Is Skip Caray in Heaven?

As I work this afternoon on a few projects, I'm listening to the memorial service for Skip Caray, long-time broadcaster of the Atlanta Braves. I grew up listening and watching Skip, so I feel like I lost a family member. I know that sounds strange, but it's true.

As with any family member or friends, we want that assurance we will see them again in heaven. I would love to sit in a broadcast booth in heaven and call a game with Skip Caray one day, perhaps a Braves vs. Yankees game with guys like John Smoltz and Mickey Mantle on the field. And won't it be great to watch Smoltz and Mantle play without their shoulder or knees bothering them?!?!

So is Skip Caray in heaven? Clearly, he was a good broadcaster. His family testifies that he was a loving father and grandfather. He did a lot of charity work. But that doesn't answer my question, does it? Is Skip Caray in heaven? Of course, I don't really know the answer. I did not know Skip personally. I'm not the Judge. God's the Judge of human hearts. But I do know what the Bible says about how to get to heaven. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. Nobody comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). Jesus also said, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23). In other words, a personal relationship with Jesus and a absolute commitment to following Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven/eternal life.

I can only hope that somebody shared the love of Christ with him, how Jesus came to pay the punishment for our sin. I can only hope that somebody shared the message of repentance with him, that we must turn from our sin and our selfish ways and surrender every area of our lives to Christ. I can only hope that he accepted God's grace and forgiveness. I can only hope that he did repent. I can only hope that what he did here on earth was evidence of a man who was committed to Christ and His church.

That's my hope for Skip. That's my hope for my family members. That's my hope for my friends and neighbors. Did Skip go to heaven when he died last Sunday? I don't know. Are you going to heaven if you die this week? I don't know, are you? I hope you do.