long before we were born. What a gift that is. This part of his journey has been no different. God has been glorified through Dad in this journey. We don't know the full impact of it, but we know it will end up being more than Dad or any of us dreamed possible. And we are a standing testament to the fact that seeing a life being poured out as a drink offering unto the Lord has a tremendous, eternal impact.

And so my thoughts turn to you and to me. Do we dare pray this together? Can we tell God we are ready to be poured out as a drink offering for Him and to Him? Will we allow the next generations to watch our lives be poured out? If they need anything, it's to witness this:

... You are not your own; you were bought at a price ... (1 Cor. 6:19-20)








Comments

  1. Wonderful Words! GOD IS GOOD ! Prayers for all of David's Family !

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  3. Powerful! Thanks Jordan... and thank you David!

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  4. God bless you. Thank you for sharing your heart with us.

    Your dad was an incredible example and encouragement to me. Even though we were in a small church in a small district, he never forgot my name, and he always took time to talk with me. He listened. He cared. He modelled Christ to me and prayed for me.

    I also want to follow his example and offer my life to the Lord. May God give me grace to also be poured out.

    We are praying for your family.

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  5. God bless you. Thank you for sharing your heart with us.

    Your dad was an incredible example and encouragement to me. Even though we were in a small church in a small district, he never forgot my name, and he always took time to talk with me. He listened. He cared. He modelled Christ to me and prayed for me.

    I also want to follow his example and offer my life to the Lord. May God give me grace to also be poured out.

    We are praying for your family.

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  6. We shared a birthday. We shared a faith. We shared a mission ... I will be forever grateful for the wisdom he shared with us ... Thanks be to God for his gift to us all... David Hazzard.

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  7. What an amazing tribute to an amazing man and an amazing family. Our prayers are with you all. God bless you, precious friends.

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  8. Jordan, thank you so so much for sharing this intimate journey with us all. We have such a deep love and respect for your Dad, for your mom, and also for all of you, Josh, Jordan, Beth and Luke ... So many tears flowing right now as the memories come of the times our paths crossed, in Nairobi for three years when you guys were all little, working together with your Dad ... then encountering his incredible leadership @ Head office, going on a cruise together :-) and always popping in to the office to see him whenever we were home in Canada. He is one of those larger than life people - he loved fiercely, lived intentionally, and now has even lead the way in dying purposeFULLY. We commit to praying for you all as you enter this sacred season which involves the bittersweet privilege of mourning one so loved. And we pick up the challenge to also be poured out ..."No guilt in life, no fear in death, this is the power of Christ in me. From life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny."

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  9. You have written beautiful words that give comfort to others like me. I could feel and relate to how you feel when you lost your loved ones untimely.
    I'm not exempted from this category in a state of grieving. I also had lost my son at the age of twenty-six years old, in a tragic car accident fifteen years ago. I felt that part of us died as well. I am grieving with you as I write this note. May the comfort and peace of God will be upon you and your family.

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  10. Here is a great memory I have of David. I was first introduced to him by his parents, who were friends of mine, at General Conference in 2000 when he was first elected as Asst. Gen Supt. 10 months later I was at National Office for a meeting. The door was open to the room I was in and David walked by, saw me, came in, greeted me by my name and asked me about my ministry. After only meeting me for 5 minutes almost a year earlier!

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  11. Thank you so much for your words of wisdom. The small windows of time I knew David was always encouraging. I am thankful to God for those windows. God is our peace and comfort. May He surround all of the family and close friends with His comfort.

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  12. Thank you for sharing this with all of us. We are so sorry for your loss but celebrating as well, knowing that he has fully entered the joy of the Lord and is no longer suffering. We pray that each of you will know the complete comfort and peace of the Lord as you grieve your loss and remember all of the many special memories you shared together. It was my honor and privilege to serve with David as his secretary and the office manager at Evangel in Edmonton back in the early 90s. I learned much from him and during my time there - lessons that I carry with me today. Blessings to all of you.

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  13. I am very broken and very sorry for your Dad's departure. But I am thanking God for giving me the joy, the honor, and the opportunity to have your Dad as a Pastor that he is a very good example to me and to my family thought the years at Queensway Church. Notice that I am talking on present tense, because your Dad is more alive than ever before, he only change his address for a new address on the City of Angeles.
    Thank you so very much for taking the time and the effort to create that beautiful block that give us the change to know how important is your dad to you as a family and to us as a family of God. May the Lord's peace be very close to you and comfort you for your dad that play also a tremendous positive role in to our family's too.
    If we can be any help to you in this difficult time please do not hesitate to let us know get in touch with us. tedthanos@gmail.com

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  14. I pray that God will comfort your family at this difficult time
    .

