“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment…” (Hebrews 9:27)

I’m on this kick lately, this nostalgia kick. And another former University of Oklahoma football legend has died: Lee Roy Selmon. Considered one of the game’s all-time great players, this man left an indelible mark on everyone he came into contact with. A great athletic talent, but, as they are saying, an even better human being, Selmon has become an iconic figure to sports fans.

And he was only 56. At his home last Friday, the fit and handsome Selmon was felled by a stroke. He clung to life for 48 hours and we hoped. Then came word on Sunday that he was gone.

Selmon was a Christian and as a fellow Christian, I understand his assurance of “where he was going.” Conservative Christians are often ridiculed for this mindset, but it’s quite real. In Scripture, Jesus said He was going to prepare a place for us, and He spoke of it not as a parable or metaphor, but as a real place.

I loathe the disease and death on this planet. While we retain a spark of the original created beauty, overall, our planet is groaning and dying. I detest hearing about people who die, whether a man like Lee Roy Selmon, or even the shooter in Nevada from today’s news. All human death is tragic.

Studying Bible prophecy, though, has convinced me of the reality of the next world. God has promised to re-make it.

I now can only see Lee Roy Selmon in my mind’s eye. I watched him play in person, and knew he lived in Tampa. But now he is gone to a realm I cannot reach, yet.

Someday I will.