In Memory of a Friend: Brian "Ozzy" Osborne

     

On Tuesday afternoon traveling back from my great-uncle’s funeral I received a text that a childhood friend, Brian “Ozzy Osborne was found in his home on Monday, April 26th not breathing. Ozzy had passed away at the young age of 43 years old. I was shocked and saddened by the tragic news. No one likes to hear the news of people passing away, especially those whom you were close to at one time. I first met Ozzy the Summer of my freshman year when I had moved to Phil Campbell, AL from Russellville. Back then the hang out place was downtown Russellville on the “strip.” This is where I first met Ozzy, along with his uncle Waylon (which I always found interesting that Ozzy was older than Waylon, but Waylon was his uncle), Skeeter, and other Seniors of 1991. I had a Summer job at McDonalds and I would often go to the “strip” after I got off work to hang out. Ozzy had a odd sense of showing how he liked you (or at least liked me) by picking at you (me). One night, I remember getting off work and showing up at the “strip,” and Ozzy in front of several people called me “McBeck" sine I worked at McDonald's (You get. Right?). I have to admit, it embarrassed me at first, as everyone laughed at his comment. However, at that moment I sensed an acceptance by Ozzy and the other guys from Phil Campbell, as I was the laugh for the night. It was then I began to hang out at Betty’s (Waylon’s mother and Ozzy’s grandmother) house to play pool, cards, and do what PC boys used to do. It was then the older guys took me in as their little brother and they were my older brothers that I never had. Ozzy was special in the sense he loved life and he lived it to the fullest. I remember his smile. His laughter. His sense of humor. He was a jolly guy who always had to have the last word:) He was Ozzy.

     I received a call from the family on Wednesday morning asking if I would speak at Ozzy’s funeral. I was more than honored to minister the Word of God to his family and friends. There were several of Ozzy’s family members I had not seen in several years and I hated to see them under those circumstances. Myself along with Jason Burcham, and Brain Scott, all childhood friends spoke at the funeral. Friends that we went to high school  gathered to remember Ozzy’s life. Some friends traveled hundreds of miles to show their support to his family. Funerals are a sad time, but it is a time God uses to remind us that all of humanity is mortal. What I mean is that, life is brief and there are no guarantees when or where ours will end. Therefore, I wanted to share some thoughts from Ozzy’s funeral that I shared with the friends and family.

James 4:14 tells us, “You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."

Renee DeCarte a 16th century French philosopher has been attributed with basically saying, "all men ask 4 questions when it comes to life:"

#1 Who am I?

#2 How did I get here?

#3 Where am I going?

#4 How do I get there?

     At some point in our lives we ask these question. Perhaps not out loud but in the recesses of our being. The purpose of these questions begs to answer another question: “What is the meaning of life?"

Outside of a biblical worldview one will never understand the purpose or meaning of life. In order to make sense of evil and death in the world today one must have a proper understanding of sin. Evil, nor death makes sense apart from the Word of God. 

As James writes to the persecuted believers to remind them that life was fleeting from them faster and faster. And therefore, we need to understand 3 truths about this life:

1. Life has no guarantees.

Someone has said, “There are only two guarantees in life. You are guaranteed that you will pay taxes and die.” To which I say, “You don’t have to pay taxes!"

However, you are guarantee that you will die. This is an absolute fact. It is a 100% guarantee that you will not leave this world alive, unless you are a child of God when He makes His visible appearance. 

The Bible teaches us, “that is appointed once for man to die and then the judgment” (Heb.9:27).

2. Life is short. 

An older preacher once told me, “Yesterday I was 8, today I am 40, and tomorrow I’ll be 80.” He was telling me how fast life goes by us. 

We all remember growing up we couldn’t wait to turn 15 or 16 so we could drive. It meant freedom. Then we couldn’t wait to graduate and move out of the house. Then we couldn’t wait to get married and have children. And now we wish we could go back and be a kid again. 

My grandmother use to say, “Don’t wish your life away. You’ll be an adult soon enough.” She was right. 

James says, “Life is a midst (vapor).” Life is not like a midst. It is a midst. The average American lives to be 80 years old. That is not a long time to live when you think about it in light of eternity.

Too many people spend their short time here on earth living for themselves and never finding true fulfillment. The reason why is because God has created us a beings who worship. The problem is that most spend their short time worshipping the creation, rather than the Creator.

3. Life is under God’s control. 

We are all born believing our destiny is in our hands. It is up to us in what and how we do it. James reminds us, that we should be reminded life is under the “Lord’s will that we will do such and such.” 

For several years I thought I was living the life the way I wanted to (which I was) and it brought great pain and damage to myself and others. It was only by God’s amazing grace that I was spared death at an early age from car wrecks, along with drunken stupors and drug binges. I hurt several people from living the way I wanted to live, yet God was providentially sparing me for something greater than myself. He was sparing me for Himself. 

In the same way, if you are reading this God has spared you for this very moment. I do not believe in accidents. It is God’s providence that you are reading this post in memory of Ozzy. There is a purpose for everything which happens in life, even evil and death. Even though we don’t fully understand it, God tell us “The secret things belong to the Lord, but the things revealed belongs to his children” (Deut.29:29). God has a greater purpose for your life and its better than anything you could ever imagine for yourself. He desires that you know him through a personal relationship with Him through His Son Jesus Christ. You see, even though I was sadden to hear the news about Ozzy’s death, and the loss his children and family will have to live with from now on, I was encouraged by the fact that Ozzy had came to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. I was blessed to hear that Brian Scott had the privilege of leading Ozzy to the Lord and that Christ had made a difference in his life. 

In conclusion, I would like to answer the 4 questions that all men ask at some point in their lives:

#1 Who am I? You are a living creature made in the image of God.So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (Gen.1:27). 

#2 How did I get here? God created you.  “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). 

#3 Where am I going? If you are forgiven in Christ by trusting in Him alone by faith (not of works Eph.2:8) you will possess an eternal heaven. If not you possess an eternal hell.   "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36).

#4 How do I get there? Jesus and Him alone.  “ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

I have never lost a father, son, brother, or nephew and cannot truly understand what this family this has experienced. Only God knows the pain and suffering of this family and it is only God who can truly give them 
"the peace that surpasses all understanding in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Phil.4:7).

My prayer is after you read this you would take a moment and pray for this family. 
My prayer is if you have not been forgiven of your sin and have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ that you would seek Him today, by turning from yourself and turning to Him. He is a gracious and loving Father. 

May God be praised! 

Please feel free to leave a comment or a memory about our friend Ozzy in the comment section.