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  15. A truly great leader because he led out of who he was...the real deal! We were blessed to have couple of meaningful conversations with him and Stacey recently even though we live thousands of miles away in Kolkata. On every occasion he was, as always, concerned about the ‘other’ - about the welfare of God’s people and God’s work. He exuded a warm yet real strength and faith right to the very end! He not only showed us how a person of faith should live...but perhaps even more poignantly - how we should continue our journey from this life to the next! Stacey and the rest of the family that your friends in Kolkata hold you close in our hearts and in our prayers!
    Ivan & Sheila
    w/ The AG Church Family-Kolkata, India

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  16. In 1992, shortly after coming to the Lord, I began going to different churches looking for where I would start to attend. That journey led me to Evangel Assembly on a Sunday evening. The choir, led by Gerry Paulson led worship. At a certain point, I turned to my brother and said, "Do you feel that?" He looked at me and nodded, as if to say "Whoa!" It was as if gentle electricity were coursing through us. Then, Mr. Greet gave a message in tongues, followed by an interpretation. This was all new to us, not having grown up in church. Your Dad then spoke. Immediately, I knew I had found my church. I was a fixture afterwards, both morning and evening services. I can't begin to tell you how I grew. Then your family was called back home to Ontario. I will never forget the service where your Dad shared that God was calling him to Queensway. So sad. Later, I went into ministry, and had the occasion to reconnect with your Dad when he came to preach at the church my wife and I were on staff, allowing me to get to know him better. My initial impressions never changed one bit. The best way I can describe Pastor Hazzard, was as a holy man, obviously not perfect, but uncommon in the sense that you knew you were in the presence of a man fully devoted to his Lord. As you grieve his passing from this life, may Christ dull the pain, and make your memories sweeter, and more vivid with each passing year. The Kingdom of God has lost a significant shepherd. He will be greatly missed. Kindest regards. Shane and Barb Symyrozum.

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  17. At Evangel Assembly, David and Stacey lovingly influenced our personal life journey soon after our first child was born - For me, David's engagement was a lighthouse to my early walk with Jesus by helping me understand grace and forgiveness when my unfocused life presented challenges as a new husband to Naomi and father to our first child. His mentorship gave me hope to help me understand the meaning of Father God. I am thankful that David dedicated our first born to the Lord. Psalm 127:3. “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.” David spoke these words over Alisha and I now understand how powerful the words of the righteous are. James 5:16 “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” I am sure that Jesus has whispered to you, "Well done." To Stacey and the children, our love and prayers. David's legacy will be influential and powerful to many.

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  18. What a day that will be
    When my Jesus I shall see
    And I look upon his face
    The one who saved me by his grace
    When he takes me by the hand
    And leads me to the promised land
    What a day glorious day that will be

    May you find comfort in the promises of God and find peace and comfort in the shelter of his wings as he shrouds you in his Love

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  19. David Hazzard performed my marriage ceremony in Edmonton, Alberta in 1992. I few years later our young family moved to Etobicoke, Ontario. We were thrilled to find David at the helm of Queensway Cathedral. Together we grew. Our first daughter was dedicated at Queensway by David. In 2002, he gently helped us say good-bye (for now) to our second daughter, Deziree. He and Stacey met her just weeks before she suddenly died. He walked us through that tragic time. Four years later I named my son after him. Izaac David had the pleasure of meeting his name sake over a couple of waffles one Sunday morning.

    I will forever remember David Hazzard. We loved him and are so grateful to his family for generously sharing him with us. We are all better for having known him. May God's spirit hover those who remain and grieve this great loss.

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  20. He was our pastor for many years at Queensway Cathedral Church (Church on the Queensway). He was the man who loved his Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, a man of integrity and wisdom. He was a great expository preacher and Bible teacher. When he spoke to you personally, he would look you straight in the eyes and listen intently. Once he got to know your name, he would never forget it.

    He was like a carrying father to his congregation. He admonished, affirmed, commended you. He touched many lives with his uprightness. His memory lives on.

    May the tangible love of God comfort his beloved wife Stacey, his children, grandchildren and the entire Hazzard family.

    "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His (Jesus) appearing." (2 Timothy 4:7-8, The word of Apostle Paul)

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