And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”
(Revelation 14:13)
In Memoriam
Robert Lee Hoekstra (Pastor Bob) entered into his eternal inheritance on December 20, 2011, ending his two-year battle with illness. Pastor Bob served on the Board of Directors of Blue Letter Bible since 1998. His presence will be sorely missed by the staff and leadership at Blue Letter Bible. We mourn our loss and our prayers go out to his family.
Reflecting and Remembering
“I have many blessed memories of Bob’s influence in my life. From ministry trips together discussing God’s grace to board meetings to help guide our ministry. But I will never forget that one day when he said ‘I now pronounce you man and wife!’ as he presided over Rebekah and my union in Christ. We will miss him and God’s grace that poured through him.”
– Jim Milligan, C.E.O. of BLB
“Pastor Bob was a dear friend, always ready with timeless scripture for a timely problem, delighting in pouring out the truth of the grace of God to all. He was a gentle giant, armed with the whole armor of God, ministering with meakness, wisdom, and joy. His sweetness was the honey of God’s word. He lived out these verses from Psalm 19:
The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. – Psalm 19:7-10 NKJV
Our consolation in his passing is the consolation of Christ: God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. In Pastor Bob’s last email to our Board at Sowing Circle, he wrote: “There is a great longing in my heart to be with you dear saints again soon for face-to-face fellowship.” Soon and very soon, we will again be with Pastor Bob in fellowship, before the King of Kings.”
– Frank Rabinovitch, BLB Board Member & Founding Director of Sowing Circle
“God bless Bob Hoekstra for his years of service to the Lord while on earth. I will pray for his family as they grieve his passing. All of the things he has contributed for everyone to study has truly helped me grow in my faith as a “christian”, then as a Believer and now as a Follower of Jesus.”
– Debi, BLB user
“I use this Blog as my Homepage. I copy the graphic to my desktop everyday. I use the Daily Devotional Day By Day By Grace by Bob Hoekstra”
– Pat, BLB user
A Life of Faithful Servanthood
We rejoice and thank God for Pastor Bob’s partnership in the gospel. His materials have blessed tens of thousands of Blue Letter Bible users on a daily basis. He is known for his teaching on God’s grace.
Pastor Bob teaching in Austria
We encourage you to take some time and be blessed by the following God-exalting teachings by Pastor Bob.
In addition to his ministry work at the Blue Letter Bible, Pastor Bob oversaw Living in Christ Ministries and International Prison Ministry.
Rejoicing in Bob’s New Life
Bob Hoekstra’s new life in Christ did not start on December 20th. It began the day he got saved, and since 1967 he resolved to spend the duration of his new life in Christ preaching the good news of Jesus Christ so that others, too, could experience the fullness of new life in Christ. During his pilgrimage here on Earth, Bob Hoekstra labored hard in the grace of God. Today, we rejoice as he continues his new life where he belongs—at home. There is no doubt that he is currently enjoying the fruits of his eternal inheritance in Christ. For to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
We thank the Lord for every day of Bob Hoekstra’s faithfulness and look forward to reuniting with him in heaven.
…those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
(Romans 5:17)